Ireland’s bridge chief has backed UK efforts to have the popular card game acknowledged as a sport. But he isn’t counting on trick-making replacing goalscoring on sports pages any time soon.

Turn on your TV for any length of time this next few weeks and sooner or later you are likely to be treated to recorded moments of rare magic

Birmingham boss Alex McLeish admits corruption probes have become “part of football life” after his club were engulfed in off-the-field controversy.

Shares in Birmingham City were suspended on the London Stock Exchange today amid a corruption investigation.

Birmingham insist they are “fully committed” to helping the City of London Police inquiry into alleged corruption in English football after managing director Karren Brady and David Sullivan were arrested yesterday.

WAYNE ROONEY insists there is no crisis at Manchester United.

Wayne Rooney insists there is no crisis at Manchester United.

THE Welsh Rugby Union was in shock last night with the resignation of its group chief executive, David Moffett.

Programmes to groom Britain's Olympic stars of the future, in time for London's hosting of the Games in 2012, will be given an extra £1m (€1.4m) a year, it was announced today.

IRFU chiefs have appointed Steve Anderson as its first High Performance Manager in an effort to smooth the process of discovering the next generation of internationals.

Trevor Brooking has defended his new position as the Football Association’s director of football development in the wake of strong criticism from Bolton boss Sam Allardyce.

TREVOR BROOKING yesterday found himself engulfed in controversy as he embarked on his first major task since being appointed as the Football Association’s director of football development.

Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Gordon Taylor has criticised anti-drug legislation which allows players to be tested in their own homes.

Work will begin next week on a new £750m (€1.2bn) national stadium at Wembley, it was announced today.

Sport England were today branded ‘‘slack, slovenly and supine’’ in the way it distributed £120m of lottery funding towards the Wembley National Stadium Project.

British MPs investigating the troubled project to build a new national stadium at Wembley were today publishing what was expected to be a highly critical report.

Wembley Stadium could be rebuilt with a removable athletics track - three years after the idea was deemed unworkable.

Wembley has been named as the preferred site for the new national stadium.

David Moffett, chief executive of Australia’s National Rugby League, is being linked with a move to London to take over a similar role with Sport England.

Officials from rugby union and rugby league are expected to meet later next week to thrash out a dispute which has emerged over the 'poaching' of young talent from the 13-man code.

The Rugby Football Union have denied allegations that they are planning a raid on rugby league.

No decision over the 2009 Ryder Cup venue will be made until at least July, chief executive Sandy Jones announced today.