Arsene Wenger has walked away with a reprimand and fine after an English FA appeal board overturned a 12-match touchline ban facing the Arsenal manager.
The compromise decision cleared Wenger of the main charge of threatening behaviour and violent conduct towards an official, but found him guilty of a lesser, catch-all misconduct charge.
Question marks were left hanging over the original decision to implement the FA's new disciplinary crackdown with such a heavy ban and a fine of four weeks' wages. However, the U-turn was effectively also a huge slap in the face for fourth official Paul Taylor, who had claimed that Wenger physically intimidated him in the tunnel at the Stadium of Light last August.
Taylor himself faces an FA misconduct hearing next Tuesday, when he will be thrown off the national referees list if he is found guilty of verbally abusing a Notts County player during a game last October.
The case followed a tunnel incident involving Thierry Henry and Darren Williams after the opening game of the season at Sunderland, when Patrick Vieira was sent off late on for a clash with Williams. Fourth official Taylor, who was operating for the first time in the Premiership, reported Wenger for shoving him as he intervened in the dispute.
Andy Cole hopes referee Graham Poll may reconsider his decision to send him off at Sunderland. Poll dismissed Cole, along with Sunderland's Alex Rae, after the pair appeared to butt each other during Manchester United's 1-0 win.
Cole has pleaded his innocence, claiming a yellow card would have been sufficient. The England striker now faces a three-match ban, which could sideline him from Premiership action for six-and-a-half weeks and he would like Poll to look at the incident again.
United are thinking about asking Poll to have a rethink, but so far they have not launched any official appeal. "It's a hell of a long time to be out, especially after being out for two months injured," Cole said.
David O'Leary could find himself on a collision course with Leeds United's plc board if his side fail to land a European place this season. O'Leary opposes tentative plans by his club to seek a backdoor route into the UEFA Cup via the InterToto Cup if they fail to qualify on merit.
Last Saturday's FA Cup defeat by Liverpool left Leeds having to either win this season's Champions League or radically improve their Premiership form to secure another lucrative European campaign. Otherwise they will be forced to examine the viability of an InterToto campaign, which could mean kicking off the new season in the first week of July.
FIFA have said it would welcome a bid from Scotland to host a future World Club Championship tournament. Scottish Football Association chief executive David Taylor has already confirmed interest in hosting a WCC.
"Scotland would be the perfect country to host such a competition. We need a country in which we have three or four major stadia - which are definitely prepared and ready now in Scotland," FIFA general secretary Michel ZenRuffinen said.
