The Leeds United striker failed in an appeal hearing at York yesterday to have the sixth red card of his career overturned, and he will not return to the Premiership until 3 March.
The Football Association’s video advisory panel agreed with the referee Andy D’Urso’s decision in dismissing Smith for violent conduct during the FA Cup defeat at Cardiff 11 days ago. The four-match suspension was upheld, with the 21-year-old also incurring a further automatic one-match ban for picking up his fifth booking of the season in the 3-1 defeat at Newcastle on Saturday.Smith will miss Sunday’s match with Arsenal, as well as games against Chelsea, Liverpool, Middlesbrough and Charlton, although he will be eligible to play in the Uefa Cup ties with PSV Eindhoven on 21 and 28 February.By the time England play the Netherlands in a friendly on 13 February, Smith will have been an onlooker for a month. When he returns to league action, against Everton in early March, he will have only two months to force his way into the England reckoning.. Diego Forlan headed for England last night to join Manchester United in a £6.9m deal after Sir Alex Ferguson proved more persuasive than his former assistant, Steve McClaren, now the manager of Middlesbrough, in the race to sign the Uruguayan striker. The player’s agents were already in Manchester and have agreed terms on a four-and-a-half year contract worth around £6m in wages.The final offer came as a relief to Forlan, who wanted to sign for the champions and Premiership leaders rather than Boro.

Friends claim he was speaking with Ferguson by telephone while McClaren was still trying to clinch the player’s signature.The original £6m offer made by United’s chief executive, Peter Kenyon, for Forlan was rejected but Ferguson was determined to get his man and a new bid was made yesterday.The deal, revealed in The Independent three weeks ago, has taken many turns but United’s successful move has once again shown Old Trafford’s ability to attract the best players ahead of ambitious rivals. Ferguson also looks to have replaced Andy Cole, whom he sold to Blackburn Rovers, with a younger striker who has a formidable reputation in South America and is eligible for the Champions’ League.Rejection is a blow for Middlesbrough, whose chief executive, Keith Lamb, proposed a new method of payment in Buenos Aires as he pushed for completion of the deal. However, United’s intervention meant that Lamb had to fly back empty-handed on the same plane as Forlan.. York City fans have called for the club chairman, Douglas Craig, to be removed from the panel which, on Monday, is due to consider Wimbledon’s proposed move to Milton Keynes.

Craig, recommended by the Football League, will sit alongside Douglas Hollander QC and David Dein, Arsenal’s vice-chairman, whom Wimbledon recommended.Most Wimbledon fans oppose the move, arguing its motive is solely financial, while Charles Koppel, the Wimbledon chairman, says it is essential if the homeless club is to survive. The Football League refused Wimbledon permission, saying “franchised football” would be disastrous, but the club appealed to arbitration under the Football Association’s rules.Now Craig’s actions have led to calls that he be removed: “How can he sit in judgment on another club,” said Steve Beck of the official York City Supporters’ Club, “when he is dumping his own and selling the ground at a profit? And how can the FA entrust him with its rules when he has sidestepped them at York?”. Dave Jones’s return to the South Coast may have re-opened old sores last night as he was reminded of an unhappy departure from Southampton, but it ended sweetly for the Wolves manager with yet another Dean Sturridge goal hoisting them back into second place.Sturridge struck with just five minutes remaining for his ninth goal in 12 appearances since Leicester decided he would never score the numbers to keep them in the Premiership. And it silenced a home crowd that only six minutes before had rapturously acclaimed Robert Prosineski’s equaliser.
If that was Prosineski’s farewell gift to Fratton Park it will not be easily forgotten. Rumour has it ­ and Portsmouth is awash with rumour at the moment ­ that the Croatian international will soon be on his way out of his demoralised club as he seeks to protect his World Cup prospects with a move to more glamourous surroundings.When Prosinecki dummied two defenders to win enough space outside the penalty area before dispatching a glorious shot in off the far post, the Pompey faithful believed their luck was about to turn at last.With a run of seven defeats in their previous eight outings and their manager Graham Rix’s position attracting increasing scrutiny, Portsmouth needed a break and it came in a positive start and an 11th-minute goal. Nigel Quashie and Paul Butler met head on and out of their collision the ball spooned up to defeat Michael Oakes.Pompey needed to protect their advantage for longer than four minutes and thereby build confidence. Instead what should have been a routine take for Dave Beasant turned into another bizarre goal as he allowed Alex Rae’s free-kick to slip through his grasp.It was a calamity for the 42-year-old who had only returned to the side last week as Japan’s Yoshikatsu Kauaguchi was removed from the firing line to spare him further punishment.