Hleb: Former Belarus captain Sergei Gurenko has accused team-mate Alexander Hleb of creating tension within the national side. Gurenko, who retired from international duty after helping Belarus to a 4-2 win over Slovenia in last month's Euro 2008 qualifier, also called the Arsenal midfielder arrogant and selfish. "For the Slovenia match for example, the whole team boarded a bus while the Hleb brothers (Alexander and Vyacheslav) were driven in a private car," the Lokomotiv Moscow defender said.
Firebomb: A Marseille fan admitted throwing a firebomb that injured a fireman during last weekend's Ligue 1 match between Nice and OM and faces 10 years in prison. Fabien Bouchira, 21, has been transferred to Nice and will remain in custody until his hearing by a Nice court. Bouchira threw a firebomb from the Marseille fans' stand and a 20-year-old fireman lost two fingers when he tried to pick it up to move it.
Stadium closed: Brazil's disciplinary tribunal has closed the stadium of third division club Bahia after a pitch invasion forced a match to be suspended last Saturday. Dozens of fans ran onto the pitch during the second half of the match at home to Ipatinga, where they attacked the home players and fought with riot police, who replied by firing tear gas. The match at the Fonte Nova stadium was abandoned in the 63rd minute with Ipatinga leading 2-0. The fans were apparently furious at Bahia's poor campaign in the eight-team final stage of the tournament.
Sports Lessons: Litex Lovech striker Ivelin Popov, already ordered by his club to get married to stop his wild ways, was forced to teach sports lessons at a local school after angering his team yet again by gesturing at fans. The Bulgarian U-21 player, known for his volatile temper as well as his talent, was fined $1,957 by the Bulgarian Football Union but his club decided he needed extra punishment and so sent him to the school.
Referee recruitment: The process of recruiting 27 Kenyan referees seeking to become FIFA-approved was riddled with bribery and corruption, the country's top refereeing official said yesterday. G.T.M. Ottieno a former FIFA referee, said referees wanting to appear in September on a list of candidates to be submitted by the Kenya Football Federation (KFF) to world soccer's ruling body had been asked to pay for their place.
In England: The Championship - Derby County vs Barnsley 2-1; Southampton vs Wolves 2-0.