football

The workers picketing the Mbombela Stadium site outside Nelspruit include 500 dismissed last Monday, after appealing directly to President Thabo Mbeki to intervene when he visited the site. The Mbombela Stadium Joint Venture fired the workers for an unprotected strike in defiance of earlier agreements.

Despite apologies for the assault from the government, their withdrawal of troops from Dhaka campus and the promise of an official enquiry, unrest has spread and become a more general protest against the caretaker government and its long-running State of Emergency.

Born Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira, Sócrates captained Brazil at both the 1982 and 1986 World Cups.

With Zanetti leading the drive, Inter Milan funded sports, water and health projects in the Chiapas region of Mexico, where the Zapatistas operate.

Stephen Kelly wrote in the New Statesmen that Ferguson was born in Govan two years into the second world war.

Empty seats are appearing at Premiership games. So far this season attendances are down by 6%. There are a variety of reasons for this – high ticket prices, boring, predictable games, a lack of competition and a feeling that clubs don’t care about their fans.

The decline follows over a decade of growth.

"We don't want to but if necessary we will strike during the World Cup," Klaus-Dieter Hommel, the head of one of two unions representing German railway workers, was quoted as saying in the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper today.

Set up four years ago, it is one of 120 similar organisations attempting to bring football clubs under the control of fans. The trust is now the majority shareholder in Brentford FC and will make most decisions about the day-to-day running of the club.

The 37-year-old Lazio striker - who spent time in England with Sheffield Wednesday and West Ham - has now made the gesture three times during matches.

He was fined £7,000 but escaped a ban for his antics against AS Roma in January and raised his arm after being substituted against Livorno earlier in the month.

Di Canio made the gesture again last weekend against Juventus.