
soccer
Martin O’Neill eases position on referee Nicola Rizzoli
Martin O’Neill has praised referee Nicola Rizzoli’s handling of the game against Wales and insisted that, while he still feels Gareth Bale’s challenge on John O’Shea merited a sending-off, the official’s decision to award only a yellow card for that incident cannot be linked in any way to the subsequent Neil Taylor tackle which broke Seamus Coleman’s leg.