Swiss Mountain For Boro

Basel brush Middlesbrough aside

Aussies put back Wembley deadline

- Middlesbrough face a tough task to reach the last four of the UEFA Cup after they lose 0-2 to Christian Gross’ FC Basel in the quarter-final first leg in Switzerland.
Boro are hit with a double just before the interval with quick-fire strikes from Mattias Delgado and David Degan.
A rain-soaked night became a miserable night for the Premiership visitors when Emanuel Pogatetz had to be carried off after suffering a broken nose and suspected fractured skull. To make matters even worse, rival fans clashed inside the St Jakob Park stadium.

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- And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse again, it has and how! Multiplex - the Australian builders of the new Wembley - announce that most of the remaining work will be completed by the end of the June but, astonishingly, reveal they are entitled to a further extension under the terms of its contract in order to put the final touches to the 90,000 capacity stadium.
It means completion is now set for the end of September - a full year behind the original deadline.
As well as the cancellation of a number of major headline concerts, the FA Community Shield will have to follow the FA Cup Final and Football League Play-Off Finals to Cardiff.
It is expected that the Football Association will announce that no England games will be played at the new stadium until next year. It means the first meaningful game will be against Israel in a Euro 2008 qualifier on 8 September 2007 - nearly seven years after England’s last game at the old Wembley.
Rugby League’s Challenge Cup Final is set to be transferred to Twickenham.

- The Coca-Cola Manager of the Month awards have a novel ring as Championship winner Rob Kelly of Leicester City and Frank Barlow and Ian McParland, the joint-bosses of League One winners Nottingham Forest, are all currently caretaker managers. Paul Simpson of leaders Carlisle United takes the honours in League Two for the second time this season.

- The Football Association encourage FIFA to use video evidence and implement a new rule which would see divers to be punished retrospectively.
Chief Executive Brian Barwick told The Times: “We’re in discussions with FIFA on retrospective disciplinary action. We have raised diving as a priority area where video evidence may be used.”
Barwick also strongly suggests that dealing with diving should be given priority during the summer’s World Cup.
The Times launched a ‘Say No to Diving’ campaign in February. As well as the FA, it has gained the support of Premiership clubs, the FA Premier League, the Football Supporters’ Federation, the English Schools Football Association, the League Managers Association, the Professional Footballers’ Association and the Referees’ Association.

Have Your Say! Will Middlesbrough climb the Swiss mountain? Is Wembley worth the wait or has it done long-term damage to the image of English football? Do you agree with this month’s Manager of the Month awards? Would you use video evidence to beat the cheats?
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