Last year’s young hurler of the year. Tadhg de Búrca, is one of 10 stellar talents honoured in the annual sports awards, to be presented tonight by University College, Cork.

Arsenal will hope to be given either Zenit St Petersburg or Wolfsburg when the draw for the Champions League’s last 16 takes place in Nyon, Switzerland, today.

Republic of Ireland have drawn Bosnia & Herzegovina in the European Championship qualification play-offs.

Apart from the two Irish groups, what else was decided last night?

Manchester City should have nothing to fear from drawing Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions League, according to director of football Txiki Begiristain.

Manchester City’s tough luck in the Champions League draw continued with a second successive last-16 tie against Spanish giants Barcelona.

German powerhouse Tony Martin stormed to his maiden road stage victory at the Tour de France yesterday — and his Omega Pharma-Quick Step team’s second win in three days.

German sprinter Andre Greipel believes he answered his critics after extending the country’s Tour de France sprint supremacy with victory on stage six yesterday from Arras to Reims.

Defending Tour de France champion Chris Froome became the second major casualty of this year’s race when he abandoned the race after a third crash in two days.

Alex Ferguson has been appointed as UEFA’s coaching ambassador.

Midfielder Mikel Arteta cannot understand Arsenal’s hectic schedule – but maintains the players will be out to make a “big statement” with victory at Manchester City in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off.

Defender Per Mertesacker believes it could prove a good thing for Arsenal to have to tackle one of Europe’s top sides in the last 16 of the Champions League.

UEFA’s determination to crack down on racism will be put to the test again when it decides whether CSKA Moscow should play behind closed doors as a punishment for alleged racist chanting against Yaya Toure.

The board of the FAI has now officially approved a formal bid to host Euro 2020 games at the Aviva Stadium but it will be September next year before a decision on the host cities for the tournament is taken.

Republic of Ireland U19 boss Paul Doolin has expressed disappointment at the FAI’s failed bid to host an elite round game in the European Championship.

WAYNE ROONEY will have to control his suspect temperament in the coming months after he was cleared to play in England’s final group match of Euro 2012 following a UEFA appeals panel’s decision to reduce his ban to two games.

THE FAI will receive a staggering minimum €8m should Giovanni Trapattoni’s Republic of Ireland side qualify for next year’s Euro 2012 finals in Poland and the Ukraine.

Wembley will host the Champions League final in 2013 and UEFA’s Congress in the same year will take place in London, UEFA president Michel Platini announced today.

Wembley Stadium is the frontrunner to be named by UEFA tomorrow as the venue of the 2013 Champions League final.

The Republic of Ireland U21 side will face Italy, Turkey, Hungary and Liechtenstein in the UEFA U21 European Championship 2013 qualifiers following the draw which was made in Nyon, Switzerland today.

Michel Platini has warned that even Europe’s biggest clubs will have to “face the music” if they do not comply with UEFA’s new financial fair play rules.

RICHARD DUNNE has targeted a return to his home city of Dublin later this season for the 2010-11 Europa League final.

Republic of Ireland 0 Spain U17 0 (AET)

THE Republic of Ireland will be hoping to cap their fantastic run in the European U17 Championship by overcoming last year’s beaten finalists, Spain at the in the final at the Colovray Stadium in Nyon, Switzerland tonight.

UEFA today approved plans to force clubs in European competition to only spend what they earn with the body’s president Michel Platini insisting they want to “protect clubs and not punish them”.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson claims Eduardo’s two-match European ban for diving will have got the “message across”.

ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC will have to play their Europa League play-off first leg tie against top Romanian side Steaua Bucharest behind closed doors at the Ghencea Stadium on August 20, after UEFA yesterday imposed a three-match ban on spectators attending their home games in Europe.

NEMANJA VIDIC feels the Premier League can give itself a hefty pat on the back as four of its teams wait to discover their Champions League fate in Nyon, Switzerland this morning.

THOMOND PARK is set to stage its second international soccer friendly after it was announced yesterday that the Republic of Ireland will face World Cup hosts South Africa in a friendly on Tuesday, September 8.

THE prospect of a European club final at the new Lansdowne Road in 2011 is a step closer to becoming a reality.

Liverpool’s Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid next week will be played at the Vicente Calderon stadium after all.

REAL Madrid midfielder Wesley Sneijder has dismissed suggestions he could join Manchester United as part of a player plus swap deal that would see Cristiano Ronaldo move in the opposite direction, insisting he wants to stay at the Spanish giants.

UEFA president Michel Platini’s controversial plan for cup winners to qualify for the Champions League has been rejected.

LIVERPOOL and Manchester United have formally declared their opposition to UEFA president Michel Platini’s plans for domestic cup winners to qualify for the Champions League.

Liverpool and Manchester United have formally declared their opposition to UEFA president Michel Platini’s plans for domestic cup winners to qualify for the Champions League.

THE spectre of Spanish or Scottish opposition in the Champions League round of 16 looms large for at least one of the four Premiership clubs in this morning’s draw.

Newcastle were handed a daunting task in the UEFA Cup draw in Nyon, Switzerland.

LIVERPOOL chief executive Rick Parry is confident Steven Gerrard will lead the side out when they begin the defence of their Champions League title at Welsh side TNS.

Shelbourne manager Pat Fenlon was reasonably satisfied with the Champions League draw that will see his side face Irish League opposition in the shape of Glentoran.

LIVERPOOL will be praying for a total solution to their Champions League headache when the draw is made for the first two qualifying rounds of the competition today.