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■MEXICO

Club members detained

Authorities have detained seven members of a third-division team for alleged ties to drug traffickers. The Mapaches de Nueva Italia Raccoons members were detained in Mexico City on Wednesday at the Aguilas del America training facility. One of the seven was suspected of belonging to a drug gang known as La Familia, the Attorney General’s office said. Officials did not say whether they were players or other team officials. Raccoons are based in Michoacan State where drug traffickers are fighting a bloody turf battle.



■SCOTLAND

Chairman targets bigots

Rangers chairman Sir David Murray admits his club’s supporters must do more to win the fight against sectarianism. Murray, speaking at Thursday’s annual general meeting, criticized the Rangers fans who chant sectarian abuse and called on the Ibrox crowd to help drive out the bigots. Rangers have been scarred by the problem for years and the Glasgow team were fined £13,300 (US$22,5000) by UEFA for “discriminatory chanting” at both legs of a Champions League tie against Villarreal in 2006. “We have people involved with this club who put bile — that’s the word for it — on Web sites every day,” Murray said. “But all the problems with Scottish sectarianism should not be just put at the feet of Rangers Football Club.”



■PHILIPPINES

Authorities look to Europe

Unable to find talented players at home, soccer bosses from the Philippines have been scouring the leagues of Europe to beef up their struggling national team. Searches across England, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands have turned up scores of players with at least one Philippine parent, making them eligible to play for the team. Although players from Bognor Regis, NAC Breda and Fulham reserves are unlikely to get the pulses of the Philippine fans racing, soccer president Mari Martinez believes his new recruits have given his team a boost. “The quality of our local players is not very good but it’s not their fault,” Martinez said on Thursday. “We don’t want to bring in foreigners and naturalize them. Instead we’ll tap the services of Filipinos in other countries. We need to improve and we had to do something.” Six months ago, the Philippines were ranked 190th in the world and did not bother entering the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. But they are steadily climbing the rankings with six European-based players in their starting 11. Martinez is hoping to add more and said 40 players with Filipino mothers and British fathers had been found in London alone.



■CHINA

Club kicked out of league

Authorities have ejected Wuhan Guanggu from the domestic league, just a week after the club pulled out of the top division to protest a ban on its star player. The club has been thrown out of the top division and fined 300,000 yuan (US$44,000), according to a statement on the Chinese Football Association’s Web site. The China Daily newspaper said yesterday the move meant the club was banned from competing even in a lower division. Wuhan had quit the Super League over an eight-match ban and an 8,000 yuan fine meted out to Li Weifeng after a fight with an opposing player during a match. Li was captain of the Beijing Olympic squad in August. Wuhan manager Xu Zhiqiang said the club would fight the CFA’s decision to ban the team, while vowing not to back down in its opposition to the penalties given to Li.


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