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Today's other stories in brief

Wiley unbowed

ALAN WILEY has decided against suing Alex Ferguson for defamation but yesterday expressed his "bitter disappointment" with the Manchester United manager's attack on his fitness.

Ferguson was given a four-match touchline ban, two of them suspended, and a €22,000 fine by the FA for saying Wiley “just wasn’t fit enough” to officiate in United’s 2-2 draw with Sunderland.

Wiley said: “Although I was bitterly disappointed about the personal attack on me I want to put this behind me. ”

Beckham an asthma sufferer

DAVID BECKHAM’S agent has admitted the 34-year-old has been an asthma sufferer for years – but insists it has not hampered the player’s performance.

Beckham was pictured using an inhaler during LA Galaxy’s MLS Cup final defeat to Real Salt Lake and Simon Oliveira said: “David has suffered with this since he was a young boy but it has obviously had no effect on his performance.

“He has never sought to make it public but if it does inspire any sufferer to think they can achieve great things like many other sportsmen have done then so much the better.”

The Galaxy lost a penalty shoot-out after England midfielder Beckham had played the full 120 minutes.

He is due to report for training with AC Milan on Dec 28th.

Hart pays the price for Portsmouth's poor start

PAUL HART became the first Premier League managerial casualty of the season yesterday when he was sacked by bottom club Portsmouth.

“The board feels the team should have accrued more points to date and that we need a new man in charge to ensure Premier League survival,” chief executive Peter Storrie told the club’s website (www.portsmouthfc.co.uk).

Hart was offered the role of technical director, developing players from the ages of 18-21, but declined it.

The club said they would announce a replacement “very quickly and until that time the players will be led by first-team coaches Paul Groves and Ian Woan”.

Last month former Portsmouth and Chelsea manager Avram Grant was appointed director of football, shortly after Saudi Arabian businessman Ali al Faraj’s takeover of the club.

Hart steered the club away from the drop zone last season in a caretaker role before signing a two-year contract as permanent manager in July.

“The board would like to thank Paul for his work not only in keeping the club in the Premier League last season but also for his time in charge of youth development,” added Storrie.

This season Portsmouth became the first English top-flight side in 79 years to lose their opening seven games of the campaign.

Beckenbauer calls for betting reform

BAYERN MUNICH president Franz Beckenbauer feels the betting industry needs to be radically reformed if fraudulent activity is to be avoided.

Germany is in the midst of another betting scandal, less than four years after disgraced former referee Robert Hoyzer was convicted of match-fixing.

Thirty-two games from the German second division and below are under investigation along with a total of around 200 matches Europe-wide which are under suspicion of being manipulated in the most widespread case of match-fixing in football.

“I didn’t realise how many kind of bets you can place,” said Beckenbauer.

“You can even bet on . . . who gets the first penalty or the first yellow card.” This, according to the “Kaiser”, makes the game easier to manipulate.

“I would get rid of such things and not allow them anymore,” he added.