Blow for Nigel Worthington as Everton defender Shane Duffy deserts Northern Ireland in foster of Republic

Promising Everton defender Shane Duffy has rocked Northern Ireland by deciding to change his allegiance, the Irish Football Association have confirmed.

The 18-year-old Londonderry-born player has informed manager Nigel Worthington he wants to play for the Republic of Ireland instead.

Duffy has withdrawn from the squad to face Albania in a friendly in Tirana on March 3 after being named in the party today.

Absent: Captain Aaron Hughes (right) is not named in the squad

He looked set to win his first cap in the absence of captain Aaron Hughes and his defensive team-mate Chris Baird.

However, Duffy, who has made two appearances for Everton in the Europa League this season, sees his future with the Republic like Manchester United"s Darron Gibson.

Northern Ireland squad to face Albania in Tirana on March 3

Taylor (Birmingham), Tuffey (Partick), CarsonSunderland); McAuley(Ipswich), Evans (Man Utd), Craigan (Motherwell), McCartney(Sunderland), McGivern (Man City), McGinn (Celtic), McCann (Scunthorpe), O"Connor (Scunthorpe), Davis (Rangers), Brunt (WestBrom), Shiels (Doncaster), Johnson (Plymouth), Clingan (Coventry);Healy (Sunderland), Feeney (Cardiff), Lafferty (Rangers), Little(Rangers), Kirk (Dunfermline), Patterson (Coleraine).

Worthington is believed to be disappointed at Duffy"s change of heart.He has come through the system with the province and was captain of theUnder 19s before graduating to the Under 21s.

Duffy was one of three uncapped players called up along with Coleraine striker Rory Patterson and Sunderland goalkeeper Trevor Carson.

Patterson, who is joining Glentoran next season after signing a pre-contract agreement, has scored 31 goals this term.

Carson is one of three goalkeepers in the party and joins veteran Maik Taylor and Jonny Tuffey.

Worthington has named Jonny Evans even though Manchester United are playing Aston Villa in the Carling Cup final on Sunday at Wembley.

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Incompetent! Arsenal trainer Arsene Wenger launches startling conflict on Champions League arbitrate Martin Hansson

Rant: Arsene Wenger questions arbitrate Martin Hansson"s decision

Arsene Wenger has indicted Swedish arbitrate Martin Hansson of being ;incompetent after the central authorised Porto to measure a discerning free-kick in Wednesdays 2-1 Champions League win over Arsenal.

The Gunners physical education instructor criticised the referees technical ability, rather than his judgement, adding that he hoped Hansson was amateurish rather than dishonest.

Hansson, 38, was the same central who unsuccessful to mark Thierry Henrys obvious sport in Frances World Cup play-off opposite Ireland and additionally perceived genocide threats after awarding Liverpool a 95th notation chastisement opposite Atletico Madrid in 2008.

Wenger said: ;I hold that he is insufficiency or dishonest. I cite that he is incompetent.

;Usually I certitude the referee. I never have bad intention. But when I spoke with referees I wish to assimilate because he done so most technical mistakes. That assesses his competence.

;The order is utterly clear. I don"t wish to get as well most in technical sum but he done at slightest five technical mistakes for a referee.

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Stephen Hester lines up 1.6m RBS bonus

Iain Dey and Dominic OConnell & , : {}

STEPHEN HESTER, arch senior manager of Royal Bank of Scotland, is in line to pick up a reward of up to 1.6m notwithstanding the bank posting waste of multiform billion pounds.

Talks over the fender payout are approaching to reach a end inside of days and could be voiced to one side the banks formula after this week.

Although the 49-year-old has nonetheless to have a last preference on possibly to accept the compensate deal, it is accepted that the conditions in his stipulate would assent a large payout.

The understanding comes among stability debate over bonuses at taxpayer-backed banks. RBS, 84%-owned by the state interjection to outrageous injections of supervision funds, will endorse this week that it is to compensate out 1.32 billion in bonuses to the investment bankers.

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Lloyds Banking Group is approaching to endowment 200m to the staff and is on a incident march with investors over a reward for Eric Daniels, the arch executive.

The payments come opposite a sheer monetary backdrop at the dual banks. Lloyds and RBS are approaching to post total waste of about twelve billion this week, following huge charges for bad debts.

Northern Rock, meanwhile, is approaching to compensate out some-more than 11m in bonuses to the bend staff and call-centre workers, with normal payments of about 2,500. Gary Hoffman, the 700,000-a-year arch executive, is not approaching to embrace a bonus.

Pressure for Hester to give up his reward mounted last week after John Varley, arch senior manager of Barclays, and Bob Diamond, the banks president, incited down their payouts, but Diamond perceived 22m last year after the sale of the banks account supervision business.

HSBCs arrangement cabinet is underneath vigour from shareholders to hurl behind plans to palm income rises of close to 40% to the arch executive, Michael Geoghegan, and the financial director, Douglas Flint. The new understanding would take Geoghegans 1.1m-a-year package to about 1.4m still extremely reduce than majority of his general peers.

It is misleading if possibly landowner will accept the new offer, even if the bank can convince shareholders to concede the payments. Stephen Green, authority of HSBC, has been one of the majority outspoken critics of bad compensate practices in banking.

Hesters package is related to targets formed on RBSs restructuring, rather than simply the profitability. If he can get the bank behind on the feet and free of taxpayer support, it will be one of the greatest turnrounds the corporate universe has seen.

The supervision had to convince Hester to take the job, luring him afar from his prior purpose as arch senior manager of British Land, the skill giant. He concluded to reinstate Sir Fred Goodwin on condition that he would be paid a blurb rate and left to run RBS free from domestic interference.

The 5 billion loss that it will inform this year compares with a twenty-four billion loss last year.

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Toyota drivers contend cars still inadequate after fix

Alexandra Frean, US Business Correspondent & , : {}

At slightest ten Toyota drivers have complained to US reserve regulators that they have experienced unintended increase in speed of their cars after they have presumably been mended by the company.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reliable that it was seeking in to ten such reports, adding that it would shade incoming complaints for some-more issues of this nature.

The complaints lift questions about either Toyota"s repairs will move an finish to the cases of rash increase in speed or if there might be electronic causes at the back of the complaints that have stubborn the carmaker.

David Strickland, NHTSAs reserve administrator, pronounced that the group had already proposed contacting consumers about these complaints to get to the bottom of the censure and to have certain Toyota is you do all probable to have the vehicles safe.

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If Toyota owners are still experiencing remarkable increase in speed incidents after receiving their cars to the dealership, we wish to know about it."

A mouthpiece for Toyota pronounced it was wakeful of the reports, but combined that the association had not itself perceived any such complaints approach from consumers.

We would similar to to inspect these complaints and inspect the vehicles and repairs and speak to the consumers. We have asked NHTSA to yield us with the report we need to hit the consumers about any post-repair concerns they might have, she said.

But she emphasised that Toyota remained assured that the resolution that the engineers had grown to correct or repair accelerators the insertion of a slim square of steel to the accelerator to discharge the attrition blamed for the pedal problems was suitable and safe.

The new complaints have lifted concerns between a little US lawmakers, who have hold 3 hearings on the recalls in the past week and are questioning Toyota"s reserve problems.

Bruce Braley, who serves on one of the committees questioning Toyota, told the Associated Press: I am deeply endangered that NHTSA has perceived this most reports of probable remarkable amazing increase in speed even after these vehicles have perceived Toyota"s endorsed fix. It"s vicious that we get to the bottom of this censure as fast as possible.

Stewart Stogel of Mount Vernon, New York, who owns a 2009 Camry, pronounced that he narrowly longed for pushing over an dike and attack a wall when the tavern car took off on the own last Saturday - five days after his car was serviced as square of Toyotas stop of 6 million vehicles in the US.

Mr Stogel, 49, a freelance journalist, who has not filed a censure with NHTSA, pronounced the situation occurred nearby his home after a dealership embellished the accelerator pedal and commissioned new stop carry out program as square of the building pad recall. He pronounced that he had experienced unintended increase in speed in the car twice prior to the stop fix, and both times he took it to dealerships to be checked. In one box it was legalised by a Toyota corporate technician who could find zero wrong.

Carolyn Kimbrell, 59, a late bureau partner in Whitesville, Kentucky, pronounced her 2006 Toyota Avalon took off last week end as she was returning with her nine-year-old granddaughter from a outing to a mall. The situation occurred a week after her play extrinsic a steel square in to the accelerator pedal resource on Febrary twenty to discharge the attrition blamed for the pedal problems.

The play pronounced her car wasn"t lonesome by the building pad recall, but concluded to do that repair after she reported the ultimate incident, she said. But she stays capricious as to either the company"s remedies will compromise the problem. It only scares you, Ms Kimbrell told the AP.