Sporting briefs...

Bayern Munich win: Ottmar Hitzfeld marked the home debut of his second spell in charge of faltering Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich with a comfortable 1-0 win over Arminia Bielefeld yesterday. Bayern, who remain in fourth on 37 points, 11 behind leaders Schalke 04, took the lead through Roy Makaay in the eighth minute after Bielefeld defender Heiko Westermann failed to clear Lucio's long ball. The Dutch striker stole in, rounded goalkeeper Mathias Hain and sidefooted the ball into the empty net. Nuremberg, who beat Bayern 3-0 in Hitzfeld's first match back, scored two late goals through Ivan Saenko to beat VfL Bochum 2-0 in yesterday's other match.

Bielefeld coach quits: Arminia Bielefeld coach Thomas von Heesen, who was due to step down at the end of the season to make way for his number two Frank Geideck, said yesterday he was leaving the club early. "I agreed with the club before (yesterday's 1-0 loss at Bayern Munich) that my contract would end tomorrow," von Heesen said at a televised news conference. German media reports have linked von Heesen to jobs at a number of other clubs, including Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Moenchengladbach and Hamburg SV.

Fan violence: A group of 800 soccer fans attacked police after a regional cup match in eastern Germany on Saturday, causing dozens of injuries, police said. Hooligans from Lok Leipzig hurled cobblestones and concrete blocks, injuring 32 officers and six members of the public after a Saxony state cup match between the club and Erzgebirge Aue II. Five people were taken into custody and officers were examining video footage to try to identify more of the perpetrators, the statement said. The cost of the damage was estimated at 12,000 euros, not including 21 police vehicles attacked in what was the latest outbreak of violence involving lower league clubs in Germany.

Boyd hits hat-trick: Striker Kris Boyd netted a hat-trick, including two penalties, as second-placed Rangers crushed Kilmarnock 3-1 away yesterday. Kilmarnock's Peter Leven had a 56th-minute penalty brilliantly pushed away by keeper Allan McGregor. Steve Naismith bundled a close range header over the line 17 minutes from time for Kilmarnock's consolation. Celtic top the standings with 68 points from 27 games following Saturday's 1-0 home win over Hibernian. Rangers have 49 from 27 while Aberdeen are third on 45 from 26.

Leeds 'TRAITOR': Manager Dennis Wise said a Leeds United player who gave opponents Crystal Palace his team line-up hours before Saturday's second division match at Elland Road would never play for the Yorkshire club again. "It was a fantastic result for us but unfortunately I'm very disappointed," former England midfielder Wise told a post-match news conference after the bottom club's 2-1 win over Palace. "One player gave my team to the opposition at my football club and I found that out. It disappoints me immensely and he won't be playing for this football club again."

Tennis: Russian Nadia Petrova ended Lucie Safarova's brilliant run at the Paris Open when she outfoxed the Czech 4-6 6-1 6-4 in yesterday's final. The world number seven fought back from one set down to claim her seventh WTA title in one hour and 48 minutes.