Fined: Premier League clubs Everton and Middlesbrough have been fined £8,000 each and warned about their players' future conduct after a brawl in a match in January, the FA said. The two clubs "were both severely reprimanded, warned as to their future conduct and fined £8,000 pounds," the FA said.
Tottenham: Tottenham Hotspur made a pre-tax profit of one million pounds in the last six months of 2004, the Premier League club said yesterday. The figure, boosted by a £2.2 million profit on disposal of players, compares to a pre-tax loss of three million pounds in the same period last year.
Puyol: Barcelona captain Carles Puyol will be sidelined for two to three weeks after spraining an ankle while playing for Spain in Wednesday's World Cup qualifier against Serbia & Montenegro. Puyol is set to miss Barca's top-of-the-table league clash with Real Madrid on April 10.
Van Nistelrooy: Netherlands striker Ruud van Nistelrooy breathed a sigh of relief after scoring his first goal on Wednesday following a long injury layoff. The Man. United forward netted the second goal in a 2-0 World Cup qualifier win over Armenia. "It was great to score again. I picked up a beautiful pass from van Bommel and scored," said van Nistelrooy. "It was my first goal since my injury and I gave me a great feeling."
World Cup: CONCACAF qualifiers - Panama vs Mexico 1-1; US vs Guatemala 2-0; Trinidad vs Costa Rica 0-0. Standings - Mexico 7; US 6; Guatemala, Costa Rica 4; Panama 2; Trinidad 1 (top three qualify).