London - West Bromwich Albion failed to take advantage of a lacklustre West Ham United performance in a goalless draw Monday at Upton Park.

West Ham have not won in more than a year without Carlton Cole in the side, and with the forward suspended, their display was toothless.

West Brom look increasingly doomed, bottom of the table and six points from safety.

West Ham remain seventh and in line for UEFA Cup qualification, two points clear of Wigan Athletic.

London  - The Football Association formally submitted its application Monday to FIFA to host either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.

"Today marks another step forward on our journey to bring the FIFA World Cup to England, and our team are focused on delivering the best bid possible to FIFA," Bid Chairman Lord Triesman said.

"By declaring our interest for both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, we are maximizing our chances of winning the right to host the world's greatest sporting occasion."

Frankfurt  - Bundesliga club TSG Hoffenheim was on Monday fined by the German football federation DFB as it escaped a possible points penalty over a doping rule violation.

The DFB fined Hoffenheim 75,000 euros (97,000 dollars) and the club's doping official Peter Geigle 2,500 euros after players Andreas Ibertsberger and Christoph Janker arrived 10 minutes too late for a post-match drug test.

Munich  - A monthly Bundesliga viewing licence proposal from Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeness was met with scepticism and outright opposition on Monday.

Hoeness told the Wirtschaftswoche magazine that the 37 million television households should pay 2 euros (2.6 dollars) a month which would generate around 900 million euros per year and bring Germany closer to the big football TV deals in England and elsewhere.

Sunderland, England  - Former England star Paul Gascoigne has opened up on a life of addiction and violence in an interview to be broadcast on Sky TV on Monday.

In a startlingly frank performance, Gascoigne admitted that his heart stopped three times during rehab for alcohol addiction, explained the circumstances behind his violence to his ex-wife, and spoke of feeling "used" by his son Regan.

London, Mar. 16: Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson has charged the FA of of devaluing the FA Cup.

Ferguson criticised the FA governing body for scheduling the semi-finals of the tournament at Wembley where Manchester United would face Everton on April 19.

David Moyes has also expressed displeasure over the choice of the venue.

“I agree with David that playing the semi-finals at Wembley devalues the FA Cup,” The Sun quoted Ferguson, as saying.