Saudi club Al-Hilal have furiously demanded a formal probe into the appointment of the referees for the Asian Champions League final, which they lost 1-0 on aggregate to Australia's Western Sydney Wanderers last weekend.
The 13-times Saudi champions were unable to erase a first leg deficit in a 0-0 draw last Saturday in Riyadh, where they had three strong appeals for penalties turned down by Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura.
"What happened in the second leg of the AFC Champions League final is a black spot in the history of Asian football," the club said in a statement.
"(It was) a looting of the right of an entire people who has been waiting for happiness and enjoyment of fair competition, which requires dealing seriously with this matter, and punishing who caused that, whatever their positions in AFC, in order to be in good hands and fair competition."
Nishimura was at the centre of controversy at the World Cup in Brazil earlier this year after awarding the hosts a questionable penalty in the opening game of the tournament against Croatia.
The club also criticised the performance of Iranian referee Alireza Faghani in the first leg, which Al-Hilal lost 1-0 despite dominating for most of the game, and said they should have been awarded a total of six penalties over the two matches.
The AFC have already said they will probe the incidents at the end of last Saturday's match, when a brawl between the two sides was triggered by Al-Hilal striker Nasser Al-Shamrani spitting at Wanderers defender Matthew Spiranovic.
Melbourne Cup: Pre-race favourite dies; Protectionist wins
German raider Protectionist timed his finishing burst to perfection to win the 154th running of the Melbourne Cup by two lengths at Flemington Racecourse on Tuesday.
The gloss was taken off the celebrations at the A$6.2 million (3.36 million pounds) ‘race that stops a nation’, however, when pre-race favourite Admire Rakti collapsed and died in its stall after finishing last.
Another runner, Araldo, was taken to a vets in nearby Werribee where he underwent an operation after fracturing the cannon bone in his leg, Sky Racing reported.
Protectionist, ridden by Ryan Moore, was boxed in for much of the race but stormed down the final straight after finding a gap to give Germany its first winner of the gruelling 3200 metre handicap.
English nine-year-old Red Cadeaux was second for the third time in Australia's biggest race after 2011 and last year, while New Zealand-trained Who Shot Thebarman came in third.
Protectionist's success was the third for a European horse in the last five years after Americain won in 2010 and Dunaden triumphed a year later.
"He's very easy," Englishman Moore said of the 7-1 shot in a trackside interview.
"Very good horse with very strong pace. Once he got the space, he's amazing."
The Japanese-trained Admire Rakti, the 5-1 favourite and winner of the Caulfield Cup last month, stormed out of the gate but faded badly over the last few furlongs.
Carrying the top weight of 58.5kg, the horse was clearly agitated after the race and his stall was soon swathed in a protective screen.
"The favourite Admire Rakti on return to the stalls after the race has collapsed and died," Racing Victoria chief steward Terry Bailey said of the horse.
"Our vets are on hand and the horse will undergo an autopsy. We will have to await those results for the cause of the death."
Argentina's Gutierrez given all clear after cancer
Newcastle United and Argentina winger Jonas Gutierrez has been give the all clear by doctors after a successful fight against testicular cancer.
"I got the all clear. Thank you very much to all those who stood by me in this moment," the 31-year-old nicknamed Galgo (greyhound) said in a Twitter message.
Instantly recognisable playing for Newcastle and Argentina at the 2010 World Cup finals with long hair and a beard, Gutierrez made his most recent public appearance running the Buenos Aires Marathon several weeks ago totally bald after chemotherapy.
Gutierrez, whose fight against cancer lasted 18 months, ran the marathon in support of cancer research.
A tumour was discovered in one of his testicles in May 2013 following a knock playing against Arsenal and he went back to Argentina for treatment and had surgery in October last year.
World Cup striker Jo suspended for indiscipline
Atletico Mineiro have suspended World Cup striker Jo and two other players for a ‘serious breach of discipline,’ the club's director of football said on Monday.
Eduardo Maluf did not say what Jo, Andre and Emerson Conceicao had done but said their services would no longer be required by the Belo Horizonte club.
"They won't play for the team again this year," Maluf told reporters. "When it comes to discipline we have to set an example for the other 27 players in the squad."
Maluf said the club was deciding whether it had the legal right to sack the players.
Nigeria escape FIFA suspension
African Nations Cup champions Nigeria have escaped suspension from international football for the second time in two months.
Football's governing body FIFA said on Monday the threat was lifted after a court case against the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) elections held on Sept. 30 was withdrawn.
The dropping of the case paved the way for FIFA-backed NFF president Amaju Pinnick and his executive to resume their duties after they were ousted by an interim ruling last Thursday by Justice Ambrose Allagoa who placed Chris Giwa in charge.
Judge Allagoa said the electoral congress that brought Pinnick to power was invalid but that ruling was no longer being supported by Giwa.
"FIFA has today sent a letter to the NFF in which it takes note the order granted by the Federal High Court, nullifying the NFF elections of Sept. 30, was definitely withdrawn and that the board...is able to carry out its activities without any hindrance," FIFA announced in a statement.
"We understand these events occurred before midday on October 31 (the deadline). Consequently the case will not be referred to the FIFA emergency committee for implementation of the suspension of the NFF.
"However, FIFA will continue to closely monitor the situation in Nigeria."
