Switzerland boosted by duo's return to fitness

Jorg Stiel and Hakan Yakan have been called back into the Swiss squad for next week's crunch European Championship qualifier against Ireland in Basle after missing last month's trip to Moscow through injury.

The pair's fitness will come as a significant bonus to Swiss coach Kubi Kohn ahead of a game which, along with Russia's home match against Georgia, will decide which one of Group 10's three qualification contenders progress directly to next summer's finals in Portugal and which will secure the consolation prize of a place in the play-offs.

Stiel, the team's first-choice goalkeeper, has recovered from a knee injury and the Bundesliga-based player looks set to return to Kohn's starting line-up for Saturday week's match.

Yakan's participation is less certain with the scorer of Switzerland's opening goal in their 2-1 win at Lansdowne Road a year ago yet to prove his fitness since undergoing a groin operation in pre-season. The surgery cost the FC Basel player a move to PSG with the French club pulling out of the transfer, after a deal had been agreed, over a failed medical. Yakan has played 20 minutes of competitive football since.

In all, 10 of the 11 players who started in Dublin are included in the squad, the exception being Ricardo Cabanas, who is suspended. Mario Cantaluppi, who is injured, is another notable absentee from the 21-man panel.

Brian Kerr is due to name his squad tomorrow but under-21 boss Don Givens announced his panel yesterday when he unveiled a substantially reshaped group to the one that was involved in the recent defeat of Russia in Waterford. With qualification out of the question and many of the team's senior players about to become ineligible at this level, Givens has omitted nine of the panel he assembled last time and given seven new players, including Joe Kendrick of 1860 Munich, Paul Keegan of Leeds and Aston Villa's Wayne Henderson, their first under-21 call-ups.

Gareth Farrelly's loan spell with Burnley has been extended by a month after the Dubliner made an impact with the first division club since arriving from Bolton.

Shamrock Rovers will play the remainder of their home games this season at Tolka Park after a deal, backed by the eircom League, which will monitor security at matches, was reached with Shelbourne.

Waterford United manager Jimmy McGough has welcomed a re-organisation of the management structures at the club which involves assistant boss Giles Cheevers and under-21 manager Richard O'Connor becoming part of a three-man management committee at the club.

"It's something I had lobbied for for quite a while," said McGeough yesterday, "and I'm hoping that with them sharing the responsibilities, I'll have more time on my hands to do the important stuff because up until now, because of the lack of resources, I've been doing everything. I'll still pick the team but there will be other people there to contribute to the process."

SWITZERLAND SQUAD (v Republic of Ireland, October 11th): Borer (Grasshoppers), Stiel (Borussia Monchengladbach), Zuberbuhler (Basel), Berner (Freiburg), Haas (WBA), Henchoz (Liverpool), Magnin (Werder Bremen), Meyer (1860 Munich), Muller (Marseilles), Spycher (Grasshoppers), Murat Yakin (Basel), Zwyssig (Basel), Celestini (Marseilles), Chapuisat (Young Boys of Berne), Frei (Stade Rennes), Huggel (Basel), Rama (Thun), Streller (Basel), Vogel (PSV Eindhoven), Wicky (Hamburg), Hakan Yakin (Basel).

IRELAND UNDER-21 SQUAD: Connor (Waterford Utd), Henderson (Aston Villa), Capper (Scarborough), Kelly (Tottenham), Thompson (Nottingham Forest), Fitzgerald (Blackburn Rovers), Kohlmann (Borussia Dortmund), Kendrick (1860 Munich), Foley (Luton Town), Thornton (Sunderland), O'Connor (Brentford), Potter (Liverpool), Keegan (Leeds Utd), Hoolahan (Shelbourne), O'Flynn (Cork City), Elliott (Manchester City), Daly (Stockport County), Walters (Bolton Wanderers).