BOLTON // Owen Coyle has backed Fabrice Muamba to put behind him the furore surrounding the challenge that left Wigan Athletic's James McCarthy facing three months on the sidelines.
The Bolton Wanderers midfielder, 22, has found himself in the spotlight for an attempt to win the ball in a 1-1 draw at the DW Stadium last weekend. The effort certainly lacked timing, although many believe it was far from an egregious foul.
However, McCarthy sustained serious damage to an ankle ligament, and the Republic of Ireland prospect is unlikely to return until late in January. Roberto Martinez, the Wigan coach, called Muamba's tackle "a footballing crime".
It is unfortunate for Muamba that such an incident has come at a time when there has been considerable focus on ill-timed and reckless tackles in the Premier League.
Muamba's manager is convinced that his player has the mental strength to put the matter to one side when he lines up in today's home clash with Liverpool at the Reebok Stadium.
"Everybody knows the tackle wasn't malicious," Coyle said.
"Fabrice is a great kid. He's a very good player, and he'll be focused on doing his job for Bolton. It's as simple as that.
"Honestly, he is such a lovely kid, and he was genuinely disappointed and hurt by the fact young James was injured.
"I knew James as a young kid growing up in Glasgow, and he'll go on to have a glittering career. It's such a shame he is injured, but Fabrice went to win the ball, and unfortunately James has picked up an injury on the back of that.
"But that's the nature of the competition we play in. There are always going to be talking points, and obviously right now tackling and injuries are the main focus.
"You just have to deal with that the best you can."
Coyle's side go into the game riding high in eighth position in the Premier League table on the back of just one defeat from their opening nine matches.
In contrast, opponents Liverpool are in the relegation zone, two places and three points off the foot of the table.
Liverpool and under-pressure manager Roy Hodgson at least head into the game on the back of a win at home over Blackburn Rovers last Sunday, a result that ended a wretched run of five matches without a victory.
For Coyle, that potentially makes Liverpool a far more dangerous side today.
"Their tails will be up," he said. "They will certainly be boosted by last week's result, so I'm sure they will be positive, trying to win the game. We know how hard it will be because of the quality we face, but we will also be on the front foot.
"My boys are in terrific form, they're playing well, so I'll ask the same of my group, that we give our maximum. If we do that then I'm sure we can go and earn points from this game."
Coyle has confirmed that Ivan Klasnic, the striker, comes into consideration for the game with Liverpool.
Klasnic, who was suspended for the game at Wigan, is available despite currently being on bail following his arrest on suspicion of rape earlier this week.
* Press Association
8pm, Abu Dhabi Sports 3 & 5
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
RESULT
Argentina 0 Croatia 3
Croatia: Rebic (53'), Modric (80'), Rakitic (90' 1)
Schedule:
Pakistan v Sri Lanka:
28 Sep-2 Oct, 1st Test, Abu Dhabi
6-10 Oct, 2nd Test (day-night), Dubai
13 Oct, 1st ODI, Dubai
16 Oct, 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi
18 Oct, 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi
20 Oct, 4th ODI, Sharjah
23 Oct, 5th ODI, Sharjah
26 Oct, 1st T20I, Abu Dhabi
27 Oct, 2nd T20I, Abu Dhabi
29 Oct, 3rd T20I, Lahore
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
