UEFA have confirmed that next week's European matches will go ahead, despite the recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Britain.

Arsenal are scheduled to face Spartak Moscow, Leeds travel to Real Madrid, and Manchester United are away at Panathanaikos, for the latest round of Champions League games, while Liverpool face Porto in Portugal in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals.

"We have followed the news in Britain and are aware of the position of the British government and at the moment the games will be played normally," said a UEFA spokeswoman.

Republic of Ireland full back Stephen Carr will miss the forthcoming World Cup qualifying games against Cyprus and Andorra after admitting that a hernia problem he has been suffering from for some time requires surgery.

The 24-year-old, who played in Ireland's competitive games before Christmas, was originally suffering from a groin injury but then developed a hernia and broke down in training shortly after returning. He will be out for at least a month-and-a-half.

Kieron Dyer's season looks to be over after it was revealed that he needs surgery on his troublesome shin injury.

Goals from Josh Wolff and Earnie Stewart helped the United States to a 2-0 victory over Mexico in Ohio on Wednesday.

The win, only the third time the US had beaten the Mexicans in a World Cup qualifier, gave the Americans a share of the lead in the final-round CONCACAF group along with Jamaica, who defeated Trinidad and Tobago 1-0.

Rangers' Claudio Reyna was forced to leave the game in the 43rd minute with a groin strain.

Footballers' agents will have to apply for licences from their national football associations and will have to sign a code of conduct under new rules launched by FIFA yesterday.

The FIFA rules aim to make the relationship between players, clubs and agents more transparent and impose tougher rules on agents and their clients.