Cahill: English Premier League strugglers Bolton have successfully appealed against England defender Gary Cahill’s sending-off in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat by Tottenham. Cahill, who turns 26 later this month, was shown a straight red card by referee Stuart Attwell after just 17 minutes for a challenge on fellow England international Scott Parker. Attwell ruled Cahill had denied Parker an “obvious goalscoring opportunity” even though the Spurs man was some 50 yards away from goal.
Bayern Munich: Bayern Munich’s Dutch winger Arjen Robben and Germany midfielder Toni Kroos will both miss today’s Champions League clash at Premier League leaders Manchester City with flu. Robben has only recently returned after groin surgery in October and Bayern’s director of sport, Christian Nerlinger, said he cannot play. The loss of Kroos is almost a bigger concern in the defensive midfield zone, with Bastian Schweinsteiger still recovering from a broken collarbone.
Given: Aston Villa keeper Shay Given will be out of action for a month after the Ireland veteran picked up a hamstring injury in his club’s 1-0 loss to Manchester United at the weekend. Scans have confirmed the 35-year-old had suffered a small tear in his left hamstring.
MLS: South Korean international defender Lee Young-Pyo has signed a deal with Major League Soccer club the Vancouver Whitecaps, reports said yesterday. Lee agreed to the deal on Monday evening in the Canadian city, his agency, Jissen, said in a statement quoted by Yonhap news agency. “The deal is for one year, with another year as a club option,” the agency said, without disclosing details of the contract.
Hooligans: Ukraine must prevent English hooligans from entering the country during Euro 2012, according to the governor of the eastern city of Donetsk, which will host England’s group-stage matches. “We have to make it impossible for English ‘ultras’ to come to Ukraine,” said Andri Chichatski, whose comments were confirmed to AFP by his press office. “It would be better to be accused of a lack of openness than to have incidents.”
In England: The Championship – Barnsley vs Crystal Palace 2-1.
In Scotland: Division Three – Annan vs Stranraer 0-3.