Soccer Shorts

Wales may appealThe Football Association of Wales is set to appeal after UEFA yesterday decided that the Welsh complaint against Russia, whose midfielder Yegor Titov failed a drugs test after the first leg of their play-off in Moscow last November, was "unfounded".

If the appeal fails, the Welsh are considering taking matters further, possibly to the international Court of Arbitration for Sport. UEFA has given the FAW until Friday to lodge an initial appeal.

Wales manager Mark Hughes is fully behind the action and privately the FAW is dismayed that UEFA appears to be treating the issue less seriously than if, for example, England were involved.

The FAW now has two days to re-evaluate its legal and medical arguments and Hughes said yesterday: "Obviously I am disappointed. Now we will have to look at the judgment to see where we go from here.

"I had hoped they would have taken the opportunity to send a message to everybody in our sport, but they have not taken that opportunity, rightly or wrongly - wrongly in my view." Titov has been banned for a year and fined, along with his club Spartak Moscow.

Ferguson out

The tension which threatens to ignite Everton's potentially explosive FA Cup replay at Fulham tonight has been diffused after Duncan Ferguson was withdrawn from the travelling squad through injury.

Fulham's winger Luis Boa Morte has publicly accused the Scot of subjecting him to racial abuse in the original game on Merseyside 10 days ago, though the London club will wait to make a formal complaint to the Football Association tomorrow, once the fourth-round tie is over.

Ferguson, who has strongly denied the allegations via his legal representative, Kevin Dooley, would have been included in Everton's side for the game at Loftus Road. But the 32-year-old succumbed yesterday to minor foot, neck and groin complaints and, with his manager David Moyes unwilling to risk him before the crucial Premiership match with Manchester United at Goodison Park on Saturday, has not made the journey to London.

The FA yesterday wrote to Boa Morte for an explanation in an attempt to settle the matter and, while the claim and denials will still hang over tonight's game, both managers last night called for calm ahead of a fixture which has laced with spite in recent years.

City rethink

Manchester City have appealed against Nicolas Anelka's red card at Highbury in a bid to save their leading scorer from a three-game ban.

City boss Kevin Keegan insisted after his side's 2-1 defeat on Sunday he would not be launching an appeal as it was a "waste of time".

However, there has evidently been a strategy rethink at the club after Ashley Cole and Edu were only booked for their parts in the melee towards the end of the game.

The English Football Association have confirmed that no disciplinary action will be taken against Cole or Edu and will now send a tape to their video advisory panel to consider Anelka's case.

Holders through

Holders Cameroon and outsiders Algeria sneaked into the African Nations Cup quarter-finals yesterday at the expense of four-times winners Egypt, whose coach promptly quit. Cameroon finished top of Group C after a dreary, niggly goalless draw with Egypt while Algeria clung on to second place despite a shock 2-1 defeat by debutants Zimbabwe, who won a game at the finals for the first time.

Algeria and Egypt finished level on points and goal difference but the Algerians qualified on goals scored. Zimbabwe were last with three points. Egypt had been among the pre-tournament favourites and their failure to progress prompted coach Mohsen Salah, who was previously in charge in 1995 until he fell out with several key players, to end his second stint in the job.

Keeper's debut

Icelandic international Arni Arason is set to make his Manchester City debut tonight in the FA Cup replay against Tottenham at White Hart Lane (live on Sky Sports 2 , 7.45).

With David James cup-tied, Arason, who was signed by Kevin Keegan three weeks ago after being released by Rosenborg, is likely to win the battle with Kevin Ellegaard for the vacant goalkeeping slot.

Meanwhile, David Pleat yesterday insisted he was confident Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson would be a Tottenham player next season. His attempt to sign Robinson and then loan him back were scuppered by the Premier League yesterday. They refused to sanction the £2 million move because the clubs had effectively created a sale and leaseback arrangement - which is forbidden under the League's rules.