Banned: Over a hundred fans of Spanish league sides Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano have been handed a two-year stadium ban following violent clashes, the Spanish interior ministry said yesterday. The incidents took place on the fringes of the Madrid-based sides’ Primera Liga encounter on December 4. In total, 131 fans were handed a two-year ban with some also fined.

Halilhodzic: Algeria coach Vahid Halilhodzic said he was satisfied with the 15-match ban given to Cameroon skipper Samuel Eto’o after a players strike caused the cancellation of a friendly between the two countries. “I am satisfied by the decision of the Cameroon federation. What happened was really scandalous on the part of a great African football nation,” Halilhodzic said.

Herzog: Former Austria striker Andreas Herzog has been appointed assistant to United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann. “I’ve been a friend of Klinsmann’s for a long time and so I’m delighted to have been given this new opportunity,” said Herzog, whose 103 caps for Austria is a national record. Herzog had been part of the senior Austrian team’s coaching staff until taking over as coach of the under-21s in 2009, a position he has now relinquished.

Morocco: Morocco will become the first African country to host the annual Club World Cup of continental winners. The north African country will host the 2013 and 2014 editions of the tournament, FIFA said after a meeting in Tokyo of the world footballing body’s executive committee.

IGC member: Former UK Attorney General Lord Goldsmith has been confirmed as a member of FIFA’s new Independent Gover-nance Committee (IGC). Lord Goldsmith was listed by FIFA yesterday as part of the committee mandated to propose reforms to the game’s world governing body.

Hearts: The Hearts first-team squad and PFA Scotland have submitted a formal complaint to the Scottish Premier League over unpaid wages at the club after the players’ December salaries failed to arrive on schedule. The Hearts squad on Friday experienced a delay in the delivery of their wages for the third successive month and, after instructing players’ union PFA Scotland to act for them, they have taken their fight to the authorities.

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