League chiefs facing sack over ITV Digital contract

The Football League chief executive David Burns and the chairman, Keith Harris, could be out of a job this week in the wake of the ITV Digital contract disaster.

Harris and Burns face a League board meeting tomorrow, when both could be sacked.

"If the League chairmen want heads to roll, and if this is a cock-up that demands heads to roll, then I'm not going to stand in anyone's way," Harris told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Harris and Burns have taken the brunt of the backlash after the League lost its High Court action against Carlton and Granada over the money the League believed it was entitled to following the collapse of ITV Digital – and angry club chairmen could force them out.

Harris added: "I'm capable of being self-critical, and I personally examined all of the events very carefully.

"We have a board meeting on Tuesday and, by that stage, other members of the board will have talked to their colleagues – the chairmen of the other clubs – and the situation will become clearer.

"They'll either vote me in or out of a job. There is quite a lot of work to do and, before departing, I would like to see the job I began to do three years ago continue."

But he added: "I'm not saying I want to continue – I'm not begging for a job. Would my lifestyle improve? It probably would, enormously. This has been a huge emotional and time drain over the past months. But I'm not a quitter by nature."

Burns seems to be under more pressure as the full-time employee of the League, and he may even decide to resign.

Harris said: "In the light of some of the personal criticism he has received, it's a question of whether he can carry out his function normally against that hostile background. That's a question he will no doubt ask himself over the next few days."

The Darlington chairman George Reynolds is not giving up on the possibility of signing Paul Gascoigne, as the Scottish Premier League club Dundee also revealed their interest in the player.

Gascoigne's agent said yesterday that the midfielder would not be interested in dropping down to the Third Division, but Reynolds reiterated his interest, seeing Gascoigne as the perfect player to grace the Quakers' 25,000 all-seater stadium.

"We could still go in for him," he said. "I never listen to what agents say – they will always be floating it about."

Reynolds denied reports he would offer Gascoigne £1,000 a week, insisting the figure was "not correct".

"There is never a figure on the table until you have negotiated and we haven't done that yet."

Ian Elliott, Gascoigne's agent, said: "Darlington have been in contact, but Paul does not want to play in Division Three – it's as simple as that."

Dundee have earned a reputation for bringing big names to Scotland in recent seasons, with the capture of Argentina's Claudio Caniggia and the China captain Fan Zhiyi.

Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, has warned Soccer Australia it must get its house in order and gain central government support if Australia is to be successful in its bid for the 2014 World Cup.

Blatter was in Sydney to help launch the Australian bid along with Victoria's acting premier John Thwaites, New South Wales premier Bob Carr and Soccer Australia chief Ian Knop. The recently re-elected chief of football's world governing body said Australia had shown it could promote big events by the success of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, which were voted the best ever.

"But soccer in Australia needs stability if this bid is to have a chance," said Blatter. "They are not to change, every second year, the leadership or the president when something is not going well." The decision on who will stage the World Cup is expected in 2009.

But Blatter added: "Victoria and New South Wales have done well to launch the bid, but it is also essential for the federal government to be involved.

"The World Cup must be, and will be, a federal matter. As I have the privilege of meeting the Prime Minister tomorrow, I am sure this item will be discussed."