A 62-year-old football coach who claimed he was defamed in text messages after reassuringly embracing one of his players has been awarded €15,000 damages in the Circuit Civil Court.

IRISH soccer was last night celebrating a landmark decision by FIFA which bolsters the coffers of struggling junior and schoolboy clubs which nurture the game’s stars of the future.

The Football Association of Ireland’s Chief Executive Officer Fran Rooney today described as "a landmark decision" the ruling by FIFA to uphold the FAI’s appeal on behalf of Crumlin United FC for the right to receive solidarity payments in respect of the transfer of Robbie Keane to Tottenham Hotspur.