RAFAEL BENITEZ was left cursing the officials after Liverpool lost in unfortunate circumstances to Sao Paulo in the Club World Championship final in Yokohama.

YOU’D have thought a 70th Munster SFC title at the expense of arch rivals Cork would warrant mass celebrations in the Kerry dressing rooms at Páirc Uí Chaoimh yesterday.

Ballyduff Upper 1-15 Passage East 0-8

Limerick 4-24 Kerry 0-2

Castres 58 Harlequins 13

OUTSTANDING captain Colin Corkery accepted last night that Cork got out of jail in Sunday's Bank of Ireland, Munster SFC final clash with Tipperary at Semple Stadium.

DAVID BECKHAM believes he has proved that he can no longer be goaded by provocation after he came through another severe test of his temperament against Turkey to help England seal an automatic place in the Euro 2004 finals.

ROMANIA, desperately unlucky not to reach the European Championship finals in Portugal next month, will provide stiff opposition for Ireland in tonight’s friendly at Lansdowne Road.

JOHN O’MAHONY could be forgiven for gloating, except that it would be totally alien to his nature!

FINN HARPS will look to their dynamic young striker Kevin McHugh to help take them into the semi-final of the FAI Carlsberg Cup when they play Cork City at Turner’s Cross today (7.45pm).

HARD questions must be asked - and answered - in the aftermath of the scathing report on the misguided butchery of women under the guise of responsible medicine at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.

ARSENE WENGER will warn his Arsenal players not to take the Premiership crown for granted before they step out at White Hart Lane tomorrow in a bid to recreate their title-winning achievement of 1971.

JAMES SHEEHAN cuts straight to it. The recent Kerry SFC semi-final involving Mid Kerry and Laune Rangers was one of those experiences that he’d gladly like to avoid for the rest of his football days.

JOSTLING and shuffling like excited schoolboys ahead of a debs night, 31 nervous Rose of Tralee escorts formed a guard-of-honour of sorts to welcome their Roses to the Fels Point Hotel — and many to Tralee for the first time.

THE foreign press swirled around the wounded prey — they scented Brian Cowen’s political blood.

THE Thomond Park cocktail of the raucous and the polite gripped Limerick’s O’Connell Street during Saturday’s epic European Cup final.