Horgan and Deegan appeals fail

Cork City's Neal Horgan and Gary Deegan of Longford Town will both miss Sunday's FAI Cup final at the RDS after failing to defer…

Cork City's Neal Horgan and Gary Deegan of Longford Town will both miss Sunday's FAI Cup final at the RDS after failing to defer suspensions until next season.

The FAI's Domestic Committee ruled this evening that both suspensions will stand, thwarting the players' appeals.

"I'm glad firstly that we made a submission, and secondly that our submission was listened to," said Cork manager Damien Richardson of his player's case.

"It was always going to be a difficult decision to overturn suspensions, but unfortunately that is the decision that has been reached."

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Longford's preparations for the Sunday's final were overshadowed further today by the death of club president Peter Keenan.

Meanwhile, Uefa inspectors have concluded a two-day visit of Dublin to assess the city's ability to host the 2011 Uefa Cup final.

The new Lansdowne Road stadium - due for completion in 2010 - is one of six stadiums short-listed to host either the 2010 or 2011 final, although the Irish bid is focused solely on the latter due to building constraints.

The other stadia in contention are Emirates Stadium (London), Arena AufSchalke (Gelsenkirchen), Olimpico de Montjuic (Barcelona), Arena Hamburg (Hamburg) and the National Stadium (Bucharest).

Presentations to the Uefa panel were made by the FAI, Dublin City Council, Lansdowne Road Stadium Development Company, Department of Arts, Sport & Tourism, Dublin Airport Authority and An Garda Siochana.

The delegates also received a tour of the city and inspected the Lansdowne Road site.  Uefa's final decision is expected in March.

Meanwhile, the Champions League final will be staged on a Saturday from the 2009-2010 season.

Uefa president Michel Platini believes the current Wednesday night showpiece is not conducive to a family atmosphere.

The first Champions League final to be played on a Saturday will be in Rome's Stadio Olimpico the season after this.