UEFA to rule on Loew and Hickersberger today

UEFA will decide today whether coaches Joachim Loew of Germany and Austria's Josef Hickersberger will incur further punishment after being sent to the stands during Monday's Euro 2008 Group B match.

UEFA's disciplinary committee will consider the match report from referee Manuel Mejuto of Spain and statements from the German and Austrian soccer federations before deciding if a touchline ban is warranted, spokesman William Gaillard said yesterday.

There is no automatic ban for coaches who are sent off, unlike for players, but if Loew suffers that fate he will be unable to contact his players once they arrive at the stadium in Basel for tomorrow's quarter-final with Portugal.

As Austria were knocked out of the tournament after losing the match 1-0, any suspension for Hickersberger would apply to his next official match in charge, whether for Austria or any other nation.

The double dismissal shortly before half-time, which Loew said was due to a dispute with the fourth official, was greeted by jeers from both sets of fans at the Ernst Happel stadium in Vienna.

If suspended, Loew would have the right to appeal and a hearing could be arranged very quickly, Gaillard said.