Gold Cup: Guadeloupe, competing in their first Gold Cup, reached the semi-finals of the competition after upsetting Honduras with a 2-1 victory on Sunday. Guadeloupe will meet Mexico in the last four on Thursday with the chance to play either hosts United States or Canada in the final. Mexico beat Costa Rica, who had three men sent off, in their tie earlier on Sunday. Both semi-finals will be played in Chicago on Thursday with the final being held on Sunday.
Bilbao coach quits: Athletic Bilbao coach Jose Manuel Esnal has decided to step down a day after steering the Basque club to survival in the top flight. The 57-year-old, who is known simply as "Mane" in Spain, said he had made the decision to clear the way for the club's presidential elections in July. Athletic have never been out of the top flight.
Transfer scandal: The owner of Marseille yesterday denied misusing club funds in a fraud scandal during the late 1990s as he sought to clear his name on appeal. Robert-Louis Dreyfus, who holds a majority stake in the club, received a suspended three-year prison sentence last year after being found guilty of involvement in the scandal linked to player transfers in the late 1990s. Former coach Rolland Courbis was sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to serve an additional year from a previous suspended sentence, and both men were fined 375,000 euros each.
Rebel player: Japan's JEF United Chiba have ordered rebel defender Ilian Stoyanov to stay at home after a stinging public attack on manager Amar Osim. The J-League club confirmed yesterday that it had told Stoyanov to stay in his house as punishment for last week's outburst. While the punishment carries no legal weight, Stoyanov could risk further sanctions should he break Chiba's curfew.
Barcelona: This summer Barcelona will travel to South Africa for a meeting with Nelson Mandela and a friendly with South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns. The match will be played at the Pretoria's Loftus Versfeld, one of the 10 venues for the 2010 World Cup finals.
Arveladze: AZ Alkmaar striker Shota Arveladze has been voted Georgia's Player of the Year in a nationwide media poll for the third time in his playing career. The 34-year-old, who also won in 1994 and 1998, beat last year's winner Milan defender Kakha Kaladze and Schalke 04 midfielder Levan Kobiashvili, who triumphed in 2005.
Brazil scuffle: Police came onto the pitch and scuffled with the players and coach of America-Natal after a controversial sending-off in their Brazilian championship match at Sport Recife on Sunday. Television pictures showed America coach Lori Sandri being escorted off the field by several heavily armed riot policemen while the goalkeeper, Rene, was in an angry confrontation with officials. Brazilian media said that Sandri was handcuffed at one stage as he was led away. The match turned ugly in the 34th minute when America midfielder Souza was sent off for elbowing.