Soccer Shorts

A round-up of today's other stories in brief...

Maradona sedated

Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona was given sedatives to curb alcohol cravings at a Buenos Aires hospital yesterday after falling ill from excessive eating, drinking and smoking, doctors said.

Maradona's doctor, Dr Alfredo Cahe, said family problems had triggered the latest health crisis.

"He's out of danger and doing satisfactorily . . . All the tests are routine," said medical director Hector Pezzella, adding that Maradona's condition was not drug-related. "He's sedated . . . due to alcohol abstinence." He said Maradona had friends and his two daughters at his bedside.

Cahe said Maradona had woken up in the early hours of Thursday and tried to leave. "He insulted me. He didn't want to be there. They sedated him again and he fell asleep," Cahe said.

Reid out for season

Charlton midfielder Andy Reid has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury.

The 24-year-old summer signing from Tottenham has not played for the Addicks since mid-January and recently underwent an operation.

Manager Alan Pardew yesterday confirmed the Republic of Ireland international would not play again before the end of the campaign.

Jewell denies FA charge

Wigan manager Paul Jewell yesterday denied a Football Association charge of improper conduct and/or bringing the game into disrepute.

The charge relates to comments Jewell made about referee Phil Dowd following Arsenal's 2-1 Premiership win over the Latics on February 11th.

Jewell has requested a personal hearing which will be scheduled in due course. The Wigan boss blamed Dowd for costing his side victory - and potentially £50 million if they are relegated - in the Emirates Stadium clash.

Jewell said after the game: "I thought we should have had a penalty which would hopefully have made it 2-0. He (Dowd) has cost our team the points. It could cost us £50 million."

A costly cover up

A German civil servant has lost his job after helping cover up a speeding violation by soccer great Franz Beckenbauer. A court in Munich rejected an appeal by the man to be reinstated as a senior traffic inspector. He and two officials in the local traffic police hatched a plan to allow Beckenbauer to avoid a one-month driving ban for speeding.

When Beckenbauer was filmed driving around 40 km/h over the limit in 2005, the trio attempted to pass his car off as an unmarked vehicle being used by traffic police.

The two traffic police were subsequently fired. The senior inspector said he had been misled by one of the other men, but the court rejected the appeal.