Everton striker Duncan Ferguson was banned for four matches and fined £10,000 by the English FA yesterday for violent behaviour and improper conduct.
The Scot, dismissed for two yellow card offences in the 1-1 draw with Leicester City on March 20th, grabbed opposing midfielder Steffen Freund around the neck before leaving the pitch at the Walkers Stadium.
He already faced an automatic one-match ban for the dismissal and will now miss a further three matches. Ferguson also made an obscene gesture to the crowd as he departed. He pleaded guilty to both charges.
The ban starts on April 19th but Everton may appeal so they can almost select which games Ferguson is banned from.
1.5m expected at Euro finals
This summer's European Championship finals are expected to attract 1.5 million fans to Portugal - three times the original estimate, tournament organisers said yesterday.
A total of 1.2 million tickets have gone on sale for the competition, which runs from June 12th to July 4th.
Meanwhile, Canadian-born singer Nelly Furtado's Forca has been chosen as the official song of the championships.
Furtado, who was born in Canada to Portuguese emigrant parents from the Azores, will sing the song as part of the entertainment before the final at the Stadium of Light on July 4th and is likely to release a new version in Portuguese in June in time for the start of the event.
Villa to get spending money
New Aston Villa chief executive Bruce Langham has indicated that manager David O'Leary will have a transfer kitty to dip into in the summer.
Langham had a spell in a similar role at Fulham and is excited at the challenge which lies ahead.
"I can't make any promises to fans other than to say that I think it's generally recognised that we need to strengthen the squad," he said.
Tonight's fixtures
(7.45 unless stated)
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Quarter-finals, second leg: Arsenal (1) v Chelsea (1); Monaco (2) v Real Madrid (4).
NATIONAL LEAGUE: Premier Division: Cork City v Waterford Utd (7.0); Drogheda Utd v Derry City; Dublin City v St Patrick's Athletic; Shamrock Rovers v Longford Town.
ENGLISH LEAGUE: Division One: Gillingham v Wigan; Rotherham v Crystal Palace; Wimbledon v Sunderland. Division Two: Hartlepool v Luton; Tranmere v QPR. Division Three: Mansfield v Oxford Utd.
SCOTTISH LEAGUE: Second Division: Morton v Forfar (7.30); Stenhousemuir v Hamilton (7.30).
IRISH LEAGUE: Premier Division: Ards v Ballymena; Glentoran v Institute.
