Wales may go further over Euro 2004 appeal

Wales Have refused to rule out taking their demand for Russia to be thrown out of Euro 2004 to independent arbitration.

Wales Have refused to rule out taking their demand for Russia to be thrown out of Euro 2004 to independent arbitration.

With the Wales coach Mark Hughes describing the Russians' case at their second appeal to Europe's governing body Uefa over Igor Titov's positive drugs test as "an absolute joke", the only way forward is to risk another £100,000 in legal costs and appeal to the European court of Sports Arbitration. Wales have already spent £125,000 on their first two appeals.

Hughes and the Football Association of Wales secretary- general, David Collins, went to Nyon to present the Welsh appeal, and were frustrated and angry when it was rejected for a second time.

A UEFA statement said: "The Appeals Body based its decision in particular on the failure by the Welsh FA to present evidence of any implication of the Football Union of Russia in the alleged doping infringement, the occurrence of which was not established.

"Furthermore, the Appeals Body mentioned that the relevant Uefa regulations do not provide for a provision under which a team may be punished in the event of one of its players being tested positive."

Titov tested positive after the first leg 0-0 draw in Moscow, and played in Russia's 1-0 second leg win in Cardiff. Wales argued that Titov was ineligible for that match and the result should be declared a 3-0 win to Wales.

Hughes adedd: "I haven't been involved in these appeals before and it was a real eye- opener. It was a very puzzling operation from start to finish ... This was an obvious case where they could have made a stand against drugs.We've made a stand and I think Uefa understood we had a very good case. In fact, at the end they basically said, 'we'd like to do more but we can't.' They said their hands were tied by the regulations, that they couldn't do more. I feel they could have.

"There was nothing more we could have done, especially in comparison to how the Russians presented their case which was laughable. Their representative actually got the time of their goal wrong - he said it was after Titov had been taken off. So that showed how well he had prepared for the hearing. Their attitude was an absolute joke."

Collins said no decision will be taken on whether to appeal to the Court for Arbitration in Sport until the full written submission of the decision is received.

Meanwhile, Keith Gillespie will remain at home when Northern Ireland return to action - but only because the manager Lawrie Sanchez wants to blood some fringe players.

Sanchez says his decision ahead of the friendly against Estonia on 31 March has nothing to do with the 29-year-old Leicester midfielder facing charges of sexual aggression following the club's training camp in La Manga.

Next to Michael Hughes, Gillespie is Northern Ireland's most experienced player, with 51 caps. Sanchez, however, has decided to give a number of untried players a chance against Estonia. He said he decided on this after the defeat by Norway on his debut last month. "I want to look at players who are not significant members of the squad," the former Wycombe manager said. "Keith is a significant member of the squad and as such he doesn't have anything to prove to me.

"It would be a waste of time taking people like him as subs because I know enough about them. It is the people that need to prove stuff that are going to be given chances in friendly matches."