SOCCER:THE English FA will confirm whether Wayne Rooney will be free to face Manchester City in this month's FA Cup semi-final at 10am this morning.

Rooney is challenging his two-match ban for using offensive, insulting and/or abusive language at West Ham on Saturday, believing it to be excessive for the crime he committed. As it stands, the Manchester United forward will miss Saturday’s Premier League encounter with Fulham and that eagerly-anticipated clash with City at Wembley on April 16th.

A conclusion was reached yesterday and relayed to the Old Trafford club. However, the FA and United agreed the official media announcement will not be made until this morning due to the timing of the Champions League clash with Chelsea last night. Rooney is risking his ban being increased by appealing.

It is believed Rooney’s argument centres around the swiftness of his apology, which came within hours of the final whistle at Upton Park, and the fact his comments were not directed at anyone in particular.

Meanwhile, Rooney’s relationship with Coca-Cola has ended and will not be renewed, the drinks firm said yesterday. “Our contract with Wayne Rooney came to an end last year and we mutually agreed that we would not renew our relationship,” Coca-Cola said in a statement.