Tickets gone in 3 hours, site crashes
HONG KONG • Hong Kong football fans were left frustrated yesterday when a ticket website crashed and hundreds queued in vain for a much-anticipated and politically charged World Cup qualifier against China.
Around 4,000 tickets were allocated to home fans for the match on Nov 17, but all sold out within three hours.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Probe into missing Belarus sprinter
MINSK • A search of woodland and marshes around Minsk continued yesterday, as police launched a murder investigation into the disappearance of disgraced Belarus 100m sprint champion Yulia Balykina.
The 31-year-old, who took part in the 2012 London Olympics and was given a doping ban in 2013 for two years, has not been seen since Oct 28.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Palestine games on neutral ground
ZURICH • Fifa has reversed its decision to allow Palestine to host today's World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia at home, ordered that it be played on neutral territory and postponed the game until Monday.
Football's governing body also ordered their match at home to Malaysia next week be played elsewhere.
REUTERS
Blatter effigy to be burnt in England
LONDON • A giant effigy of suspended Fifa president Sepp Blatter will be torched on Saturday as part of a British town's Bonfire Night.
The 11m-tall effigy of the outgoing Swiss head of world football's governing body will go up in flames in Edenbridge, near London.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Ban and fine for confining officials
ANKARA • The Turkish Football Federation has suspended the boss of leading club Trabzonspor for 10 months and fined him US$70,000 (S$98,000), after he ordered four referees to be held captive in a dispute over a crucial line call.
Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu told club officials to hold referee Cagatay Sahan and three assistants in a locked room. The Black Sea team had been denied a penalty in the final minutes of a match on Oct 28 against Gaziantepspor, which ended in a 2-2 draw. They were freed after four hours.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Marin contests charge, on $21m bail
NEW YORK • Former Brazilian Football Confederation president Jose Maria Marin pleaded not guilty in a United States court on Tuesday in connection with the massive Fifa corruption scandal and agreed to a US$15 million (S$21 million) bond.
He stands accused of having taken bribes worth millions of dollars from sports marketing companies in connection with the sale of rights for the Copa America tournaments for 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2023 and for the Copa do Brasil from 2013 to 2022.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
