Sporting Digest: Football

Vasile Boudi, the ex-manager of Romanian side FC Olimpia, was yesterday arrested in connection with a missing $100,000 which he is accused of embezzling from his former club and other unnamed sources. Boudi was dismissed by Olimpia in October after he was unable to satisfactorily explain an expenses claim of around $50,000 to his board. The developments are the latest in a long line of financial scandals to have beseiged Romanian football since the collapse of communism in 1989.

Liverpool's FA Cup third-round tie at Port Vale will be screened live on ITV at 2pm on Sunday 3 January. Sky will show the all-Premiership tie between Manchester United and Middlesbrough at 4pm on Sunday, and Preston's home tie with Arsenal at 8pm on Monday evening.

The Argentininan forward Ariel Ortega was suspended by his club Sampdoria yesterday following a drink-driving charge by police. Ortega's compatriot and team-mate Gaston Cordoba and Brazilian Cate were also suspended by the club.

A friendly international between Nigeria and Egypt originally scheduled to be played today has been called off by Nigerian officials after their Egyptian counterparts attempted to reschedule the game at the last minute for the second time in sucession.