Dirty tricks

Shocking news from Romania on Saturday where the mighty Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt have been banned from European competition for …

Shocking news from Romania on Saturday where the mighty Ceahlaul Piatra Neamt have been banned from European competition for five years by UEFA after allegations that they offered the services of prostitutes to match officials before July's InterToto Cup game against Austria Vienna. "Fiddle sticks," said CPN president Gheorghe Stefan, in so many words, on hearing of the allegations. "The women weren't prostitutes, they were members of a folk ensemble," he insisted. Gheorghe would probably argue it's an easy mistake to make, but we remain less than 110 per cent convinced.

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan

Mary Hannigan is a sports writer with The Irish Times