FORMER Aberdeen and Dunfermline player Gary Dempsey has been suspended by Irish side St Patrick's Athletic – after betting on his own team to lose.
Dempsey, who quit Jimmy Calderwood's side in July last year, is set to face a heavy punishment after placing a £16 double on Galway United to beat his own club St Pat's on 20 October and Manchester City to beat Newcastle.
Galway defeated St Pat's
1-0 at Richmond Park, but Dempsey lost the bet as City drew. He was not playing in the match involved as he was rested. He instead watched from the stand. Dempsey has issued a statement defending his actions. He said: "I placed a 20 bet on my club to lose in a double on an occasion which I was not playing and in which I had no influence on the game. I have never before or since placed a bet on my team to lose a game.
"The bet was in fact unsuccessful as the other team involved drew.
I apologise if my actions have caused distress to my team-mates or my club."
Head of the Irish players' union, Stephen McGuinness added: "This whole incident is a storm in a teacup."
English red card for Aussie refsENGLAND'S rugby league coach Tony Smith has pleaded with World Cup organisers to appoint "anyone but" an Australian ref for Saturday's semi-final against New Zealand. The English have had Australian referees in all three group matches – a narrow win over Papua New Guinea and losses to Australia and New Zealand.
"We've had three Australian referees in this competition so far and I think we've probably struggled in each of them," said Australian-born Smith.
Presumably England have asked for a Russian linesman as well?
Ex-Fifa ref now cricket umpireFORMER Fifa referee Martin Bodenham will make history as a cricket umpire next season, becoming the first football official to take charge of first-class matches in the English cricket leagues.
Bodenham, who took charge of Premier League confrontations between Arsenal and Manchester United, is on the list of 25 professional umpires. "When I retired as a football referee 10 years ago I took up umpiring and continued to play 2nd XI league cricket," he said. "Cricket is and always has been my major sporting passion."
TALES FROM THE TABS
A CERTIFIED GERS FANA RANGERS supporter from Fife has laid claim to the world's longest name by producing his birth certificate which includes 29 former Ibrox players, and 198 letters.
Derek McQueen was named after the entire title-winning squad from the 1974/75 season, and the 33-year-old from Kelty was pictured in the Sun yesterday beaming next to his birth certificate.
For the record, his full name is Derek Parlane Stein Jackson Hunter McCloy Kennedy Scott Forsyth Henderson Boyd Robertson O'Hara Johnstone Miller Dawson Armour McDougall McLean McKean Fyfe McDonald Jardine Young Morris Denny Hamilton Watson Greig Wallace McQueen.
Meanwhile, Celtic have pulled the plug on a proposed deal for Croatian international midfielder Tomislav Dujmovic, according to the Daily Express.
It was reported that Celtic had settled on terms with the 27-year-old Amkar player six months ago on a pre-contract agreement, but have now cooled their interest and do not intend on taking the player from Russia.
