The Morning Sports Briefing

Soccer: Mid-week League Cup

Ahead of Liverpool's League Cup quarter final match with Bournemouth tonight, manager Brendan Rodgers has assured the club's fans that prized asset Raheem Sterling will not be leaving the club, as long as he can help it.

Sterling, at just 20, has been heralded by Rodgers as the team’s “catalyst” although according to reports any new contract offer to date has been deemed unsatisfactory by the English international.

Rodgers also confirmed Mario Balotelli is a doubt for the tricky encounter with the Championship leaders.

Last night Chelsea, clearly not taken the competition for granted, fielded a reasonably strong side including John Terry and Eden Hazard as they overcame Derby County in their quarter final tie.

Fifa reject appeal

Meanwhile Michel Platini's criticism of late doesn't seem to have had much of an effect on Fifa. The organisation's ethics investigator Michael Garcia has lost his appeal against Fifa judge Hans-Joachim Eckert summary of an investigation into Qatar and Russia's bids to to host the 2022 and 2018 World Cups.

He claims Eckert misrepresented "facts and conclusions” in his report.

Boxing: Admirable Katie

Katie Taylor relentless pursuit of breaking world title records is clearly also having an effect on breaking gender inequality within sport in general. In a week where fantastic acts of bravery, skill and endurance are honoured by The Irish Times and Irish Sports Council at the annual Sportswoman of the Year Awards, Katie has fended off competition from Brian O'Driscoll and Rory McIlroy to be voted as Ireland's most admired athlete.

The PSG Sponsorship "Sports Sentiment Index" for 2014, found that 34 per cent of those surveyed placed the five-time world champion as their most admired athlete. The survey also considered the Irish rugby team the team of the year, soccer as our preferred sport and the Rugby World Cup as the most anticipated event for next year.

Rugby: Madigan warning

Both Leinster's Ian Madigan and Harlequins' Danny Care have been issued with warnings from the citing commissioner following an incident in the closing stages of Leinster's 14-13 European Champions Cup victory against the English club last weekend.

As Care’s leg was being held in the air by Leinster’s Mike McCarthy he threw the ball into the face of the secondrow, which prompted Madigan to drag the England scrumhalf to the floor, sparking a brief brawl.

Meanwhile, Leinster have confirmed that flanker Rhys Ruddock will be out for four to six weeks with a fractured arm, the injury was a clean break and he does not require surgery.

Alan Quinlan has been analysing the province's increasing numbers of sometime-fans in his excellent column this morning: "Leinster supporters have been spoilt. There's no arguing with that. In the same way as Munster supporters were spoiled in the years when we were winning in Europe, they've come to expect a certain standard. It's as if they don't realise what went into making them a success in the first place. Or maybe they think it all just happened naturally."

GAA: Dublin mourning

The GAA world was hit last night by the death of Dublin GAA County Board chairman Andy Kettle. The 68-year-old's passing, after a return of the prostate cancer last October which he'd previously overcame around 14 years ago, has led to an outpouring of tributes to the man who oversaw one of the county's most successful eras.

A must-read this morning is Malachy Clerkin's inside story on the Cork ladies' football team's remarkable decade at the top and how a county who had never won a senior trophy turned into the best team in Irish sport.

Meanwhile having not returned to pre-season training with Galway and with strong rumours previously being rejected by new manager Kevin Walsh, the Irish Independent have today confirmed that Sean Armstrong has stepped away from the county's panel.

Athletics: Rio’s super bacteria

Water at the sailing venue for Rio 2016, described as filthy by sailors who have trained there, has been found to contain a “super bacteria” that is resistant to antibiotics.

The Irish sailing team, which has visited the site, said there is concern among team members about the water condition and also concern about the rubbish that is floating and submerged in Guanabara Bay.

"I'd be lying if we were not concerned about it..." says James O'Callagha, team manager with the Irish Sailing Association.

Former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) Dick Pound is to head an independent commission investigating allegations of systematic doping and cover-ups in Russia.

It follows a programme broadcast by German TV station ARD on doping in Russia. It alleged that up to 99 per cent of the Russian Olympic team were doping within a network of corruption, with further claims that the IAAF world athletics body failed to follow up on suspicious blood tests from more than 150 athletes, including three from Britain.

Golf: Best Ryder Cup captain ever

Sam Torrance has described Paul McGinley as the "best (Ryder Cup) captain there has ever been" but labelled 2008 skipper Nick Faldo an "arsehole".

Faldo angered the European team this year when saying Sergio Garcia’s attitude was “useless” during the 2008 contest in which his side suffered their only Ryder Cup defeat since 1999. Torrance certainly doesn’t hold back with his views on the English golfer.

While Brian O'Connor reports that jockey Davy Russell is free to partner his Cheltenham Gold Cup ride Lord Windermere at Leopardstown next week after both he and Philip Enright had five-day suspensions reduced to two days each at a Turf Club appeal at the Curragh.