International Roundup

Crowd violence mars Bosnian league restart

SARAJEVO (Reuters) -- Crowd violence sparked by visiting Sarajevo fans forced officials to abandon a premier league match against Posusje after the Bosnian premier league resumed at the weekend.

Sunday's incident is the latest in a series of violent outbursts by fans that prompted the Football Association to ban two teams from using their stadiums last autumn.

Sarajevo went ahead early in the match but, after Posusje scored their second goal four minutes into the second half, about 300 visiting fans, unhappy with their team's performance, rioted and threw plastic seats, bottles and other objects on to the pitch.

The home fans then invaded the pitch and the two groups threw objects at each other although police managed to keep them apart.

Police eventually cordoned off the Sarajevo fans and escorted them out of the town after several hours. No serious injuries were reported.

The Bosnian Football Association's competition commission decided on Monday to register the match 3-0 in favor of Posusje. It also forwarded the case to the disciplinary commission, which should make a ruling before the weekend.

Sarajevo, who won the Cup last year but desperately want a first post-war league title, drop to third on 38 points, seven points behind leaders Leotar Trebinje and three behind city rivals Zeljeznicar.

Surprise leaders

Surprise league leaders Leotar, one of six clubs from the Serb half who are in their first season ever in a top flight, needed two second-half goals to avoid a slip-up at home against relegation-doomed Bosna Visoko.

The visitors went ahead early in the game through Samir Cekic and Leotar struggled before Ninoslav Milenkovic struck twice from free kicks in the second half to keep his team at the top of standings on 45 points.

Defending champions Zeljeznicar moved to second on 41 after a 6-1 home rout of Zovko Zepce. Zeljeznicar struggled in the first half and had an early Senad Zeric opener from the penalty spot cancelled by Samir Salahovic just before the break.

Winter reinforcement Alen Bajkusa opened the floodgates with the first of his two goals just after the restart and Sanel Jahic, Haris Alilhodzic and Jure Guvo all added a goal apiece.

The premier league, launched in August, includes for the first time since the 1992-5 war six clubs from the Serb half of the country, which joined 14 from the Muslim-Croat region, including Sarajevo and Posusje.

Romario joins Qatar club in short-term deal

DOHA (Reuters) -- Brazil's World Cup winning striker Romario has signed a three-month contract with Al Sadd of the Qatari first division, according to a club spokesman.

The contract is worth $1.2 million, spokesman Mohammed Ghanem said.

"We wish all Qatari clubs bought big players like Romario for the benefit of the league," Ghanem added.

The 37-year-old 1994 World Cup star, currently with Fluminense, is due to arrive in Doha this week.

He is set to play for Al Sadd in the Qatari League and the quarter-finals of the Asian Football Confederation's (AFC) Champions League to be held in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, from March 9 to 15.

Romario, a former Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven player, is under contract with Brazil's Fluminense until December, but a top club official was quoted in Qatari press as saying that they would not block Romario's departure.

Reports from Rio de Janeiro last week said that Romario was upset with Fluminense's move to cut his much-publicized privileges -- including his own physiotherapist and permission to travel to away games on his own -- and that is why he was contemplating a move out of Brazil.

Karembeu apologizes for violent attack

ATHENS (Reuters) -- French international Christian Karembeu apologized on Monday for a violent attack that saw him sent off during Olympiakos's 4-3 win over PAOK Salonika in the Greek first division at the weekend.

The former Real Madrid midfielder was dismissed after a late tackle from PAOK's Cypriot striker Yiannakis Okkas sparked a vicious rampage from the player.

Karembeu responded in the 87th minute by head-butting the PAOK forward before responding to the referee's decision by again grappling with Okkas then punching another opponent, Pantelis Kafes.

"I would like to ask the forgiveness of the coaches, supporters and players for my behavior," Karembeu said in a statement.

The win saw the defending champions stay within two points of leaders Panathinaikos who won 3-1 away to Aris Salonika in a match marred by serious hooliganism.

The second half at the Harilaou stadium was delayed by 16 minutes by rioting home fans.

When play restarted Panathinaikos striker Emmanuel Olisadebe was injured by an object thrown onto the field.

Potential offer boosts sports group Enic's shares

LONDON (Reuters) -- Shares in Enic Plc, a major shareholder in several top-flight European soccer clubs, soared on Monday after it said it could be the subject of an offer.

By midday shares in the firm were up 34 percent at 33-1/2p.

Enic has a majority shareholding in Italy's Vicenza and 10 times Czech national champions Slavia Prague.

The loss-making firm also has a 43 percent stake in AEK Athens and large shareholdings in Swiss club FC Basel, Scottish Cup champions Glasgow Rangers and England's Tottenham Hotspur.

Founded as an investment trust in 1920, Enic moved into sport when football clubs were a fashionable part of the stock market boom.

But the company posted an eight million pound (US$12.63 million) pre-tax loss last year, and its shares have slumped from a 405p high in March 2000 to just 23p in January this year.

Lens's Coulibaly out for season

PARIS (Reuters) -- Adama Coulibaly of French first division side RC Lens will be out for the rest of the season after a tackle from behind left him with a serious leg injury at the weekend.

The incident occurred during Lens's 4-0 victory over Montpellier on Saturday when Mali defender Coulibaly was tackled in the 62nd minute by Montpellier's Sebastien Michalowski, who was shown a red card.

Coulibaly underwent an operation on a fractured fibula on Sunday. Lens's medical staff said the 22-year-old also suffered torn ligaments and an injury to his left ankle.

"His season is finished, and the beginning of the next one is probably compromised," Lens coach Joel Muller told the club's Web site.

Coulibaly, a first team regular, will be in plaster for four to six weeks and his rehabilitation should take a further eight to 12 months.

"We all sympathize. He is a key player in the team," said striker Daniel Moreira.

Coulibaly joined the club in 1999. He has made 21 appearances in the French league this season, played four times in the Champions League, when he scored a goal against Deportivo Coruna, and once for Lens in their UEFA Cup tie at Porto.

The club will now find itself struggling on that side of the pitch after another left-sided defender, Cyril Rool, broke his arm on his return from injury last week.

Yohan Lachor is now poised to take over on the left side of defense.

Lens are ninth in the table and, just three points adrift of fourth-placed Nice, can still clinch a European berth.

Kuwait hires Brazil's Carpegiani as coach

KUWAIT CITY (AP) -- The Kuwait Football Association said Monday it has hired Brazilian Paulo Cesar Carpegiani to coach the country's national team.

"We have agreed on the terms of the contract and we are waiting for his visa to be issued so that he can come to Kuwait to sign it," said Mohammed Othman, the association's secretary general.

Othman said Carpegiani's one-year contract includes a one-time payment of US$100,000 plus US$35,000 per month.

The Brazilian coach replaces Yugoslavia's Radujko Avramovic.

 

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Both the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.