Bergkamp: Arsenal's appeal against Dennis Bergkamp's dismissal last Saturday has been dismissed, the FA said yesterday. The Dutch forward was sent off for pushing Sheffield Utd's Danny Cullip in the 35th minute of the FA Cup fifth round tie but Arsenal appealed, TV pictures suggesting it might not have been his hand which made contact with the defender. Bergkamp will miss the Premier League match at Southampton on Saturday, the replay against Sheffield Utd on March 1 and the home league match against Portsmouth the following weekend.
Salgado: Real Madrid defender Michel Salgado will be sidelined for four weeks after injuring his right knee in Tuesday's Champions League clash with Juventus at the Bernabeu. The right back was substituted in the ninth minute after falling awkwardly in a challenge with Juventus midfielder Pavel Nedved. The 29-year-old's injury means he will miss the return leg with Juventus in Turin on March 9. Salgado will also miss up to five Liga matches.
Shearer: Newcastle manager Graeme Souness is confident former England striker Alan Shearer will put off retirement plans and stay on for one more season with the club. "Without giving too much away, I'm confident he will be here next season," Souness said. "I want him to stay another year and I can't imagine him leaving without breaking Jackie Milburn's scoring record." Shearer has notched 187 goals in all competitions for Newcastle and is 13 behind Milburn's record.
Milan Official Arrested: A staff member of Milan soccer club was arrested yesterday for indecent exposure ahead of the team's Champions League match against Man. United. Greater Manchester Police said a 44-year-old man was arrested after officers received a call on Tuesday night that a man had indecently exposed himself to a female employee at a hotel in Salford, northern England. The man, later identified by Milan as their team doctor Armando Gozzini, was being questioned by police.
FA charges: Blackburn Rovers have admitted a charge of failing to control their players in an ill-tempered Premier League match against Chelsea earlier this month. The FA said yesterday that Chelsea had denied the same charge. Leaders Chelsea won the match 1-0 at Ewood Park on February 2. A bad-tempered second half degenerated into a running battle between hot-headed Rovers striker Paul Dickov and Chelsea skipper John Terry, with ugly scuffles and a mass confrontation marring the closing stages. The FA said the clubs have requested personal hearings.
Maradona: As if Diego Maradona did not have enough to worry about, he now has a €30 million Italian tax bill to tackle. The Argentine, who has been battling drug addiction, lost his fight in Italian courts this week against back-taxes from his days of playing for Napoli more than a decade ago. "The case was lost, it's true," said Vincenzo Siniscalchi, one of Maradona's lawyers.
Deisler: Franz Beckenbauer has advised Sebastian Deisler to leave Bayern Munich to get regular match practice and complete his recovery from injury and depression. "It makes no sense for him to be there if he's just playing every now and then," said Beckenbauer. "If he's playing so little, it would be better for him to go elsewhere to get more match practice."
In England: The Championship - Coventry vs Wigan 1-2; Derby vs Burnley 1-1; N. Forest vs Preston 2-0. League One - Sheffield Wed. vs Peterborough 2-1; Swindon vs Port Vale 1-0. League Two - Boston vs Notts County pp; Oxford vs Macclesfield pp.