■ France
Player shoots but misses
An amateur soccer player fired two shots from a handgun after being sent off, police said on Sunday, although there were no reports of injuries. After the player from the Saint-Maur-des-Fosses team was shown a red card, he returned to the changing rooms and then came back to the pitch with a pistol and fired two shots. The other players took cover in the changing rooms while waiting for the police, who found two empty cartridges at the scene. The unnamed player was then arrested and taken to the Saint-Maur-des-Fosses police station, east of Paris.
■ England
City suffer double loss
Manchester City players returned to the changing room on Sunday after losing to Sheffield United in the fourth round of the FA Cup to discover thieves had stolen their cash. "A number of staff and players have had a quantity of cash stolen during the match," City spokesman Paul Tyrrell said. "We are liaising closely with the police here at the stadium and with officials at Sheffield United who are conducting inquiries now. I'm not aware that the dressing room was locked," said Tyrrell, who declined to say which players and officials had been affected. "I'd rather not name names but it was a number of players and the backroom staff."
■ Honduras
Star's brother may be dead
Kidnappers were paid a ransom for the 16-year-old brother of an English Premier League player but the boy is still missing and may be dead, a police official said on Sunday. There has been no word from kidnap victim Edwin Rene Palacios, the brother of Wigan midfielder Wilson Palacios, or his kidnappers following the ransom payment. "The case has become complicated," said Francisco Murillo, the director of criminal investigations for Honduran police. "His family paid the ransom, but the kidnappers still have him. A special team continues to work on the case, but the Palacios family has lost contact with the kidnappers ... and that worries us. The boy may possibly be dead. That is a theory that is floating around in some circles. But that has not been confirmed," Murillo said. "We are continuing to look for clues to bring these criminals to justice." Wigan signed Palacios from Honduran club Olimpia on Jan. 11. The 23-year-old midfielder rejoined Wigan manager Steve Bruce, who signed him on loan when he coached Birmingham earlier this season.
■ England
Hunger blamed for bust-up
Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor's heated on-field confrontation with teammate Nicklas Bendtner during the Gunners' 5-1 loss at Tottenham was the result of the players' hunger for titles. The two tall strikers began arguing and pushing each other during the League Cup semi-final loss at White Hart Lane on Tuesday and had to be pulled apart by teammates. "It was just a little thing," Adebayor said on Saturday. "I tried to motivate him and he took it in the wrong way." Adebayor said the incident had been forgotten by the two strikers. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said the incident had been dealt with internally and he would not reveal what, if any, action had been taken. "What happened is already behind us. It is finished," Adebayor said. "I do not want to look what happened yesterday. I want to look at tomorrow. We are all passionate about this club, we want to win something together as teammates and as friends.
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