Today's other stories in brief

Zola was left in the dark over transfer dealings

WEST Ham manager Gianfranco Zola has hit out at joint-owners David Sullivan and David Gold for undermining his position after he discovered about the club's transfer dealings in the newspapers

Zola will not confirm his plans for the summer until the end of the season but his relationship with the West Ham ownership appears to have passed the point of no return.

The Italian was stunned to learn West Ham had lodged a bid for the West Brom midfielder Graham Dorrans. And Zola was surprised when Sullivan revealed that every member of the squad had been put up for sale, bar Scott Parker.

“I just found out in the newspapers. It was quite a surprise,” he said. “I know he (Dorrans) is a good player and had a very good season but I didn’t know the club was interested in him.

“If I was Mark Noble or Robert Green or Valon Behrami I wouldn’t be very pleased to hear that (I had been put up for sale). I didn’t know. It is not pleasant. You don’t like it but this is the way it goes.”

Bayern launch Ribery appeal

BAYERN Munich have lodged their appeal against Franck Ribery’s three-match European ban for his sending-off in the Champions league semi-final first leg against Lyon.

The France winger was red-carded after catching Lisandro Lopez with a high tackle and sat out the second leg, and is also set to miss the final after Uefa’s control and disciplinary body extended the automatic one-match ban to three on Wednesday.

Bayern felt the initial decision by Italian referee Roberto Rosetti to dismiss Ribery was harsh, and immediately gave notice of their intention to appeal the ruling.

Ribery will be accompanied by club directors to a hearing next Wednesday at which he will present his version of events.

Another long lay off for Almeida

SLIGO Rovers defender Mauro Almeida faces another lengthy spell on the sidelines after learning he will require surgery on an Achilles tendon injury sustained during last week's narrow league defeat by St Patrick's Athletic, writes Emmet Malone.

Almeida, who had only recently been out with an injury to his other Achilles, and Iarfhlaith Davoren both miss this evening’s visit of Sporting Fingal but Matthew Blinkhorn is available to start again having recovered from an injury picked up in training prior to the trip to Richmond Park.

The visitors, who are travelling to the Showgrounds for the very first time, will be without John Frost and Shane Barrett, neither of whom has fully recovered from hamstring problems, while Lorcan Fitzgerald is suspended in the wake of Monday night’s sending off against Bohemians. Shaun Maher, who missed the midweek game with a knee strain, faces a late fitness test.

Arshavin gets lost in translation

ANDREY Arshavin maintains he is very much happy at Arsenal – and insists comments made in the Russian media are “often translated wrongly” and leave him feeling “unpleasant”.

“I am often translated wrongly,” Arshavin said. “If I talk to the English press, there is no problem, but when I say something in Russia, some special news agency takes it, translates it and sells these quotes.

“I find this unpleasant. People might think I said something that, I fact, I never said.”

AC MILAN coach Leonardo has strongly hinted he will leave the club at the end of the season.

There has been speculation for several weeks that Leonardo, in his first season in charge at the San Siro, would return home to Brazil and reports in the Italian media claim club owner Silvio Berlusconi is looking for a new coach.

Berlusconi was reported to have said: “Yes he will leave, we are working on a new coach. Leonardo has been too tough headed and the team has played badly this season.”

Burnley may get chance in Europe

FULHAM’S progress to the Europa League final has given relegated Burnley an unexpected boost. Should Roy Hodgson’s side lift the trophy they would qualify as holders next season, meaning Burnley would be in pole position in the Fair Play League.

And with England placed third in Uefa’s most recent continental fair play table, the Premier League would be granted the final additional spot in the Europa League first qualifying round.

With Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United and Chelsea all set to qualify for Europe via their league placing, only Fulham are ahead of Burnley in the table – with nothing to stop relegated clubs taking up the European place on offer.

Burnley manager Brian Laws said: “There is an outside chance and that depends on how Fulham go on. If they win the competition we have a chance of slipping in there. That would be fantastic for the club and the town. It is a long shot but we will wait and see what happens.”

Reknapp won't part with Modric

TOTTENHAM manager Harry Redknapp has warned any club thinking of trying to lure Luka Modric away from White Hart Lane not to bother. Manchester United have recently been linked with a move for the 24-year-old Croatian midfielder.

Redknapp insists that he needs players of Modric’s calibre at the club if they are to progress.

“He’s not a player we should even be thinking about selling or want to sell,” Redknapp said.

McGlynn to miss Rovers' showdown

THE FAI has confirmed that Gareth McGlynn's suspension for betting on a number of football matches will run until May 29th, thereby ruling the Bohemians midfielder out of the league game against Shamrock Rovers scheduled for that evening, writes Emmet Malone.

McGlynn initially had a two-month ban imposed on him at a disciplinary hearing but this was halved on Thursday by an appeal board.

A statement issued after the meeting, however, suggested the ban would start “immediately” which appeared to raise the possibility that it would end on the 28th, just before the Rovers game.

A spokesman for the association had confirmed that the ban will run until midnight on the 29th.

Bohemians declined to comment on the news yesterday but the club is expected to respond next week.