Alfie Haaland will not be appearing at the Reebok Stadium to speak in defence of Manchester United captain Roy Keane.
Bizarrely, it had been suggested that Haaland would be called as one of Keane's chief witnesses as he attempts to stave off two Football Association disciplinary charges relating to comments made about the Norwegian in his recently-released autobiography.
A three-man panel, likely to be chaired by FA disciplinary committee chief Barry Bright, will hear evidence from both sides before reaching their verdict.
It is believed the case will be concluded on Tuesday but with prominent QCs acting for both sides, the possibility exists that it may over-run.
Even then, it might not be the end of the matter, with Keane having the fall-back of an appeal should the verdict go against him.
From the Telegraph
By Sam Wallace
Roy Keane will claim his words were not accurately represented in the passages about Alf-Inge Haaland included in the controversial autobiography that has landed him in trouble with the Football Association.
Lawyers acting for the player will compare transcripts of Keane's taped interviews with ghost-writer Eamon Dunphy to the text of the autobiography, which has become a bestseller since its release two months ago.
The book describes how Keane sought retribution against Haaland in April 2001 for a previous feud between the two players.