Middlesbrough: Boro' sign Pogatetz

Middlesbrough have completed the signing of Austrian international Emanuel Pogatetz. The highly-rated left back has signed a five-year deal and will officially become a Boro player on July 1. Boro have agreed a deal worth 1.8 million with German giants Bayer Leverkusen. Pogatetz came to Boro boss Steve McClaren's attention during last season's Uefa Cup campaign.

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New Middlesbrough signing Emanuel Pogatetz faces the prospect of six-month worldwide ban from football. The Austrian international, who penned a five-year deal with Boro earlier this week, has been handed a six-month ban by the Football Union of Russia (RFU). Boro agreed terms with his club Bayer Leverkusen, but Pogatetz actually finished the season on loan at Spartak Moscow.

During his last game at the weekend, Pogatetz was sent off after just 15 minutes for what has been described as an horrific challenge on Shinnik Yaroslavl's Jaroslav Haritonskiy - who was making his full debut. The tackle was a two-footed one on 20-year-old Haritonskiy's thigh and the challenge left him with two broken bones in his leg, including his ankle bone - while there was also two further dislocations. The tackle horrified Russian football and the RFU's disciplinary committee have ruled quickly on the matter and judged that Pogatetz should be banned for six months.

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