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UEFA probe Eduardo dive incident

Author: Sir David Smith
Date: 28/08/2009
Football betting

UEFA has confirmed they are to review the alleged diving incident involving Arsenal striker Eduardo which upset Celtic during Wednesday's Champions League qualifying play-off.

The Gunners won the second leg of their knockout tie 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium to wrap up a 5-1 aggregate success, but several Celtic players were unhappy after the Croatia striker won and converted a first-half penalty to open the scoring.

Scottish Football Association chief executive Gordon Smith has already called on UEFA to ban Eduardo over the 28th minute incident involving Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc.

Will the Gunners win the Champions League this season? - Latest Football Betting

Portsmouth have wrapped up the signing of striker Tommy Smith from Watford following Sulaiman Al Fahim's takeover of the club.

The 29-year-old has penned a four-year contract at Fratton Park after the two clubs agreed a fee for his transfer believed to be in the region of £1.8million.

Meanwhile, chief executive Peter Storrie has admitted he is considering his future at Fratton Park following his own failure to complete a takeover of the club.

Storrie was believed to be the frontrunner to buy the club from Alexandre Gaydamak following the delay in Al Fahim's takeover.

Fulham have signed South Africa international midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi on a two-year contract.

The 24-year-old has joined for an undisclosed fee after impressing Cottagers boss Roy Hodgson during the recent Confederations Cup.

In rugby union, Harlequins are confident they have done nothing wrong after defending their conduct in the wake of the evidence revealed in the testimony of the player at the centre of the fake blood injury controversy.

In Tom Williams' written testimony to a European Rugby Cup (ERC) disciplinary hearing, the winger claimed to have been put under pressure by former director of rugby Dean Richards, club chief executive Mark Evans and chairman Charles Jillings to not tell the while truth about the faked injury.

Williams left the field with blood around his mouth during a Heineken Cup quarter-final tie between Harlequins and Leinster last season.

It later emerged that a blood capsule was used to fake an injury which would allow substitute kicker Nick Evans to return to the field.

Meanwhile, Guinness Premiership teams will play with 23-man squads next season as rules are changed in uncontested scrums.

The English Premiership will follow the French Top 14 competition in applying the rule change to comply with new International Rugby Board regulations.

Premiership clubs will name an extra substitute among the replacements to take match-day squads to 23.

Ricky Ponting insists he has no plans to stand down as Australia cricket captain even after the 2-1 series defeat to sportsbook underdogs England.

The 34-year-old is the first Australia captain in more than a century to lose two Ashes series in England, but is keen to carry on in the role.

He said on his return to Australia: "I still think I've got a lot to offer the team, as a batsman and as a captain and as a leader."

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