Football Notes: Barcelona's Andres Iniesta Pays $313,000, Prevents Albacete's Relegation

Barcelona player Andres Iniesta stopped his childhood club, Spanish third division side -- second division B -- Albacete, from being relegated by shelling out the €240,000 ($312,000) it owed its players. Friday was the deadline to pay the amount owed to the Spanish Footballers Association's (AFE) bank account (MARCA, 6/29). ... The Ethiopian Football Federation has been sanctioned for fielding an ineligible player in the preliminary competition match for the 2014 World Cup between Botswana and Ethiopia on June 8. The match will be forfeited, and Botswana will be awarded a 3-0 victory with the EFF also receiving a fine of CHF 6,000 ($6,300) after it was found liable for breaching art. 55 par. 1 (FIFA). ... The Cameroon Football Federation "is in chaos and faces potential suspension from FIFA" following the annulling by a judicial authority of Iya Mohammed's "overwhelming re-election" as president (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 7/1).