Nine stabbed during Medellin derby
Reuters - Monday 12 March 2012, 15:26
Nine people were
stabbed and hundreds arrested during fighting between rival fans
at the Medellin derby in Colombia, media reported on
Monday.
Police held more than 350 people and confiscated some 450
knives and a revolver as violence flared around the Atanasio
Girardot stadium where Independiente Medellin beat Atletico
Nacional 2-1 on Sunday, the local daily El Colombiano said.
They said a young man was shot dead in a separate incident
not related to the match, according to police.
City police chief Yesid Vazquez said that, as from midnight,
large numbers of the fans who had been arrested were being
released.
Medellin notched up their first win of the Apertura
championship under former Colombia coach Hernan Dario Gomez and
climbed off the bottom of the standings with six points from
seven matches. Nacional are seventh with nine points, seven off
the pace.
PERU
The Peruvian Football Federation (FPF) could welcome back
three-times champions San Martin into the league after they
withdrew in protest at the sorry state of many indebted clubs
and a strike by first division players.
"There is goodwill and the doors are open," FPF president
Manuel Burga told Fox Sports at the weekend of San Martin's
chances of being reinstated at a meeting with league body ADFP.
World body FIFA asked Burga to get Peru's house in order
after the first division championship kicked off in chaos two
weeks ago with clubs fielding junior teams while the senior
players held a strike over unpaid salaries.
San Martin, whose books are in good order, said the problem
with football in Peru was the large number of clubs, including
big guns Universitario and Alianza Lima, who were behind in
paying their players' 2011 wages.
They were unhappy with the fact that there appeared to be no
solution forthcoming from ADFP beyond refinancing those debts
over two years when its rules stated clubs must have a 12-month
pay plan in place to qualify to play in the championship.
BRAZIL
Brazil coach Mano Menezes said in an interview he would like
to see Santos's gifted striker Neymar gain European experience
before the 2014 World Cup finals.
Santos have fought to keep Neymar from the clutches of big
European clubs but the price, according to Menezes, was that the
20-year-old was too much in the public eye.
"Being there [in Europe], he wouldn't have the need to be so
exposed. Staying in Brazil demanded contracts that take up quite
a lot of his time. We see he is exposed," Menezes told O Globo.
Citing Argentina's Lionel Messi, who plays for Barcelona in
Spain, as an example, he said: "You don't see Messi's need for
as much exposure as Neymar. He scores five goals and the next
day he trains quietly, the number of commitments doesn't
increase."