Chantome: France will be without injured midfielder Clement Chantome when they travel to Spain on Tuesday for a World Cup qualifier, coach Didier Deschamps said. Des-champs told a news conference that Chantome had picked up a groin injury during France’s 1-0 home defeat by Japan in a friendly on Friday. The Paris St Germain player will not be replaced in the squad.

Complaint: Denmark are to complain to FIFA over alleged racist chants directed at defender Patrick Mtliga during their 2014 World Cup qualifier against Bulgaria in Sofia on Friday, the Danish FA (DBU) said. “We will not tolerate racist abuse at our players,” DBU spokesman Lars Berendt told Bulgarian state television BNT1 yesterday.

Hajduk: Cash-strapped Hajduk Split are facing bankruptcy after the Croatian First Division side’s majority owner refused to guarantee a four-million-euro ($5 million) loan, the club’s president warned. “I hope they are aware of what they have done. I’m shocked. There is no way out for Hajduk... we will go bankrupt,” Marin Brbic said after the vote at the City Council, the club’s majority owner.

Smeltz: Shane Smeltz moved into outright second as New Zealand’s highest scorer as the All Whites completed a comfortable 2-0 victory over Tahiti in their Oceania World Cup qualifying clash in Papeete yesterday. Smeltz stabbed the ball home in the first half to grab his 23rd international goal and move one ahead of Steve Sumner and five behind record holder Vaughan Coveny.

‘Bad’ girl: Christine Sinclair, captain of Canada’s bronze medal women’s football team at the London Olympics, was issued a four-game ban by FIFA for “displaying unsporting behaviour towards match officials.” Sinclair scored a hat-trick in a 4-3 Canada loss to arch-rivals USA in the Olympic semi-finals last August, then complained after the match about the performance of Norwegian referee Christian Pedersen.