WOLVES boss Mick McCarthy believes it would be “barmy” to write off Liverpool’s top-four chances despite their injury problems.

Wolves have confirmed the signing of French midfielder Adlene Guedioura on loan for the rest of the season.

Wolves have signed Belgian international midfielder Geoffrey Mujangi Bia on loan.

Arsenal are to continue considering their options following the injury sustained by Robin van Persie while on Holland duty – with FIFA appearing to have ruled out pursuing legal action for compensation against the Dutch federation.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed the club intend to seek compensation from the Dutch football federation over the ankle injury suffered by striker Robin van Persie.

RYANAIR has won a landmark case confirming it can conclude deals with state-owned airports that give it highly preferential rates and conditions.

Ryanair today won a court ruling not to repay Belgium a €4.5m subsidy.

A momentous peace deal has been agreed between FIFA, UEFA and the European clubs that will lead to the G14 organisation disbanding and clubs being paid for their players appearing in the World Cup or European Championships.

FIFA have joined forces with FIFPro, the International Federation of Professional Footballers, in a move which will give the players an official voice in decision-making.

INTERNATIONAL football will be destroyed if Belgian club Charleroi win a landmark court case, says European football’s governing body UEFA.

The G14 group of elite European clubs hopes the appointment of Arsenal’s David Dein as its new chairman will allow it to settle its differences with FIFA and UEFA in an “amicable” manner.

Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein claims Lord Stevens’ corruption inquiry is a vital necessity to maintain the Premiership’s position as the richest and most popular league in the world.

ARSENAL vice-chairman David Dein expects an end to the legal disputes between Europe’s clubs and soccer’s governing bodies during his tenure as chairman of the G14 pressure group of clubs.

EU regulators in Brussels today cleared a French subsidy to Ryanair to help it start flying from Toulon to London Stansted – just weeks after the company complained about government funds paid to rival Air France-KLM.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez wants FIFA to pay compensation for Djibril Cisse’s injury while on World Cup duty with France, warning football’s governing body that coaches could start withholding their players.

IT MAY not stir the blood quite like a 25 yard volley to the roof of the net, a save in a penalty shoot-out or a last minute winner that lifts a cup or staves off relegation, but anyone who has ever fallen under football’s spell should sit up and pay attention to a compensation case which is currently before the Belgian courts.

EUROPE’S richest soccer clubs want to put the boot into national football bodies.

IRISH MEP Brian Crowley has warned that a football compensation case currently before the Belgian courts could have serious financial implications for the FAI.

Europe’s governing body UEFA is to confront the thorny issue of clubs claiming compensation for players injured on international duty.

West Brom manager Bryan Robson is to step up his efforts to sign Slovakian international Jan Kozak on loan for the remainder of the season.

Clubs could face points deductions or expulsion from competitions under tough new rules to deal with racism, FIFA president Sepp Blatter has warned.

UEFA have vowed that no stone will be left unturned in their planned clean-up of European football.

THE ongoing cold war between football’s world governing body and Europe’s top clubs saw no hint of a thaw in the desert heat yesterday as leading representatives from both sides discussed their differences in a public arena.

CHELSEA chief executive Peter Kenyon wants football’s governing bodies to meet with clubs and thrash out a solution to the perennial club versus country debate.

NOT A DAY goes by when money is not at the heart of a football story on these sports pages.

Manchester United chief executive David Gill is confident clubs will eventually strike a deal with the soccer authorities over compensation for international players.

NO-FRILLS airline Ryanair has agreed to repay the €4 million subsidy relating to its operations at Charleroi in Belgium that fell foul of the European Commission earlier this year.

China international Sun Jihai is set to deny Irishman Willo Flood a first Barclays Premiership start at Southampton.

KLM’s merger with Air France to create the continent’s biggest airline is further proof of the changes continuing to impact across Europe’s skies.

The European Commission has ordered Ryanair to repay millions of euro in illegal discounts it received from Charleroi Airport in Belgium.

IRELAND’S Commissioner David Byrne will defend Ryanair’s deal with regional airports, including Charleroi, when it comes before the European Commission this morning.

Ryanair has criticised the EU Commission's Transport Directorate for giving an off the record briefing to journalists in Dublin today.

The Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) has called on the Government to use its influence while holding the EU Presidency to ensure that any decision by the EU Commission on the Ryanair Charleroi issue does not have any negative impact on low-fares air access to Ireland.

THE ISEQ suffered losses yesterday mainly due to weak performances from the big financials, subsequently lagging the recent positive momentum of the bourse. It closed 16.51 points down at 5284.31

The European Commission is likely to rule that some advantages given by regional Belgian authorities to Ryanair are illegal, an EU source said this afternoon to news agency Reuters.

PUNTERS who opted for the “10 Stock Model Portfolio” of Merrion Stockbrokers did extremely well in 2003.

The ISEQ shed 67 points, or 1.39%, to 4695 just before 5pm weighted by poor financial stocks and Ryanair.

The Dublin Index was down 43 points, or .9%, to 4720.45 just before 11am today.

Michael O'Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, has said that a negative ruling by the EU on the airline's deal with the Belgian airport at Charleroi could negatively affect the company's share price for the next two years.

THE Dublin market fell into negative territory yesterday led by a slump in Ryanair shares.

Ryanair saw its share price dip 25c to €6.58 on Wednesday.

Ryanair Holdings today reported net profits of €175.5m for the six months ended September 30, 2003, an increase of 16% on the year.