Benfica captain Luisao has been handed a two-month suspension for attacking a referee during a pre-season friendly against Fortuna Duesseldorf. The player was also fined €2,550.
The suspension applies to domestic competition, but the FPF confirmed that FIFA will be made aware of the ban, and Portuguese media reports suggested it could therefore be extended worldwide.
On August 11, Luisao pushed referee Christian Fischer after a foul had been awarded against Benfica. Fischer fell to the ground and at one point ap-peared to have lost consciousness before standing back up and abandoning the game.
Toni hopeful
Luca Toni is hoping to show Fiorentina his move is one they will not regret, starting with to-day’s match against Catania.
Fiorentina created one of the surprises of the final day of transfer action by re-signing the towering centre-forward, who played with the Florence side from 2005-2007, from United Arab Emirates side Al-Nasr.
Now the 35-year-old is hoping to show fans he hasn’t lost his touch.
“I can’t wait to get back on the pitch so I can make the fans happy and help out the team. I’m glad to be back, I spent some wonderful years here,” said Toni.
Hamsik breaches Slovakia rules
Four Slovakia players, among whom Marek Hamsik of Napoli, have been punished for partying before their nation’s World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein.
Hamsik, along with Pescara’s Vladimir Weiss, Karim Guede, and Miroslav Stoch, breached their squad’s strict rules and went to a Bratislava disco last Saturday when they should have been resting a day after Slovakia’s 1-1 away draw with Lithuania.
Joint coaches Stanislav Griga and Michal Hipp punished them with a salary cut and the four will also have to play for free in the remaining qualifiers.
The night out did not leave Slovakia with red faces, however, as they beat Liechtenstein 2-0.
Juventus slash their financial losses
Juventus recorded losses of €48.7 million in the last financial year to June 2012.
A year after registering losses of €95.4m, at the end of the 2010/ 2011 season, it would appear the Serie A championship are on their way back up the financial ladder.
The improved news for director general Beppe Marotta comes despite the club not participating in last season’s Champions League.
Juve won their first league championship for nine years at the end of the 2012 season. They were stripped of the two titles won in 2005 and 2006 following their role in the ‘Calciopoli’ match-fixing scandal.
Tired Ibra on the mark for Paris SG
Paris SG warmed up for the opening of their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 win over Toulouse late Friday, the big-spending team’s first home victory of the season.
Javier Pastore and striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with his fifth of the season, were on target for PSG who moved into the top echelons with nine points.
“It was a difficult match, the first after the international break, so it was important to win,” said Ibrahimovic.
“I felt a little tired. I also played 90 minutes on Tuesday.
“For my goal, it was a fantastic pass from Menez – I just put the ball in the net.”
Redknapp ‘relief’
Harry Redknapp says that being overlooked for the England manager’s job came as something of a relief.
Redknapp, 65, appeared to be the people’s favourite to take over from Fabio Capello when the Italian resigned.
But in the end the English FA handed the job – considered by many in the game as something of a poisoned chalice – to Roy Hodgson, and Redknapp has now revealed he was “quite relieved”.
He said: “I was driving when I heard on the radio that Roy had got the job. It happened out of the blue. But I didn’t lose any sleep over it.
“I was happy at Tottenham and I was almost quite relieved in a way that I hadn’t been given a decision to make.”
Sports agency sues over Keane fee
A sports agency is demanding at least $385,000 from Major League Soccer and the Los Angeles Galaxy club for helping with last year’s signing of Ireland captain Robbie Keane, a lawsuit filed yesterday said.
The complaint in Manhattan federal court by Real Time International Ltd (RTI) said that without its knowledge “LA Galaxy and the MLS exploited information” provided by the agency “without compensation” to complete the deal.
Keane was signed by Galaxy from Tottenham in August 2011 for a $5.7 million transfer fee and MLS and Galaxy “improperly deprived RTI of a fee of at least $385,000,” the complaint said.