Latest Football News

FIFA to consider longer ban for Taylor

FIFA are to examine Martin Taylor's infamous foul on Eduardo to see whether the Birmingham defender's three-match ban should extended, it can be revealed.

The world governing body are to call for the Football Association to send them the disciplinary file on the incident involving Taylor, which left the Arsenal striker with a badly-broken leg.
Taylor has insisted the tackle was clumsy rather than malicious, and that has been accepted by Arsenal.
But FIFA president Sepp Blatter said his organisation have the right to ask for such files to ensure that appropriate sanctions have been issued.
Blatter, speaking in Gleneagles following a meeting of the International FA Board, said: 'We will ask for the file.
'We have now the right to ask national associations to give us the file - and if we, the authorities, feel it [the suspension] is not enough then we will come back on that.'
Blatter said the issue of 'violent attacks' needs to be looked at, adding it has even been suggested that offenders should be suspended for the same length of time as their victims are out injured.
Blatter added: 'I told the International Board that a player who is deliberately attacking another player and tries to demolish a player should be banned, and not only for three matches but temporarily banned or a life ban depending on the severity of the attack.
'Why the hell should footballers demolish each other?'

FA to review Fergie blast at match officials

The Football Association are to review Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson's comments about referee Martin Atkinson after his side's 1-0 defeat to Portsmouth in the FA Cup yesterday.
Ferguson was also highly critical of referees boss Keith Hackett for his apparent lack of action in dealing with underperforming officials.
'Managers get sacked because of things like that and he's going to referee a game next week,' said Ferguson yesterday.
'He (Hackett) is not doing his job properly and he needs to be assessed.
'I'm assessed as a manager, players are assessed, referees should be assessed properly by the right people. That performance should not be accepted by our game.'
A spokesman for the FA said: 'We are aware of the comments and will be giving them consideration.'
Should any action be taken against Ferguson and he is found guilty he would be fined rather receive a touchline ban.
United were aggrieved that Atkinson failed to give a penalty for Sylvain Distin's challenge on Cristiano Ronaldo.
But Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp said: 'I didn't think it [Distin on Ronaldo] was a penalty. I don't think we made a bad tackle during the game.
'There was only one bad tackle - and that was made by a Manchester United player (Wayne Rooney was booked for a feet off the ground lunge at Niko Kranjcar).
'I thought he [the referee] got it bang on. If it was a penalty I would be the first to say `we got away with that one'.
'I think Ronaldo pushed it too far and I didn't see anything wrong with the challenge.
'Our penalty (Tomasz Kuszczak bringing down Milan Baros) was a banker penalty.'
Following Ferguson's comments, the Professional Game Match Officials Board released a statement which confirmed Hackett's role in selecting referees.
A spokesperson for the PGMO told PA Sport: 'This is clearly a matter for the Football Association.
'However, as a point of information, Keith Hackett has no responsibility for the selection of match officials for FA Cup games.'