RAUL DOMINGUEZ, the referee at the centre of Ireland's bizarre game against Mexico in the Giant's Stadium on Wednesday, has been demoted by American authorities.

A statement issued yesterday by Bill Sage, senior vice president of the new American League, said that the controversial Dominguez had been "reassigned".

This was later confirmed by Vincent Mauro, the director of officials for the US Cup, who said that the decision was taken before the Ireland game in which Niall Quinn and Liam Daish were sent off and manager Mick McCarthy ordered from the dug out.

"We'll be looking at videos of the games in which Raul has officiated," said Mauro. "There will be a cooling off period and he will not receive any further Major League Soccer assignments.

Earlier, the scales of justice were seen to balance out still more finely when McCarthy's expulsion was set aside by the disciplinary committee of the US Cup and he was given permission to resume his seat in the dug out for today's game against Bolivia.

"It cannot fully redress the indignity and embarrassment of having to walk off the field last Wednesday, but at least the committee have now had the good grace to overturn the decision," said McCarthy.

Dominguez, born in Cuba but resident in the United States for some years, has issued four red and 25 yellow cards in seven MLS games in recent weeks.

He would appear to have a fixation about disciplining coaches and managers, for in addition to ordering off the coach of the Portuguese club, Sporting Lisbon, when they played the New York Metro stars, he also expelled the managers of two MLS teams, Lothar Osiander of Los Angeles Galaxy and Bob Houghton of the Colorado Rapids.