A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Ireland out for last four games
NEWCASTLE midfielder Stephen Ireland has been ruled out of the final four games of the season with an ankle injury. The on-loan Aston Villa man sustained the problem during Saturday’s 1-1 Premier League draw at Blackpool. Newcastle confirmed in a statement yesterday that he will be unavailable for the remainder of the campaign after having the injury assessed by the club’s medical staff.
Wolves apologise for fans’ taunting
WOLVES have apologised to Stoke City for the behaviour of a minority of their fans at the Britannia Stadium on Tuesday night. A small number taunted Matthew Etherington as the Stoke winger was carried off with a hamstring injury that has left him racing against time to be fit for the FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Appalled at hearing some supporters wearing their club colours and using the crudest terms to delight in the prospect of Etherington missing the Wembley showpiece, Wolves executives privately said “sorry” to their Stoke counterparts after the final whistle. Etherington was due to undergo a scan yesterday and his prognosis should become clearer today.
Rangers fear big fine over chanting
RANGERS are gearing up for a potentially costly punishment from Uefa when they appear before the governing body’s control and disciplinary body today. Allegations of sectarian chanting by Rangers supporters during both legs of the Europa League tie against PSV Eindhoven last month have triggered the hearing.
Rangers fear strong sanctions because they have been punished by Uefa over this before. They were fined €14,600 for the chanting of their followers in 2006 and believe the same issue was prominent when the governing body imposed a €9,300 penalty after a game against Osasuna a year later. Uefa did not clarify what the fine was for.
If Uefa finds Rangers guilty, penalties available stretch from heavier fines to the partial or even full closure of their home stadium for future European ties.
Chelsea’s van der Wiel deal back on
CHELSEA’S chances of securing the Dutch full back Gregory van der Wiel from Ajax this summer appear to have been enhanced after reports in Germany that Bayern Munich, his other principal suitors, have dropped their interest. Van der Wiel, 23, has long featured on the list of Chelsea’s potential recruits and his arrival would cast doubt over the futures of Paulo Ferreira and Jose Bosingwa.
Ajax anticipate losing Van der Wiel, who featured in five of the Netherlands’ games at the World Cup in South Africa, including the final.
Clubs face drop in Euro TV cash UEFA have announced a new three-year deal for Champions League rights with Sky and ITV – but England’s top clubs face a major drop in income from the competition if a European ruling goes against them.
The deal for 2012-2015 is understood to be worth €450 million, similar to the current agreement. But William Gaillard, adviser to Uefa president Michel Platini, said a European Court of Justice (ECJ) case could force a major shake-up in the sale of TV rights across the continent.
The Premier League also fear the case – against Portsmouth pub landlady Karen Murphy who has used a Greek satellite decoder to screen live matches – could affect their TV income. The European Union’s advocate general Juliane Kokott has already advised the case means that selling TV rights in separate countries within the EU goes against European law.
