A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Beckham's Dad launches lawsuit
DAVID BECKHAM’S father is suing News Corporation’s UK publishing unit and a former private investigator over claims that they intercepted his voice mail to get stories for the News of the World.
The lawsuit, filed last Tuesday in London, names News International and ex-private eye Glenn Mulcaire. “We’ve had disclosure from the police – it’s enough to justify issuing proceedings,” said Beckham’s lawyer, Gerald Shamash.
Coyle and Bolton players facing ‘a difficult game’
BOLTON WANDERERS face a difficult return to the pitch tomorrow following Fabrice Muamba’s collapse and any player not feeling up to it will be excused, manager Owen Coyle has said.
The Premier league side host Blackburn Rovers in their first match since 23-year-old Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest during last weekend’s FA Cup quarter-final against Tottenham Hotspur.
“I wouldn’t ask anybody to play in these circumstances if they weren’t in a position to do so,” Coyle said.
“It will be a difficult game of football because all of our thoughts will remain with Fabrice.
“The players love Fabrice and whoever takes to the field at the weekend will be doing all they can for him and Bolton Wanderers.”
Coyle said he had spoken to the midfielder’s family and they wanted the league match with Blackburn to go ahead as well as the FA Cup tie, which was abandoned at 1-1 just before half-time. It has been rescheduled for March 27th.
O’Neill praises ‘great character’ O’Shea
MARTIN O’NEILL has praised John O’Shea’s emergence as the defensive rock Sunderland always hoped he would be.
Injuries and an uncertain start to the season by the club as a whole initially hampered the Irishman as he attempted to get to adjust to life at the Stadium of Light after leaving Manchester United.
However, in recent months, he has developed into one of the cornerstones of Sunderland’s resurgence and O’Neill is delighted. He said: “He had a couple of niggling injuries at the start when he came here, and was obviously dead keen to make an impression. “It has taken him a bit of time. We have got some really fine players here, but Manchester United have been winning for years and years and years, so it’s good to see. He is a great character around here and the players have got enormous respect for him.”
Treacy joins Sheffield Wednesday
KEITH TREACY yesterday joined League One outfit Sheffield Wednesday on an emergency loan from Burnley until the end of the season. The 23-year-old only moved to Turf Moor from Preston in the summer but, after initially faring well enough at the club, he slipped to the margins and has not even made the bench in recent weeks, writes Emmet Malone.
Having made his senior international debut against Argentina in late 2010 and earned a further five caps last year, Treacy had hoped that a good season at Burnley could help to establish him as a regular member of Giovanni Trapattoni’s Ireland squad.
But instead he has been sidelined at that level too.
Treacy started his career at Blackburn and, in addition to spending a short period at Stockport County, he previously had a spell on loan with Sheffield United in 2009.
Rooney apologises to injured fan
MANCHESTER UNITED striker Wayne Rooney has apologised to a nine-year-old football fan after he fired a stray shot into the crowd which broke the youngster’s wrist.
Football fanatic Jamie Thomas, from Wem in Shropshire, was watching United for the first time on Sunday when the shot from the striker caught his arm.
Rooney used his Twitter page to say sorry to the schoolboy and promised to send him a personalised gift.
He said in a tweet: “I want to apologise to Jamie Thomas. I have arranged for a letter and a signed shirt to be sent to his home address”.
It is not thought he was aware of the incident at the time.
Jamie’s father, Andy, said the injury happened when his son tried to block Rooney’s shot in the warm-up before United’s game with Wolves at Molineux at the weekend.
“It shook him up a bit but he’s fine about it now,” said Thomas.
Ireland spurn a late opportunity
UEFA UNDER-17 QUALIFIER/ REPUBLIC OF IRELAND 0 SERBIA 1:THE REPUBLIC of Ireland Under-17s missed a late penalty yesterday as they lost their opening Uefa elite stage qualifier against Serbia in Eindhoven.
Partizan Belgrade midfielder Milan Jokic made Serbia’s pressure count by breaking the deadlock after 76 minutes with a close-range finish.
However, the Irish were offered a last-gasp reprieve with two minutes left when Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish was brought down in the area. But Ipswich Town midfielder Jonathan Leddy saw his spot-kick batted away by Predrag Rajkovic.
It was a cruel conclusion for John Morling’s side who must now beat Holland tomorrow to have any chance of winning the group.
REP OF IRELAND: Grimes (Leeds); Long (Cherry Orchard), McFadden (Norwich), O’Reilly (Stoke), Coyne (Cherry Orchard); Mulroney (Crumlin Utd), O’Neill (Wolves), Leddy (Ipswich; Hayes (Derby), Byrne (Man Utd), Grealish (Aston Villa). Subs: Wilkinson (Millwall) for O’Neill, McGlade (Middlesbrough) for Hayes (both 73 mins).
