SOCCER SHORTS:DAVID Villa struck just after half-time to lift champions Barcelona to a laboured 1-0 home win over his former club Sporting Gijon in La Liga last night.
Barcelona, missing injured Argentina forward Lionel Messi, struggled to break down a well-organised Gijon side before Daniel Alves sent Villa clear in the 49th minute and the Spain striker finished clinically past goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar.
Andres Iniesta had a dominant Barcelonas best chance of the first half but Cuellar palmed his powerful low shot away for a corner.
The home side controlled possession without ever looking like extending their lead and survived a spell of late pressure to secure the win.
With four matches played, Barcelona have nine points, one behind arch-rivals Real Madrid, who beat Espanyol 3-0 on Tuesday.
Mexico ban Vela and Juárez
MEXICO’S Carlos Vela and Efrain Juárez have been banned for six months by their national federation for allegedly throwing a party at a team hotel following a friendly against Colombia earlier this month.
National team director Nestor de la Torre said that Arsenal forward Vela and Celtic midfielder Juárez violated four rules from the federation’s code of conduct after the 1-0 win in Monterrey. Eleven other players have been fined.
Zidane critical of book by doctor
ZINEDINE Zidane has hit out at the author of a book which suggests he and several other 1998 World Cup winners may have been involved in doping practices. Former France team doctor Jean-Pierre Paclet published Implosion last month, in which he alleged that “blood sample tests on several France players just before the 1998 World Cup revealed anomalies”.
Zidane said: “People like that are just looking to boost their book sales by adding some shocking content. It’s not new.” Paclet also said: “There is room for suspicion, given the clubs where some of the players are employed.”
Zidane spent between 1996-2001 with Juventus, who won three Serie A titles and one European Cup in the 1990s, when the club was also embroiled in a drugs scandal which led to a trial for Juve chief executive Antonio Giraudo and team doctor Riccardo Agricola.
At a trial in 2004 Italian prosecutors said that although the substances in question were legal, they were employed in such a way that they produced the same effects as performance-enhancing drugs.
Milito gets off the mark as Inter win
DIEGO Milito put a forgettable month behind him by grabbing his first goals of the season to send champions Inter Milan clear at the top of Serie A with a 4-0 romp over Bari last night.
Former Inter hero Zlatan Ibrahimovic also grabbed his first league goal for AC Milan before Sergio Floccari equalised to seal a 1-1 draw for hosts Lazio in the fourth round of matches.
Last season’s runners-up AS Roma have yet to gain three points after a 2-1 defeat at promoted high-fliers Brescia where goalkeeper Julio Sergio was forced to play on despite injury.
Inter have also been less than fluent in their early games with Argentinas Milito, the goalscoring architect of their treble triumph last term, especially struggling for form. However, the forward rediscovered his touch after 27 minutes when he nodded in Samuel Eto’o’s cross. Etoo then fired in two penalties after the break. Milito had the final say when he finished off a late counter-attack to crush Bari.
Bramble ‘strenuously denies’ rape claim
SUNDERLAND defender Titus Bramble “strenuously denies any wrongdoing” after being arrested on suspicion of rape, club chairman Niall Quinn said last night.
The defender was questioned at a Newcastle police station after he and his brother Tesfaye were held at a city centre hotel. Quinn said in a club statement: “This has been a very difficult day for everyone at the football club, no one more so than Titus, who categorically refutes the allegations that have been made against him.”
Quinn’s statement added: “He strenuously denies any wrongdoing and will be doing everything within his power to clear his name. I as chairman, and the club as a whole, totally support Titus in his efforts and we all hope for a swift conclusion to this matter.”
A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “Police received a report of a rape of a woman at a city centre hotel in Newcastle in the early hours.
“Two men, aged 29 and 30, have been arrested on suspicion of rape.”
Date change for Bohs-Rovers game
THE final league meeting of the season between Bohemians and Shamrock Rovers has been switched to Tuesday, October 5th, it was confirmed last night. The game, which is to be televised live by RTÉ 2, will kick off at 7.05pm, reports Emmet Malone.
Also brought forward to that evening because of the FAI Cup semi-finals are the games between Drogheda United and St Patrick’s Athletic as well as Sligo Rovers and Bray Wanderers.
Monaghan United, meanwhile, who take on Sligo Rovers in the League Cup final at the Showgrounds this Saturday evening, have had their league game away to Salthill Devon, which had been scheduled for this weekend, put back to Monday, October 11th.
