FOOTBALL

FOOTBALL

The trial for match-rigging of Bernard Tapie, the former owner of Olympique Marseille, opened controversially yesterday when the judge threatened to expel the businessman and politician from court after interruptions. Tapie, along with his team's former managing director and a former player, are charged with arranging bribes for two Valenciennes players so they would play below par in a French League match in May 1993.

Diego Maradona, the coach of the First Division team, Racing Club, was shown the red card for throwing a small water bag at a linesman during the Argentine League game against Independiente on Sunday night. The former Argentina captain became angry when the linesman failed to realise a Racing player was waiting to go back into play after sustaining a minor injury.

Leeds United made a profit of £820,000 in the season 1993-94 - an increase of £300,000 on the previous year.

Swansea City created a club record when they beat Pembroke Borough 16- 0 in the semi-final of the West Wales Senior Cup at Vetch Field last night. The Welsh under-21 international Shaun Chapple, and the former Arsenal and Celtic striker Martin Hayes, led the scoring with five goals apiece.

FA UMBRO TROPHY Third-round replay: Merthyr 0 Enfield 1 (St Hilaire 36). Revised fourth-round draw: Marine v Hyde United; Enfield v Rushden and Diamonds; Kidderminster v Altrincham; Macclesfield Town v Woking. (Ties to be played on 25 March).

UNIBOND LEAGUE Premier Division: Emley 0 Accrington Stanley 0.

BEAZER HOMES LEAGUE Premier Division: Worcester 1 Hastings 1.

DIADORA LEAGUE First Division: Ruislip Manor 4 Barking 1.

NORTHERN COUNTIES EAST LEAGUE President's Cup: Hallam 3 North Ferriby Utd 2.

GREAT MILLS LEAGUE Premier Division: Taunton Town 2 Mangotsfield Utd 0.

CARLING NORTH WEST COUNTIES LEAGUE First Division: Clitheroe 1 Prescot 0.

FA YOUTH CUP Fifth-round replay: Sheffield Utd 2 Wimbledon 3.

PONTINS LEAGUE First Division: Wolverhampton 0 Leeds 1. Second Division: Barnsley 1 York 0; Leicester 3 Port Vale 3; Mansfield 0 Newcastle 4; Preston 2 Birmingham City 1.

AVON INSURANCE COMBINATION League Cup: Hereford 3 Cheltenham 0. First Division: Portsmouth 1 Brighton 0; Southampton 1 Bristol Rovers 0. Postponed: Swindon v Charlton.

FRENCH LEAGUE: Le Havre 1 (Caveglia 78) Strasbourg 0.

WALES SQUAD (European Championship qualifier v Bulgaria, Sofia, 29 March): Southall (Everton), Roberts (Queen's Park Rangers), Freestone (Swansea), Melville (Sunderland), Symons (Portsmouth), Law (Wolves), Coleman (Crystal Palace), Bowen (Norwich), Phillips (Nottingham Forest), Horne (Everton), Jones (Wimbledon), Speed (Leeds), Hughes (Southampton), Cornforth (Swansea), Giggs (Manchester Utd), Rush (Liverpool), Roberts (Leicester), Saunders (A Villa). Stand-by: P Jones (Wolves), Williams (Reading), Nielson (Newcastle), Blake (Sheffield Utd).

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND SQUAD (European Championship qualifier v Northern Ireland, Dublin 29 March): A Kelly (Sheffield Utd), Bonner (Celtic), G Kelly (Leeds), Irwin (Manchester Utd), Phelan (Manchester City), Staunton (Aston Villa), McGrath (Aston Villa), Babb (Liverpool), Kernaghan (Manchester City), Kenna (Southampton), Daish (Birmingham), Houghton (Aston Villa), McAteer (Bolton), Townsend (Aston Villa), Sheridan (Sheffield Wed), Keane (Manchester Utd), McGoldrick (Arsenal), McLoughlin (Portsmouth), D Kelly (Wolves), Quinn (Manchester City), Aldridge (Tranmere), Coyne (Motherwell), Cascarino (Marseille), Whelan (Southend).

NORTHERN IRELAND SQUAD: Wright (Nottingham Forest), Fettis (Hull), Fleming, Taggart (Barnsley), McDonald (Queen's Park Rangers), Worthington (Leeds), Patterson (Crystal Palace), Magilton (Southampton), Hughes (West Ham), Gillespie (Newcastle), Dowie (Crystal Palace), Gray (Sunderland), Morrow (Arsenal), O'Neill (Hibernian), Horlock (Swindon), McMahon (Tottenham), Hill (Leicester), Quinn (Reading).

TRANSFERS: Paul Williams (striker) Crystal Palace to Birmingham (loan). Steve Hayward (midfielder) Derby to Carlisle (£100,000).