Ashley Cole in a 2am Stand-off with Anton Ferdinand

RACE row football rivals Ashley Cole and Anton Ferdinand came face-to-face in a 2am bust-up in a car park.

The pair were separated by pals following a tense stand-off outside a nightclub in Los Angeles.

Cole’s England team-mate Andy Carroll appeared to put a protective arm across him to keep the men apart.

A source said: “There was no row, no confrontation. They spoke but that was it. There might not be much love lost between them but there was no trouble.”

There has been a rift since Chelsea’s John Terry was accused of calling Ferdinand, 28, a “f***ing black ****” in a 2011 game.

He was cleared of race abuse in court after team-mate Cole, 32, backed his account. Ferdinand later snubbed a pre-match handshake with both of the players.

Ferdinand’s spokesman last night declined to comment. Cole’s spokesman did not respond to a request to comment.

NFF, Eagles resolve bonus row

The bonus row between the Super Eagles players and the Nigeria Football Federation was amicably resolved after both parties agreed to bury the hatchet and let sleeping dogs lie till after the Confederations Cup hostilities.

An elated Team Secretary, Dayo Eenbi Achor said late Thursday that what happened was a mild misunderstanding that have since been resolved and the team will now fly out to Brazil on Saturday morning.

NFF President Alhaji Aminu Maigari has already said the players have a right to demand for higher bonuses but the federation is compelled to work within the budget at its disposal.

He noted that at the moment the reason for the bonus row was as a result of funds paucity. “And the Chairman of the National Sports Commission and Sports Minister, Mallam Bolaji Abdulahi has given us his words that all will be well financially in the coming days and that is why we have appealed to the players to understand the situation”.

Also speaking on the situation, Sports Marketing icon, Mike Itemuagbor, called on the Federal government to intervene in the financial situation facing the football federation. 

"When some backroom staff were laid off it was like a joke, now players are revolting, we must save the NFF and Nigeria from this embarrassment because football is capital intensive but it’s a major image booster or all big nations and the government must take it serious".

The Super Eagles will now have an official training on Sunday on time for its game against Tahiti on Monday in the Confederations Cup championship.