By FRANCO PANIZO
David Villa may not be living up to expectations this season with Barcelona, but that doesn't mean the club is in any rush to get rid of him.
Pep Guardiola spoke to reporters in Japan ahead of Barcelona's FIFA Club World Cup campaign and said he has no intentions of disposing of Villa, who has been linked to several Premiership clubs. Guardiola also went on to say that while he hasn't spoken to Villa since last weekend's win over Real Madrid, the 30-year-old striker remains in Barcelona's plans.
Villa has started in eight of the 15 league games he's played in this season and scored five goals.
Here are more stories from around the soccer world:
SUAREZ-EVRA RACISM CASE UNDERWAY
The highly-discussed Patrice Evra-Luis Suarez racism case should reach a conclusion this week after England's FA began disciplinary hearings on Wednesday.
Both Suarez and Evra are expected to provide evidence at the hearing, and a decision should be made in the next couple of days.
Suarez, Liverpool's star Uruguayan striker, had been charged with racially abusing Evra during an early-season clash between Manchester United and Liverpool.
U.S. SOCCER SUPPLIES WPS CONDITIONS
Reports circulated Tuesday that U.S. Soccer granted Women's Professional Soccer conditional sanctioning for Division I status for a 2012 season, and now the details of those conditions have come out.
WPS must increase from its current five-team set-up to six in 2013 and eight — the usual standard for Division I sanctioning — by 2014. There are also undisclosed financial requirements that must be met by both the league and its teams.
"At all levels of professional soccer in the United States, our goal is to ensure the long-term sustainability of each league," U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati said in a statement. "WPS is optimistic about their ability to continue to grow in the next two years, and we believe these conditions will help the league accomplish those goals."
SCHWARZER OUT SIX WEEKS
Fulham has lost starting goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer for the next six weeks as he recovers from a spinal injury.
Schwarzer suffered the knock this past weekend after falling awkwardly in Fulham's match against Swansea City, and as a result, Fulham has recalled David Stockdale from his loan to Ipswich Town.
Fulham's decision to summon Stockdale could open the door for U.S. Under-20 goalkeeper Cody Cropper to become the primary backup at Ipswich Town.
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Think Barcelona should sell Villa? How do you see the Suarez-Evra case unfolding? What do you think of U.S. Soccer's conditions for WPS? Hope to see Cropper get some minutes at Ipswich Town?
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