A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Celtic to appeal Forrest's red card
CELTIC have announced they will be appealing against the red card received by James Forrest during Wednesday night’s draw at Hamilton. The 19-year-old was sent off by Willie Collum following a late tackle on Hamilton full-back David Buchanan early in the second half of the dramatic contest.
The appeal will be Celtic’s second to the Scottish FA this week after they challenged a six-match ban handed to manager Neil Lennon.
LEICESTER City have signed Everton striker Ayegbeni Yakubu on loan until the end of the season.
The English League Championship club confirmed yesterday they had reached an agreement with the Toffees which could lead to a permanent deal in the summer.
The 28-year-old Nigeria international passed a medical and will be eligible to play for Leicester as soon as he receives FA clearance.
Giggs rules out playing for Wales again
MANCHESTER United veteran Ryan Giggs last night ruled out an international comeback with Wales but offered to help new national team boss Gary Speed in any other capacity. Cardiff-born Giggs made his debut for his country in 1991 and went on to win 64 caps and captain the side. He stood down to concentrate on prolonging his club career, but the appointment of former Wales team-mate Speed as John Toshack’s successor sparked speculation the 37-year-old could play for his country again.
However, Giggs has now said: “I am definitely not going to play again for Wales, I am just concentrating on playing for United. I know Gary will do a great job – he was a great player – and in the future if he ever needed any help, advice or anything from me, that would be no problem.” When asked how long he could continue playing at club level, Giggs said: “For the last two or three years we have reviewed it as the season has gone on to see what I’m doing next year and we’ll do the same this season.”
Fifa officials appeal bans
TWO Fifa executive committee members have formally appealed against suspensions imposed on them last year over allegations they offered to sell their votes in the contest to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
“Both have appealed formally and the appeals committee will look at it at a date to be confirmed,” a Fifa spokesman said.
Fifa’s 24-man executive committee was two men short when it chose Russia to host the 2018 World Cup in December and Qatar for 2022 following the bans on Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii.
Adamu of Nigeria was banned from all soccer-related activities for three years and fined €7,000 for breaches of five articles of Fifa’s ethics code including one on bribery.
Tahiti’s Reynald Temarii, president of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), was found guilty by Fifa’s ethics committee in November of breaching ethics guidelines and banned for one year. and fined €3,800 Swiss francs.
Diouf denies Warnock claims
BLACKBURN forward El-Hadji Diouf has hit back at QPR boss Neil Warnock over claims the Senegal international taunted a player lying injured with a broken leg.
Warnock alleged that Diouf verbally abused Rangers striker Jamie Mackie as he awaited a stretcher following a clash with Gael Givet in last Saturday’s FA Cup third-round tie at Ewood Park.
Warnock said calling Diouf a sewer rat “might be insulting to sewer rats” in an astonishing personal attack on the former Liverpool and Bolton player.
Diouf (30) has been no stranger to controversy during his time in England but has strenuously denied Warnock’s claims. Diouf said: “I am very sorry for the lad to have broken his leg, the QPR player. But what Warnock said – I never said that. When the lad broke his leg, I never said anything back to him. I never talked to him, you can ask Benjani or Ryan Nelsen. Everything Warnock said is not right.”
