IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Soccer

Espanyol face fine

MADRID: Espanyol could be fined 18,500 euros ($26,170) and six fans 65,000 euros each after flares were thrown at Saturday's Espanyol-Barcelona match, a spokesman for the sports ministry said on Wednesday.

Crowd trouble at the Primera Liga game forced the referee to halt it for almost 10 minutes and take the players off the pitch during the second half.

Home side Espanyol were 1-0 up when television pictures showed a flare being lobbed from the upper stands in the direction of the fans below.

Campbell abuse probed

LONDON: Verbal abuse directed at Portsmouth's former England defender Sol Campbell by fans of his former club Tottenham Hotspur are to be investigated by police.

A Hampshire police spokeswoman said on Wednesday a complaint had been received and would be "fully investigated" but added that it was at an early stage.

Campbell, who left Tottenham for local rivals Arsenal in 2001, has long been the target of Spurs fans when he plays against them but Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp said the chanting in Sunday's Premier League match at Fratton Park was "filthy".

FIFA warns Poland

BRUSSELS: The Polish government must reinstate the country's soccer association by Oct 6 or risk being suspended from World Cup qualifiers, world governing body FIFA said on Wednesday.

A FIFA spokesman confirmed that if Poland was in breach of statutes after the deadline, the World Cup qualifiers against the Czech Republic on Oct 11 and Slovakia on Oct 15 may not take place and their opponents could be awarded a 3-0 win.

The management board of the Polish FA (PZPN) was suspended on Monday by the country's arbitration tribunal at the request of Warsaw's sports minister Miroslaw Drzewiecki in an anti-corruption drive and replaced by an administrator.

Nfl

Ex-player arrested

NEW YORK: Former National Football League running back Travis Henry has been arrested following an alleged cocaine deal in Colorado, federal authorities said on Wednesday.

Henry, 29, and another man were arrested on Tuesday following a "multi-kilogram cocaine transaction" that allegedly occurred in the Denver suburb of Centennial, Colorado, the Drug Enforcement Administration said.

The suspects were being held pending the filing of federal drug charges in US District Court later on Wednesday in Denver.

A Pro Bowl running back in 2002, Henry played seven years in the NFL with Buffalo, Tennessee and Denver. He played in 12 games with the Broncos last season, rushing for 691 yards and four touchdowns.

(China Daily 10/03/2008 page12)