KEANE’S IRISH ROUTE TO MOVE
MICHAEL KEAnE is set to leave Everton on loan in January and the door to Europe is open after the defender secured an Irish passport. The savvy 29- year- old is one of an increasing number of players who have used their ancestry to secure a European Union member passport and swerve Brexit regulations. With Ireland, birthplace of his father, in the EU, Keane can head to another European country without having to worry whether he meets border control criteria.
Keane, who has 12 England caps, may not, however, have to utilise his new passport. With Everton short on defenders at the time, the club are understood to have turned down offers from nottingham Forest and West Ham in the summer and a switch to another Premier League club would not come as a surprise.
MULTIBALL may well be on its way to the EFL. As this column revealed in July, the Premier League introduced the system — which sees ball kids armed with multiple balls to speed up play — this season. And it appears its usage has not gone unnoticed in the EFL, who ran the system for four years but ditched it in 2011-12. Match Officials Working Parties ‘have expressed a firm view that this is something we should re-examine’. Ball supplier Puma have been approached to ensure they can fulfil additional orders, with a view to it being introduced from December 9. A survey has been sent to clubs asking if they would support multiball’s return, with answers due by Wednesday.
SCEPTICS may wonder if upsets lie ahead in the Carabao Cup this week given most top-flight sides could do without an early restart after the World Cup. Winners would play their fourth-round ties on December 20 and 21 — the Tuesday and Wednesday before the Premier League returns on Boxing Day.
FAREWELL to British Cycling chief Brian Facer, who since November 2020 has seen a block on trans riders, the guidance (and U-turn) over cycling on the day of the Queen’s funeral and a deal with Shell. He also failed to meet prominent national journalists. His successor would do well to approach it differently.
YOU might think that referees’ boss Kevin Friend spends his days tirelessly pondering how to improve the standard of officiating. However, the recently-retired whistleblower, who now works for officials’ body PGMOL, appears to have grub on his mind.
The 51-year- old, manager of select group 2 (the Championship and elite officials of the future), has been busy asking second-tier clubs to outline their pre and post-match provisions for referees. Friend believes that refs and officials should be given a hot meal after the final whistle. Rules state that ‘reasonable refreshments’ should be provided, but there is no mention of whether that includes a cooked option. Indeed, it appears to be a hot topic, with one, unnamed, referee informing his hosts that he had a dietary requirement that he would like to be taken into account.
THE curious case of Jean-Kevin Augustin gets odder. Last week the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld RB Leipzig’s claim that they were owed £18million for the striker from Leeds, who signed him on loan in 2020 with an obligation to buy if they were promoted to the Premier League. The French striker made three appearances before being sent back by Leeds, who said the Covid interruption meant their promotion came about after the deal had expired.
Leeds are planning another appeal. Former manager Marcelo Bielsa and his staff were keen on bringing in Augustin, while the club had instead been trying to sign Jarrod Bowen, who ended up at West Ham. Bielsa was quick to change his mind on a player who may end up costing the club a fortune. Bowen, meanwhile, was West Ham’s top scorer last year.
OFFICIALS are hoping that England’s wheelchair rugby league victory over Australia can act as a breakthrough moment. More than 3,000 watched the brutal battle at London’s Copper Box, with many more watching live on BBC Two. There are plans to expand the Wheelchair Super League and perhaps introduce a Magic Weekend, where one venue plays host to a round of fixtures.
MUCH excitement in the world of Merseyside amateur football over the weekend with the prospect of a local boy returning to his roots. For a short period on Friday night, the idea that Wayne Rooney was going to play for Abbey Road Veterans in the Liverpool Old Boys League gathered pace, with the man himself tweeting: ‘Kids in bed early, big game tomorrow.’ It led to a sizeable crowd on playing fields in Croxteth, not far from where Rooney grew up, but there was no sign of England’s record goalscorer providing support for a team for whom his brother-in-law Joe scored in a 2-1 win over Collegiate Old Boys.
THE cuts to BBC local radio continue, and sports departments are not immune. Editors have been asked to approach local football clubs and ask if they would be prepared to knock 10 per cent off the contracts they have agreed for commentary rights. Insiders say some have refused, finding the prospect embarrassing and ‘dreamed up by bean counters who do not know the first thing about football or our audiences’. A BBC spokesperson said: ‘We always seek to get the best possible value.’