Beckham to play: David Beckham will be able to play for Real Madrid against Deportivo La Coruna tonight after the Spanish football federation's disciplinary committee rescinded the red card he received during the 2-1 defeat by Valencia on Sunday.
Beckham was shown a yellow card for dissent and then a straight red after he sarcastically applauded referee Arturo Dauden Ibanez in the 87th minute of the Primera Liga game at the Bernabeu.
Madrid appealed on the fact that Beckham was not actually facing the referee when he applauded him, unlike Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney who was sent off during a Champions League match in Villarreal after applauding referee Kim Milton Nielsen.
A statement from the committee read: "The player does applaud, but with his back to the director of the game, it is not in a confrontational attitude, but as he goes back to take up his position on the pitch."
Beckham's availability will compensate for the absence of Zinedine Zidane who was a late withdrawal from Madrid's injury-hit squad with a thigh problem.
Charge denied
Aston Villa manager David O'Leary has denied a charge of using "abusive and/or insulting words" towards referee Graham Poll following the derby victory over Birmingham. O'Leary was charged over his conduct towards Poll after the final whistle of the game which Villa won 1-0 at St Andrews on October 16th.
The former Leeds manager was also reminded of his responsibilities in relation to his post-match behaviour, when he celebrated Villa's first Premiership win over Birmingham in seven attempts by charging across the field to salute chairman Doug Ellis. He has now requested a personal hearing which will be scheduled in due course.
Hearts eye Robson
Hearts will hold preliminary talks with Bobby Robson before the end of this week with a view to offering the former England manager the vacant manager's job.
The chief executive Phil Anderton confirmed yesterday that he hopes to meet the 72-year-old former England manager as soon as possible. "We spoke at length to Sir Bobby before George [ Burley] got the job [ in July], and I'll be making touch with him again this week," he said. "It is a great honour for the club that he is interested."
Under-16s draw
The Republic of Ireland under-16s drew 1-1 with Portugal in the International Tournament in Stade Auguste Delaune, France, yesterday. Ireland conceded a goal six minutes into the second half but Vincent Butler's side eventually got a deserved equaliser after 70 minutes when Ian Daly beat three players on the wing and crossed to Craig Duggan who scored with a looping header.
In brief . . .
The English FA upheld Newcastle midfielder Scott Parker's appeal over a yellow card against Sunderland and transferred it team-mate Stephen Carr claiming it was mistaken identity . . . Middlesbrough defender Gareth Southgate is sidelined for up to six weeks with a groin strain . . . Manchester City's Claudio Reyna is likely to be sidelined for three weeks after suffering knee and ankle damage in Saturday's defeat at Arsenal . . . Newcastle United skipper Alan Shearer may need hernia surgery but the timing of the operation is as yet undecided . . . Under-17 Mexico international Carlos Vela has been training with Arsenal but they could face stiff competition from Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, Valencia and Juventus for him . . . Portsmouth's Lomana LuaLua has returned to training after his bout of malaria.
