Bosnia has been here before, and so has Miralem Pjanic.

Football referee Urs Meier understands what under-pressure South African rugby referee Craig Joubert is going through. After all, he had to go into hiding away from his family for 10 days and had security guards protecting his workplace after a decision that cost England in Euro 2004.

"One day it might indeed all end, but Eamo’s show will surely go on forever."

WORLD CUP GROUP D:

By Peter O’ Dwyer

Wayne Rooney will be fit and ready to take the World Cup by storm, according to England manager Roy Hodgson.

Martin O’Neill admitted it was ironic that his Republic of Ireland side will have to slug it out with Scotland for Euro 2016 qualification.

Sunday’s Euro 2016 qualifying draw may have been the first time most football fans in Ireland realised Gibraltar had an international team which actually played in qualifiers.

Marian Pahars will lock horns with Roy Keane once again tomorrow evening admitting he cannot remember his past battles with the Republic of Ireland’s assistant manager.

You gotta larf. The only other option is to cry, to look ahead to next summer’s World Cup with a knowing dread and to what will, on all recent form, be another public bout of self-flagellation on the part of the England football team, its supporters and a media that feeds off the national XI like a shoal of sharks.

In Iceland, they’re suddenly attempting to play down expectations.

Part of the problem with modern international football, and particularly mid-tier nations like Ireland, is that associations rarely get to do things to their own schedule any more. The club game has changed the dynamic.

Mick McCarthy could be invited back for a second spell as Republic of Ireland manager after Giovanni Trapattoni’s reign ended with World Cup disappointment.

John O’Shea has paid tribute to “unsung hero” Glenn Whelan as the midfielder prepares to win his 50th cap for the Republic of Ireland against Wales tonight.

Giovanni Trapattoni has warned his Republic of Ireland side tomorrow’s clash with Wales will be a friendly only in name.

Former England manager Steve McClaren is convinced Wayne Rooney’s future remains at Manchester United.

Seldom does an international get-together pass without Giovanni Trapattoni referring to the friends he’s won over his illustrious managerial career and, from that reservoir of acquaintances, Greece manager Fernando Santos last night chipped in to support the Ireland manager in his time of need.

Denmark keeper Thomas Sorensen has announced his retirement from international football after winning 101 caps for his country.

Footballer John Terry has been cleared of hurling a racist obscenity at Anton Ferdinand. Here are some of the highs and lows of his career.

Captain Stephen Gerrard believes it is unfair to blame Wayne Rooney for England’s Euro 2012 exit.

England manager Roy Hodgson has dismissed predecessor Fabio Capello’s comments about Wayne Rooney as “cheap”.

England boss Roy Hodgson has admitted it was too much to demand Wayne Rooney would win Euro 2012 on his own – but denied the Manchester United forward was not fit enough to do himself justice.

Milan Baros has retired from international football with the Czech Republic.

Germany coach Joachim Loew is confident his team will find a way through what he expects to be a wall of Greece players protecting their own penalty area in tonight’s Euro 2012 quarter-final.

Wayne Rooney hopes England can finally break their quarter-final hoodoo in major tournaments at Euro 2012 and claimed: “I don’t think any team will fancy playing us.”

RUI COSTA led the so-called golden generation and Deco masterminded Luiz Felipe Scolari’s more combative side but now there is a big hole in the Portugal midfield.

Giovanni Trapattoni under pressure, Roy Keane calling for the whole team to be dropped and Ireland, should they lose by three or more goals to Italy tonight, facing the indignity of becoming, officially, the worst performing team ever in the history of the European Championship finals — as dead rubber matches go for the Boys In Green, there’s more than a fair bit at stake at the Municipal Stadium in Poznan this evening.

Cesare Prandelli called for calm as he prepared to send Italy into their make-or-break Group C clash with the Republic of Ireland tomorrow night.

Damien Duff was today reflecting on the end of a dream after the Republic of Ireland's bruising defeat by Spain.

Giovanni Trapattoni has warned Italy not to expect any favours as the Republic of Ireland attempt to bow out of Euro 2012 with pride restored.

Old habits die hard.

Talk about making an impact.

On the two previous occasions Germany have lost in the final of a European Championship, they have come back four years later to win the tournament.

Czech Republic captain Tomas Rosicky’s latest injury concern threatens to derail a team that finally came up with a potent attacking display against Greece.

Patrick Kavanagh’s poem about experience, Advent, was probably really a poem about depression. Not everyone who has “tested and tasted too much” feels as bad about it as Kavanagh seemed to do.

And we think we were living a nightmare against Croatia.

England caught the mood of the nation with the sort of display that allowed Chelsea to beat both Barcelona and Bayern Munich on their way to winning the Champions League, and although they conceded their first goal and first points under Roy Hodgson, the result was a triumph for grim determination — and a more than satisfactory start to their Euro 2012 campaign.

Greece and the Czech Republic have defensive problems ahead of their Euro 2012 clash in Group A today with the Greeks missing their first-choice central defence and the Czechs desperate to plug a leaky back line.

An arduous club season, no matter how successful, might not be the platform on which the national side can thrive

Greece and the Czech Republic have defensive problems ahead of their Euro 2012 clash in Group A today with the Greeks missing their first-choice central defence and the Czechs desperate to plug a leaky back line.

Ashley Young ia adamant he is not a diving “cheat”.

Cristiano Ronaldo took encouragement from his side’s performance against Germany and, having spoken to his club manager and mentor Jose Mourinho, believes he can still guide Portugal to a successful tournament at Euro 2012.

Giovanni Trapattoni believes he is due some luck as he leads the Republic of Ireland into Euro 2012.