IFA invoke four-day rule

The Irish Football Association have taken the unusual step of invoking FIFA’s four-day rule after a spate of withdrawals from the Northern Ireland squad.

Paul McVeigh (Norwich), George McCartney (Sunderland), Steve Jones (Crewe), Danny Sonner (Peterborough) and Gary Hamilton (Portadown) have all pulled out of the World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan in Baku on Saturday.