Soccer: Hoops friendly blocked

Celtic have been told that a New York friendly with AC Milan to raise money for those affected by the September 11 cannot take place.

US soccer bosses blocked the game, which was expected to raise more than $1m (€1.12m) by attracting 80,000 fans to the Giants Stadium.

The proposed May 14 date clashed with a USA friendly with Jamaica two days later and the US Soccer Federation refused to waive the rules even for a charity match.

A charity friendly is now being provisionally arranged for January 2003.

A Celtic spokesman said: ‘‘Following extensive discussions with the soccer authorities in the United States, it is with regret that we are unable to proceed with our plans to stage a match in New York against AC Milan in May 2002 and raise over $1m (€1.12m) in support of people affected by the September 11 tragedy.

‘‘We have been working for some time to bring the event together and raise substantial funds for the families of emergency services personnel who lost their lives in the tragedy.

‘‘Unfortunately, due to local US soccer regulations we are unable to stage the match in May.

‘‘We are disappointed that, despite our best efforts, these regulations could not be waived, particularly given the charitable nature of this event.

‘‘However, we are delighted to announce that we plan to stage a match in New York in mid-January 2003 against high-profile opposition, details of which will be announced as soon as possible.

‘‘This new date will allow supporters more time to make arrangements and will also allow us to maximise the great potential which this initiative clearly has and ultimately achieve our aim of raising $1m (€1.12m) for a very worthy cause.’’