The fix in fixture

Internacional's recent escape from second division soccer in the Brazilian championship was achieved with the full repertoire of tricks thanks to a 1-0 win over Palmeiras on the last day of the competition's first stage.

But the manner of their salvation left many seething with indignation. The kick-off was held up 10 minutes because their players came out of their dressing-room late. As a result the game finished after the night's other fixtures, giving Internacional the advantage of knowing the result they needed.

Coach Emerson Leao was also seen by millions of TV viewers throwing spare balls on to the field during their opponents' attacks. He was sent off, but then the ball boys began doing the same thing. In the last minute, with Palmeiras attacking, the floodlights failed. Two minutes of injury-time had been signalled, but when the lights came back on after 15 minutes, only some 20 seconds were played. By then, the ball boys had disappeared and Palmeiras defender Cleber had to climb into the moat around the pitch to fetch what was the only remaining ball.

Only hours before the game, a tribunal decided that Internacional should be awarded all three points from a 2-2 draw in an earlier game with Sao Paulo, who were ruled to have fielded an ineligible player, Sandro Hiroshi. Although Hiroshi played in more than a dozen games, only Internacional and one other club were awarded points from matches against his team.

And Ireland thought Turkey was a difficult away fixture.