By Cathal Dervan

SOCCER: All the Roy Keane headlines have turned the media’s attention away from the race to succeed Brian Kerr as Irish boss, so the only news on that front concerns fresh attempts by the English FA to lure the FAI’s number one choice Martin O’Neill away from Merrion Square. The fact they can offer the former Celtic supremo four million pounds sterling a year — yes you read that right — may help their case.

SOCCER: FIFA president Sepp Blatter has come up with another piece of lunacy. Blatter now wants to ban national anthems from international football in a bid to cut down the risk of crowd trouble. Why doesn’t he go the whole hog and ban international games altogether? A lot of clubs in England, mostly around the Manchester area, would be happy if he did.

SOCCER: Ireland are to play England in a friendly international next March but the venue appears to be causing some problems. The FAI want the game in Dublin, 11 years after the Lansdowne riots, while the English FA want to play it at Anfield as part of their World Cup build-up. My money’s on a trip to Liverpool in the spring.

MOTOR RACING: Grand Prix ace Giancarlo Fisichella has been arrested for speeding on the streets of Rome. I guess that’s a case of bringing your work home with you.

HERO OF THE WEEK: Aiden McGeady didn’t just start the latest Old Firm derby at Parkhead on Saturday, he ran the game from the center of the Celtic midfield, scored the third and final goal in his side’s emphatic 3-0 win and walked away with the man of the match award. Not bad for a player that Brian Kerr didn’t think was good enough to breathe life into Ireland’s ailing World Cup campaign as recently as last month.

IDIOTS OF THE WEEK: The Irish Rugby Football Union have said that Irish coach Eddie O’Sullivan is under absolutely no pressure whatsoever, and the fact that he has at least two years left on his contract probably backs up their argument, but anyone who thinks that the national team is making progress at the moment needs their head examined. They were demolished by New Zealand’s second string a fortnight ago and let a poor Australian side leave Lansdowne with a win last Saturday. What’s next for these underachievers, defeat to Romania at home on Saturday?