Clemente: Former Spain coach Javier Clemente was appointed coach of struggling Athletic Bilbao after the Primera Liga's bottom club had sacked Jose Luis Mendilibar on Monday. Mendilibar, who took over from Ernesto Valverde in June, became the first top-flight coach to lose his job this season which is 10 games old. After an opening day victory against Basque rivals Real Sociedad, Bilbao have sunk to the foot of the table with six points. It will be the 55-year-old Clemente's third spell at Bilbao, who he led to league titles in 1983 and 1984.
Belgium: Belgium have ruled out appointing a foreign coach as successor to Aime Anthuenis. Anthuenis was relieved of his duties last month after Belgium failed to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time since 1978. Denmark coach Morten Olsen, who lives in Belgium, was believed to be in the frame but an FA spokesman said the new coach "will be a Belgian".
Keeper Beaten: Universidad Catolica keeper Jose Maria Buljubasich finally had to pick the ball out of his net on Sunday after keeping 14 successive clean sheets in the Chilean championship. The Argentine's record ended in the 29th minute of the game at Everton when Renato Ramos converted a penalty for the hosts. Buljubasich had completed 22 hours 32 minutes of domestic football without conceding a goal. He was 38 short of the 1,390 minutes achieved by former Belgian international Dany Verlinden. Verlinden, playing for Club Bruges, kept a clean sheet for almost 16 matches between March and September 1990.
Romania: Romania will not take part in a four-nation soccer tournament in Iran because of the tense political situation there, the Romania Soccer Federation (FRF) said yesterday. The tournament also included Iran, Togo and Paraguay, who have all qualified for the 2006 World Cup finals, and was scheduled to start on Nov. 11.
Hoyzer: Robert Hoyzer, the referee at the centre of a match-fixing trial in Germany, told a court yesterday that his five co-defendants had played their part in the two million euro fraud. The 26-year-old recounted the rigging of games from May 2004 for alleged ringleader and obsessive gambler Ante Sapina, his contact with Sapina's two brothers and his efforts to bring on board fellow referee Dominik Marks.
Scots Profit: Scottish Premier League finances improved in the 2003/2004 season after clubs addressed their problems following a period of instability, according to a report published yesterday. Champions Rangers, with 57 million pounds of revenues, and league leaders Celtic, with revenues of 69 million pounds, continued to be the dominant forces in Scottish football. Losses overall in Scotland's top flight decreased by 28 million pounds to 25 million in the 2003/2004 season.
¤ Indy 500 winner and Indy Racing League champion Dan Wheldon could be heading for Formula One next year. Wheldon's contract with the Honda-powered Andretti Green Racing team expired yesterday and SpeedTV.com reported the Briton was set to become a Formula One test driver before landing a race seat in 2007. Wheldon's manager Julian Jakobi, who also represents McLaren's Juan Pablo Montoya, would not comment on the speculation when contacted by Reuters.
¤ Dutch driver Christijan Albers will race for Midland next year, the Formula One team announced yesterday. The 26-year-old, who made his grand prix debut with Minardi this season, will have his first test with the Toyota-powered team at the Jerez circuit in southern Spain on December 7.
English Soccer Result
Championship - Brighton vs Wolves 1-1; Burnley vs Millwall 2-1; Crewe vs Leeds 1-0; Norwich vs Cardiff 1-0; Plymouth vs Leicester 1-0 (abb: 45th); Preston vs Hull 3-0; Sheff. Utd vs Luton 4-0; Watford vs QPR 3-1; Reading vs Sheff. Wed 2-0.
League One - Hartlepool vs Gillingham 3-1.