FOOTBALL SHORTS

MICHAEL O’Neill, the Northern Ireland manager, has pleaded guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court to drinkdriving. Sheriff Thomas Welsh QC fined O’Neill £1,300 and banned him from driving for 16 months. The court heard yesterday that O’Neill was stopped by police as he drove on a city bypass in Edinburgh the early hours of September 10. O’Neill was breathalysed and he was found to have a breath alcohol level of 65mcg — the legal limit in Scotland is 22mcg.

■ THE Premier League have given in to pressure from supporters and confirmed that no fixtures will be played on Christmas Eve. Plans to stage Arsenal v Liverpool and Leicester v Manchester United were withdrawn after a fan backlash. Instead, Liverpool will visit the Emirates on Friday, December 22 with a 7.45pm kick-off. United’s trip to the King Power Stadium will take place 24 hours later.

■ LEICESTER players unhappy at the sacking of manager Craig Shakespeare demanded answers at a team meeting before training yesterday. Assistant Michael Appleton, in charge for tomorrow’s game at Swansea, said players were upset and wanted to know why Shakespeare was axed. ‘The meeting before training was a bit raw,’ said Appleton. ‘People wanted questions answering, but I’m not the person for that.’ The club’s Thai owners are believed to be flying in for the Swansea game to address the squad.

■ MANCHESTER UNITED will activate the 12month option on Ander Herrera’s contract if negotiations over a new deal continue to drag on. United are hopeful that Herrera, 28, will agree terms but they are conscious the Spain midfielder will be a free agent next summer.