The Guardian:
Manchester United will fight Chelsea's request for a Premier League dispensation from rules governing managers' coaching qualifications. Avram Grant was appointed as Jose Mourinho's successor last week although it is not clear whether he holds a valid Uefa Pro licence certificate. Grant does hold a coaching qualification from his native Israel but Uefa has yet to sign the endorsement agreement under which that nation can award Pro licences; the European body is now trying to ascertain whether Grant's qualification is of an equivalent standard.
Old Trafford sources say that if Chelsea submit a similar application to waive the rules, the Premier League champions would again reject it on the principle that all regulations should be upheld. The league's rule Q6 states: "No club shall employ any person as a manager who does not hold the qualifications required by [the] rules."
Those rules provide for a Football Association coaching diploma to suffice for managers with a long pedigree in the game, but this specific dispensation, which applies to those such as Sir Alex Ferguson and Martin O'Neill, will expire in season 2010-11. It is believed that figures of their standing will be granted honorary Pro licences in recognition of the fact they helped construct the coaching course.