FELIX HEALY, the Derry City manager, has lost his appeal against an 11-month ban from the dugout.

A meeting of the FAI appeals commission last night upheld the original ruling, one of the most swingeing sentences handed down by the FAI in recent years.

The commission also dismissed an appeal by Bohemians defender James Coll against a two-match suspension, but upheld Derry City's claim that a £1,000 fine for breaches of security at the Brandywell ground was unjust.

Healy and Coll were sent off at half-time in the National League Premier Division game which Derry won 1-0 at the Brandywell on December 22nd.

Healy's ban will become operative almost immediately while Coll's sentence could keep him out of Bohemians' FAI Cup tie against Wayside Celtic on February 7th at Dalymount Park.

Meanwhile, Ireland defender Gary Breen is expected to complete a £2.5 million move to Coventry today. Breen was brought to Birmingham by Barry Fry only II months ago from Peterborough the club Fry now owns.

Fry predicted then that Breen would become a Premiership player and a full international. Honours with the Republic arrived only a month after Breen moved to St Andrews, and now the top flight beckons for the 23-year-old.

It means four players Fry acquired for Birmingham for a combined fee of just over £150,000 have now been sold on for £6.7 million: Jose Dominguez to Sporting Lisbon (£1.4 million), Steve Claridge to Leicester (£1.2 million), Liam Daish to Coventry (£1.6 million) and now Breen.

"I told Mick McCarthy to stick him in the Ireland squad and I'm pleased he took my advice. Gary now has 10 years of Premiership football in front of him," Fry said.

"Liam Daish did a magnificent job for Coventry last season in helping keep them up and I am sure Gary will do just as good a job, although the two are different sorts of players."

Fry had extra reason to be delighted with the deal as he revealed Peterborough would be entitled to 10 per cent of the fee received by Birmingham for Breen.

The clubs agreed a fee yesterday.