Charlton’s on-loan China international Zheng Zhi has confirmed he will return home at the end of the Premiership season.

China’s ruling Communist Party, reeling from a corruption epidemic that has seen senior party chiefs jailed around the country, warned today that the fight against graft was a long way from being solved.

Spar International today announced it has signed a licence agreement with local Shandong retailer Jia Jia Yue Supermarket Co Ltd to introduce the Spar brand to the Chinese retail market.

Aston Villa have followed the example of Everton and pulled out of an end-of-season tour to China and Hong Kong because of growing fears over the spread of the SARS virus.