FIFA company: A new company set up by FIFA to deal with suspect betting patterns will keep a watch on matches at the 2006 World Cup. The company, FIFA Early Warning System GmbH, was created in January 2006 in response to the Robert Hoyzer betting scandal that broke in Germany last year. It will work in partnership with companies which specialise in spotting potential game manipulation.
Early finish: A Bulgarian third division match was called off after only three minutes when one of the teams was reduced to six men. Struggling Chepinec arrived for their match at Pirin Blagoevgrad on Saturday with only seven players but one of them suffered an injury in the third minute and with no substitute available the referee was forced to blow the final whistle. At the time the score was 1-0 to Pirin and the result stood.
French Cup: Four-times French champions Lyon will host Marseille in the quarter-finals of the French Cup next month. Lyon lifted the trophy for the third and last time in 1973 after beating Marseille in the quarter-finals. Marseille have won the Cup a record 10 times, the last in 1989. Paris SG will entertain Lille in the only other all-Ligue 1 tie. Rennes will play second division Montpellier while fourth division Calais will meet Nantes again after losing to them in the 2000 final.
Benitez: Tottenham Hotspur have contacted the Premier League after Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez was quoted as saying on Saturday that their chairman Daniel Levy is "not professional". The clubs have been at loggerheads since Benitez told reporters that the London club are "desperate" to sell England striker Jermain Defoe, which Tottenham have denied. "We have contacted the Premier League and are discussing the matter," a Tottenham spokesman said.
Dinamo fans: Police in the Black Sea port of Constanta arrested 50 Dinamo Bucharest fans and fined 19 for violent behaviour before and during the match against Farul on Saturday. About 500 supporters of league leaders Dinamo clashed with police on the streets surrounding the ground before the game and were evacuated from the stands half an hour into the match as violence continued. Farul was also fined 1,500 euros for failing to provide safe conditions for the match to be played. Dinamo won 1-0.
Primera Liga: Celta Vigo vs Mallorca 2-0; Getafe vs R. Sociedad 2-1; R. Santander vs R. Zaragoza 0-0; Espanyol vs Alaves 0-0; Sevilla vs Valencia 1-0; R. Madrid vs Deportivo 4-0; Cadiz vs A. Madrid 1-1; A. Bilbao vs Osasuna 1-0; Malaga vs Barcelona 0-0; Villarreal vs Real Betis 1-2. Leading standings: Barcelona 68; Real Madrid 57; Osasuna 55; Valencia 53; Sevilla 51; Celta Vigo 48; Deportivo 46; Villarreal 45.
Ligue 1: Bordeaux vs Nice 1-0; Monaco vs Paris SG 1-1.
Snooker: European Team Championship final - Wales vs Scotland 10-6. Seniors' tournament - England vs Finland 8-1. China Open - M. Williams vs J. Higgins 9-8.
Volleyball: European Men's Champions League final - Sisley Treviso vs Iraklis Thessaloniki 3-1.