By Cathal Dervan

BRIAN Kerr has described the loss of Roy Keane as a “major blow” after confirming the Manchester United captain and fellow midfielder Matt Holland will both miss Saturday’s World Cup opener against Cyprus at Lansdowne Road, and the visit to Switzerland four days later.

Kerr only learned of Keane’s rib injury hours after he named the initial 24 man squad for the double header last Wednesday. And any hopes that the Corkman could make either Irish match were dashed by his club.

To add insult to injury Kerr then lost striker David Connolly and midfielder Rory Delap on Tuesday with just 14 of his original 24 man squad in Dublin ahead of the game.

“It is a major blow to lose a player like Roy and then to lose Mattie as well,” said Kerr as he awaited the arrival of six players on club duty in England.

“Roy has a hairline fracture of two ribs and there is no way he is going to be able to play on it on Saturday. We have to accept that now.

“David and Rory are gone as well while Liam Miller has a problem with a calf muscle. If we lose any more it will be a blow but we will do what we always do in these situations, roll up our sleeves and get on with it.

“I have players in the squad itching to get a chance and that chance may come against Cyprus now.”

O Se to Miss All-Ireland

KERRY will definitely be without midfielder Dara O Se for the all-Ireland final after he broke his metatarsal bone, a la Beckham, in Sunday’s semi-final win over Derry. Seamus Moynihan, who missed the Derry game with an ankle injury, may be fit, however, for the September date with Mayo.

Kerry boss Jack O’Connor praised his team for their consistency as they overcame Derry. He said, “I felt this was our most consistent performance of the championship this season, even if we died a little bit in the last five minutes.

“That was probably down to the number of changes we made late on. However, we still produced 30 good second half minutes and the first 15 were impressive — 45 minutes of good football in an All-Ireland semi-final after losing one of your key players (Darragh O Se) is very satisfactory.

“Obviously losing Dara was a major blow, but we coped very well with that, with Eoin Brosnan settling in well at midfield and Mike Frank Russell doing well up front.

“In our defense I thought that Tom O’Sullivan had a great game on Paddy Bradley and Michael McCarthy did an excellent marking job on Enda Muldoon who is a very tricky customer. I thought that Diarmuid Murphy was very confident and assured under a number of high balls which Derry pumped in in the second half.”

FAI Fans

THE Football Association of Ireland (FAI) launched a new logo in Dublin last week and unveiled their plans for IrelandFANS, a new initiative for Irish soccer supporters at home and abroad.

Chief executive Fran Rooney is anxious to get as many American based fans on board as possible, and further details are available at the revamped www.fai.ie website.

“This is an opportunity to stay up to date and in touch with the game at all levels and to become a member of the family of Irish fans spread across the globe,” said Rooney at the official launch.

“Millions of the Irish people abroad — and the many more claiming Irish descent — want to follow the fortunes of their national team. They may not be in a position to attend Ireland matches but this makes them no less a supporter of the team.

“IrelandFANS therefore provides a vehicle for supporters to be part of the team they love as well as receiving a wide range of benefits of membership.”

Membership costs EUR 30 for adults and EUR 20 for under 16s.

Maughan Critical Of Croke Park

MAYO boss John Maughan has added his voice to the criticism of the Croke Park playing surface as he looks ahead to an All-Ireland final date with Kerry.

Heavy rain turned the headquarters pitch into a lottery for the players as Mayo beat Fermanagh in Saturday’s semifinal replay.

And the Mayo boss said, “It was very frustrating. It’s bad enough having to struggle to keep you feet without having the ball skid off the surface when you try to bounce it.

“There’s a plastic-like fiber in the grass which obviously makes it very slippery, even on a dry day. Something will have to be done to rectify it.”

Soccer Shorts

WAYNE Rooney completed his deadline day move to Manchester United on Tuesday night, with Everton to receive an initial $30 million and the deal worth anything up to another $10 million to the Goodison Park club . . .

THE draw for the quarterfinals of the FAI Cup is — Derry City vs.

Kildare County; Longford Town vs. Athlone Town; UCD v Drogheda United; Waterford United vs. Rockmount . . .

SHELBOURNE will play the home leg of their UEFA Cup first round tie with Lille at Lansdowne Road on September 16 . . .

CELTIC manager Martin O’Neill was locked in talks with Blackburn striker Dwight Yorke as the transfer deadline loomed on Tuesday night . . .

BOHS will maintain their full-time set-up according to new boss Gareth Farrelly, the former Irish midfielder. He revealed, “What Shelbourne have done in Europe this season has been tremendous. They have provided us all with a desire to get as far as they did. And if we want to be successful then we have to be full-time. I discussed the situation with the board and they confirmed that they will still pursue that policy next season.” . . .

SHELBOURNE will continue their European odyssey the week after next when they meet Lille of France in the UEFA Cup first round. Manager Pat Fenlon claimed, “I reckon Lille will be a tougher proposition than Hajduk Split but they are not as good as Deportivo La Coruna. Cork City did very well against Nantes in the Intertoto Cup last month before going out on aggregate so I think the tie is winnable. We’ll be positive.” . . .

LONGFORD Town’s season took a turn for the better with a 2-1 victory over Bohemians in the League Cup final at Flancare Park on Monday night. Manager Alan Matthews was delighted with the result. He said, “It was our best performance of the season so far. We worked very hard and got what we deserved.” . . .

IAN Harte scored a cracking 35 yard free-kick for his new club Levante as they drew 1-1 with Real Sociedad on his La Liga debut on Sunday . . .

DUBLIN City have signed veteran striker Efan Ekoku who will join former England international Carlton Palmer at the struggling club . . .

STEPHEN Henderson has been appointed as the new manager of Cobh Ramblers . . .

SWISS midfielder Hakan Yakan, set to face Ireland in Basel next Wednesday, has turned down a move to Rangers after failing to agree terms with the Glasgow side.

Sports Shorts

REPORTS in the Irish papers on Tuesday suggested that Eddie Jordan is about to sell his Formula One team for a whopping $80 million to a Dubai based consortium . . . 

CORK hurling forward Jonathon O’Callaghan has been ruled out of the All-Ireland against Kilkenny after breaking a cheek bone in training but half-back John Gardiner will be fit to face the champions . . .

EAMONN O’Brien is the latest candidate to withdraw his name from the election race for a new Meath manager, with Sean Boylan now opposed by Eamonn Barry and a joint pairing of Mattie Kerrigan and Paul Kenny . . .

THE Nissan Irish Open will be held earlier than normal next year, with a new date from May 19-22 at Carton House just outside Maynooth.