SoccerShorts

Fine faced for furoreAlex Ferguson faces a fine after being charged by UEFA with bringing the game into disrepute by claiming the Champions League quarter-finals draw had been fixed. Ferguson has withdrawn the comments, but is likely to be fined by UEFA's disciplinary body on May 1st.

Ferguson had claimed that high-ranking UEFA officials were determined to stop United reaching next month's final at Old Trafford and had therefore given them the toughest possible quarter-final draw in Real Madrid.

The United manager also queried the fact that none of the three Spanish teams are facing a club from the same country, nor any of the three Italian teams.

UEFA sent a letter to the United boss yesterday informing him of the charge.

Body looks fit and strong

FIFA have emerged from the turmoil of the last two years in a financial position which is stronger than even the men running world football's governing body had dared to hope.

Figures released yesterday showed that FIFA are A77.5 million in the black for the period 1999-2002, when the body's own finance chiefs had been a forecasting a A174 million deficit.

Although the positive result does include A247 million from a "securitisation loan" based on expected revenue from the 2006 World Cup in Germany, there has been near-jubilation at FIFA House in Zurich at the figures. "FIFA has proved that it can weather the stormiest of circumstances," FIFA president Sepp Blatter said. "Aside from the two world wars in the last century, FIFA has just experienced the most difficult years in its history."

Unique Irish final

A new name will be engraved on the Dr Tony O'Neill trophy when Dublin's Blackrock College take on St Patrick's College, Cavan in this afternoon's eagerly awaited All-Ireland Schools final at Belfield Park (2 p.m.).

It will be a unique pairing between two famous schools steeped in sporting traditions other than soccer. Blackrock have won rugby's Leinster Schools Senior Cup on 63 occasions while St Patrick's are a college with a glorious Gaelic football history.

A lucky streak

Celtic's bid for a place in the UEFA Cup final has been given a triple boost with Rab Douglas, Johan Mjallby and Didier Agathe all set to be fit to face Boavista in tomorrow's semi-final first leg.

Scotland goalkeeper Douglas missed Sunday's 1-1 draw at Dundee with a thigh strain, but he returned to training yesterday.

Sweden defender Mjallby was injured in the Dundee game, but has shown no reaction while wing back Agathe came through an outing for the reserves on Monday night unscathed.

Winger Steve Guppy provided the only bad news for O'Neill. He will definitely miss the Boavista match and is thought likely to need a hernia operation before the end of the season.

Chris Sutton, meanwhile, is set to have the plaster on his broken wrist removed on Monday and should be back in training by the end of next week.

In a different class?

Manchester United's Spanish goalkeeper Ricardo claims David Beckham has been questioning him about the quality of schools in Madrid.

United boss Alex Ferguson has dismissed speculation linking Beckham with a move to Real Madrid as an attempt by the Spanish giants to unsettle the player.

"I often ask David: 'Are you coming to Spain one day, do you fancy it?'," Ricardo said. "And a couple of days ago when I asked him if he was going to move to Real Madrid this summer he started asking me questions about the quality of primary schools in Madrid. I told him the schools there are the best in the world."

In Brief. . .

Rory Delap (torn ligaments) may return for Southampton's FA Cup semi-final against Watford on Sunday after taking part in training yesterday. Newcastle will make no formal complaint over referee Neale Barry's handling of Sunday's defeat at Everton. Ashley Cole is confident of being fit for Sunday's FA Cup semi-final against Sheffield United after playing for the reserves. Rangers defender Arthur Numan will quit Ibrox in the summer following failed attempts to agree a new contract. And Emerson, who twice walked out on Middlesbrough, wants to return to the Riverside in the summer.