Football: Wright faces charge: FA awaits linesman's decision

IAN WRIGHT, the Arsenal and England striker, faces disciplinary action by the Football Association after allegations that he verbally abused a linesman who has deformed arms.

Richard Saunders, who was running the line in a Coca-Cola Cup tie at Highbury last month, has reported Wright to Lancaster Gate. The FA passed Saunders' allegations on to the match referee, Allan Gunn. 'He reported back that he had noted the incident and confirmed that Ian Wright had apologised on three occasions for those remarks,' the FA spokesman, David Bloomfield, said. The FA will now contact Saunders before deciding whether to charge Wright.

Simon Stainrod, who ceded control of Dundee's team affairs to Jim Duffy earlier this season, has left Dens Park. Stoke have recruited Asa Hartford, Blackburn's reserve-team coach, as No 2 to Joe Jordan.

Freezing conditions are threatening fixtures - Gillingham's FA Cup tie against Yeading is off. Carrow Road is blanketed in snow but Norwich 'don't envisage any problems' for tomorrow's Uefa Cup tie. Internazionale are likely to be without Toto Schillaci, who injured his ankle in Sunday's defeat to Genoa. Osvaldo Bagnoli, Inter's coach, admitted his Schillaci-Bergkamp-Sosa strike force had failed to click. 'Until you eat in a new restaurant, you don't know how good the cook is,' Bagnoli said of his attempts to find a balanced attack.