Briefs
Premier clubs could be docked points
SOCCER:Premier League clubs could be docked points if they fail to comply with new limits on financial losses and curbs on increases in payments to players agreed yesterday.
The measures are designed to help ensure that a €5.86 billion TV windfall brings a new era of financial stability rather than being frittered away on wages.
The curbs are less stringent than Uefa’s Financial Fair Play measures which will force top Premier League clubs to move towards a break-even status or face exclusion from European competition.
Premier League clubs will be limited to maximum aggregate losses of €123 million from 2013 to 2016. Clubs losing more than that will face sanctions – which could include point deductions.
AC Milan publish photograph of Balotelli and Berlusconi
SOCCER:AC Milan have published a picture that appears to show Paolo Berlusconi making peace with Mario Balotelli after footage emerged of the Serie A club's vice-president using a racial slur to describe the striker.
Paolo Berlusconi, at 64 the younger brother of club president Silvio, was filmed describing Balotelli in a racist manner at a political meeting in Monza on Sunday.
Milan declined to comment on the footage, which was hosted on the website of Italian newspaper La Repubblica, but yesterday the club posted a picture of the two men shaking hands and smiling at each other on their official website.
Paolo Berlusconi was attending a rally for a candidate for his brother's right-wing People of Freedom party when he made the reported comments.
Honours even as Byrne header cancels out Czech penalty
SOCCER/Under-19 international/Rep Ireland 1 Czech Rep 1: The Republic of Ireland Under-19s came from behind to draw with the Czech Republic at Flancare Park.
Referee Brendan Kelly awarded a spot-kick for a foul by captain Pearse Sweeney on Petr Sevcik after 23 minutes, allowing striker Vaclav Juecka to score.
Ireland were level within a minute of the second half when Sam Byrne guided his header past Jan Kotnour.
REP OF IRELAND: D Rogers (Aberdeen); J Keane (Waterford Utd), S Smith (Leicester City), P Sweeney (Reading), B Garmston (West Brom); B Miele (Newcastle United), L Gallagher (Burnley), K Sadlier (West Ham); S Maguire (West Ham), A Evans (Burnley), S Byrne (Manchester Utd). Subs: K Evoy (Tottenham) for Maguire (43 mins, inj), R McConnell (Manchester United) for Keane (50 mins), P George (Celtic) for Evans (76 mins), K Dillon (Hull City) for Miele (81 mins)
CZECH REP: Kotnour; Filip, Karafiat, Wermke (Nerad 46 mins), Masek (Simic 89 mins); Jureka (Liska 72 mins), Sevcik (Byrtus 78 mins), Cermak; Travnik, Hybl, Sterba (Shejbal 46 mins). Referee: B Kelly.
