Sporting Digest: Football

NORWICH CITY have won the Professional Footballers' Association's fair play award for the club with the best disciplinary record in the Premier and Barclays Leagues.

MALTA won their first World Cup match since entering the tournament in 1974 when they beat Estonia 1-0 in a European Group One qualifier in Tallinn last night.

COVISOC, Italian football's financial watchdog, yesterday proposed that liquidation procedures should begin against Roma, who are reported to be pounds 30m in debt, for 'serious financial irregularities'. Brescia and Atalanta have had their grounds closed for one and two games respectively after fighting among fans last Sunday.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND SQUAD (v Albania, World Cup Group Three, Tirana, 26 May): Bonner (Celtic), A Kelly (Sheffield Utd); Irwin (Manchester Utd), Kernaghan (Middlesbrough), Moran (Blackburn), Phelan, Quinn (both Manchester City), Staunton, Houghton, McGrath (all Aston Villa), McGoldrick (Crystal Palace), Keane (Nottingham Forest), Whelan (Liverpool), Townsend, Cascarino (both Chelsea), Sheridan (Sheffield Wednesday), T Coyne, Aldridge (both Tranmere). Additional squad members for friendly v Hungary (Dublin, 29 May) and World Cup ties v Latvia (Riga, 9 June) and Lithuania (Vilnius, 16 June): O'Leary (Arsenal), D Kelly, Sheedy (both Newcastle), Morris (Middlesbrough), McLoughlin (Portsmouth), Byrne (Brighton), Babb (Coventry - selected for Hungary game only).