Uefa Champions League first qualifying round, first leg: Cork City v Apollon Limassol, Turner's Cross, 7.30 George O'Callaghan, touted in many quarters as the best player in the domestic league, will play no part in Cork City's Champions League encounter with Cypriot side Apollon Limassol at Turner's Cross tonight.

The attacking midfielder has fallen out with his manager Damien Richardson in the wake of his sending-off in the drawn game against Bohemians late last month.

The player - who was docked two weeks' wages over the dismissal - believes comments Richardson made after the game were overly critical.

O'Callaghan was last week given "time off" by the club. He subsequently played no part in Cork's 2-0 league win at Longford last Saturday.

Last night, in a statement issued through his solicitor, O'Callaghan detailed how he confronted Richardson privately "to express his disappointment and disgust" at being fined.

It read: "(George) challenged the manager's entitlement to fine or dock him two weeks' wages either in the manner in which he had done so or at all.

"George has been advised by the PFAI that neither the manager nor the club had the right to impose such a fine or in such a manner." O'Callaghan then met club chairman Brian Lennox and let it be known he "did not want that kind of drama and only wanted to play football".

The player also expressed a wish to have the matter dealt with privately and not through the media. The 26-year-old failed to train this week ahead of tonight's big game but Richardson insists at no time did he issue the player with an ultimatum.

"He is absolutely out of the game," Richardson said yesterday. "He's a very good player and no manager likes to see their top players not performing but George is simply not performing."

Richardson declined to comment further on the matter, instead focusing on the players he has available for selection.

Striker John O'Flynn continues to struggle with an abductor muscle injury though he did come through a full training session yesterday and his condition will be reassessed this morning.

Richardson, then, must decide whether or not to break up the Neale Fenn-Denis Behan partnership following their impressive display against Longford, a night on which the latter scored both goals.

The visitors, including their 28-goal top scorer Lukasz Sosin, arrive fresh and injury-free following a pre-season training camp in the Austrian mountains.

Moreover, they are brimming with confidence having topped the Cypriot league unbeaten.

That, however, hasn't prevented their German manager Bernd Stange from playing the underdog card.

"We had a fantastic run last season . . . but there are still big differences between our two football countries," the former Iraqi national manager says.

"Hopefully we can make a big surprise. If Cork don't get a good result then they will find it very, very difficult when they come to Cyprus."

Stange, who has transformed Apollon from also-rans to champions, stepped down as Iraqi manager just before he was to bring the side to the 2004 Olympics, citing the volatile nature of life in war-torn Baghdad.

"That was the hardest time for me," he concedes. "It was not possible for foreigners to live there. It was dangerous to cross the road and there were also shootings at my car. I had to leave. There was no choice, foreigners were being targeted."