Banned: The violence that has marred Argentine first division Gimnasia’s season worsened following an indefinite ban for a club director and a player who came to blows in the VIP box at the weekend’s La Plata derby. Sergio Boscariol and defender Lucas Manuel Leiva were the main offenders in a fight between directors and players at the end of the ‘clasico platense’ which bitter rivals Estudiantes won 3-0.

Valcke: Criminal proceedings have been opened against former FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke, the office of the attorney general of Switzerland has an-nounced. Frenchman Valcke was formally dismissed as FIFA secretary general in January and last month was banned from all football-related activity for 12 years and fined 100,000 Swiss francs (almost £71,000) by FIFA’s ethics committee.

Fox: American Tom Fox has resigned as chief executive of relegation-threatened Aston Villa with immediate effect, the Premier League club said in a statement yesterday. Fox was the right-hand man of the club’s US owner Randy Lerner, who put Villa up for sale last May but has yet to find a buyer.

Robben: Arjen Robben has pulled of the Netherlands’ friendly matches this month against France and England because of a thigh injury. The Dutch skipper sat out Bayern Munich’s come-from-behind Champions League win over Juventus on Wednesday because of the injury.

Flanagan: Liverpool defender Jon Flanagan is edging closer to a new contract after talks advanced with the club this week. The 23-year-old academy graduate’s current deal expires in the summer after he was given only a one-year extension following20 months out with a knee problem.

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