A LOOK back at sporting events in The Irish News on this date 20 years ago...
NEWCASTLE United’s £15million striker Alan Shearer has been pipped by Barcelona star Ronaldo to one of the first major awards of the year.
The 20-year-old Brazilian sensation has been named World Soccer magazine’s World Player of the Year, polling 16.56 per cent of readers’ votes, ahead of Shearer, who was second with 14.42 per cent, and AC Milan’s Liberian international George Weah in third.
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RAY CLOSE has made legal history in the latest twist to his campaign to overturn the British Boxing Board of Control’s decision to stop him from fighting in the UK.
The Belfast super-middleweight has been granted legal aid, and it is believed he is the first Irish sports person ever to be backed by legal aid to hold a professional sporting body liable for its action.
Close was last year banned from the sport and had his British license withdrawn after the board was informed of irregularities shown in the fighter’s brain after a routine CAT scan, taken before his scheduled third fight against then WBO champion Chris Eubank. Now Close is expected to appear in the High Court in May next year.
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COLIN Montgomerie was an absentee yesterday from a lunch called to mark his record-breaking season. And he missed it because he is trying to make himself unique.
While the European tour’s Johnnie Walker Golfer of the Year award in London was presented to his manager Guy Kinnings, Montgomerie was in California experimenting with new technology.
“If there is something better than I’m using at the moment I’ll waste no time popping it in the bag,” said the 33-year-old Scot, who describes his switch from Wilson to Callaway clubs two years ago as one of the best career moves he has made.
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ASTON Villa have rejected a £700,000 bid from Celtic for their Republic of Ireland skipper Andy Townsend. Manager Brian Little confirmed the Scottish giants had made an approach for the 33-year-old player but insisted none of his first team squad are for sale.
Little said: “If Celtic come back with a new and improved offer I shall tell them to up it and then say no again.”
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ANTRIM and St Paul’s star Chris Murphy said he was given no choice and had to withdraw from the county panel after telling manager John Morrison he could not attend all scheduled training sessions.
But the Saffron boss replied to Murphy’s claim, stating that the player was not “pushed.” Chris Murphy, along with club mate Joe Quinn, were earlier this week reported to have quit the county squad for different reasons.
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THE Football Association is to ask for National Lottery funding to help its bid to bring the 2006 World Cup to England, and the government has already given FA chiefs a helping hand in their efforts to get the money on board.
While it has been estimated staging the World Cup could mean a £300million price tag double that of this summer’s Euro 96 even putting a bid together could cost as much as £10million over the next three-and-a-half years.
