Euro seeds: Northern Ireland and Wales must overcome the odds again at Euro 2016 after UEFA confirmed they would be among the bottom seeds in France next summer. Holders Spain, Portugal, Germany, England, Belgium and hosts France are top seeds. Italy, Russia, Switzerland, Croatia and Austria take five of the six slots in Pot Two, with Iceland and Albania confirmed in Pot Four.

Elphick: Bournemouth suffered another major injury setback yesterday when captain Tommy Elphick was sidelined for a lengthy spell after undergoing ankle surgery. The defender could be out for up to 10 weeks. The Premier League new boys have already lost Callum Wilson, record signing Tyrone Mings and Max Gradel to serious injuries since the start of the season.

Banned: A former senior official of the South African FA has been banned for six years by FIFA’s ethics committee for his involvement in a match-fixing scandal before the 2010 World Cup. Lindile Kika resigned as SAFA’s head of national teams last year after he was one of five officials named in a FIFA report. According to Singaporean match-fixer Wilson Raj Perumal, one match included an international friendly between South Africa and Guatemala in May 2010 which finished 5-0 to the hosts including three penalties.

Gomez: Liverpool defender Joe Gomez has suffered a cruciate ligament injury that could rule him out for up to nine months. Gomez, who joined Liverpool from Charlton Athletic in the close season, suffered the injury while playing for England under-21s against Kazakhstan on Tuesday. The 18-year-old began the season as first-choice left-back, putting in some assured displays despite Liverpool’s mixed results.

Hammers deal: West Ham have struck a deal with Dutch second division side VVV-Venlo that will see young players loaned between the two clubs. The Hammers announced the deal this week after extensive research from academy manager Terry Westley to find what he considered the right match-up. Westley’s son Sam has already moved to Venlo on loan earlier this season and more talent from West Ham is now likely to move to Holland.

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