FAI to show true colours

Colours row: A National League official promised action yesterday after a squabble over shirt colours almost led to the cancellation of a league match.

The kick-off in Derry City's home Premier Division game against Shelbourne was delayed by 35 minutes on Thursday night as an argument raged over whether the Dublin club could take to the field in their "away" strip.

The trouble had started when referee Hugh Byrne objected to Shelbourne's white "away" jerseys on the grounds they could clash with Derry's red and white stripes.

A crowd of 4,500 - the home side's largest of the season - was kept waiting until Shelbourne finally agreed to wear a borrowed set of black Derry "away" shirts.

In a statement yesterday league commissioner Roy Dooney said the Football Association of Ireland's referees' committee would meet next week to discuss the issue.

"I will put before them the registered home and away colours of all the league clubs to establish whether any other potential conflicts exist in colours, with the view to ensuring there is no repeat of last night's events," he said.

George Best was admitted to a clinic in Cyprus yesterday suffering from a virus, his manager said.

Best (55), fell ill while on holiday with his wife Alex in the southern resort of Limassol. The former Manchester United and Northern Ireland star, who has a history of alcohol-related illnesses, is being treated in a private clinic.

His illness is not thought to be life-threatening and his manager, Philip Hughes, said he had been diagnosed as suffering from a stomach virus.

Spanish international Pep Guardiola says he is sure he will prove his innocence after testing positive for the banned steroid nandrolone. The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) said on Thursday that Guardiola, who plays with Italian Serie A team Brescia, had tested positive for the drug after a league match against Piacenza on October 21st.

The former Barcelona captain, who only joined Brescia in September, has been suspended pending a counter-analysis, the Italian football league said yesterday.

"I am very unhappy but I am convinced that I will win because I believe in all that I have done in all these years as a professional," Guardiola said.