Roma Fined: Roma were fined 25,000 euros by the Italian Football League yesterday after a referee was hit by a coin thrown from the stands during the city derby against Lazio on Sunday. The incident happened when Lazio won a free-kick close to Roma's area in the 74th minute. As referee Gianluca Paparesta positioned the ball he came under a hail of plastic bottles and coins, one of which hit him on the side of the face. He suffered only a minor cut and the match resumed.
Professional referees: FIFA is setting up a working group to consider introducing professional referees. The Referees Committee of world soccer's governing body discussed the issue at a meeting in Zurich yesterday and said a working group would draw up "appropriate proposals". FIFA president Sepp Blatter has repeatedly called for referees to be paid salaries, saying the move would help stamp out corruption.
Beckham: David Beckham's red card near the end of Real Madrid's 2-1 defeat by Valencia on Sunday was overturned by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) yesterday. The decision means the England captain will be able to play in Real's league match at Deportivo La Coruna today. Meanwhile, Zinedine Zidane is out of the match after complaining of groin pain.
Saha: Louis Saha's hopes of making a comeback from injury in Manchester United's League Cup third-round tie against Barnet today have been put on hold after he sustained a hamstring problem. French striker Saha has been plagued by injuries since joining United from Fulham for 12.8 million pounds ($22.61 million) in January 2004. The 27-year-old has not played this season after undergoing a knee operation.
Shearer: Newcastle United skipper Alan Shearer may need hernia surgery but the timing of the operation is as yet undecided. The 35-year-old former England captain, who will retire from playing next summer, is trying to delay any operation at least until the break for internationals in the middle of next month. "For the last couple of weeks Alan has been feeling his hernia but no one knows how long he might last," Souness said.
German Cup: Second round - Nuremberg vs Dynamo Dresden 3-0; A. Aachen vs Hanover 1-2; E. Frankfurt vs Schalke 04 6-0; St Pauli vs Bochum 4-0; Rot-Weiss Erfurt vs Kaiserslautern 2-4; Freiburg vs E. Braunschweig 4-1; Werder Bremen vs Wolfsburg 1-1 (aet; Werder win 5-4 on pens); Unterhaching vs Saarbrucken 2-1 (aet).
Scottish Premier: Aberdeen vs Dundee United 2-0.