La Liga club Elche has denounced its own fans "who racially abused Granada's French defender Allan Nyom" in Saturday's La Liga game at its Martinez Valero stadium in Alicante. Elche said on its website (www.elchecf.es), "The club repudiates in the strongest possible terms the racist chants directed at the player Nyom that came from one very small section of the crowd" (REUTERS, 10/29). ... Cape Verde has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport over the FIFA ruling which resulted in it "being kicked out of the World Cup qualifying competition." The Lausanne-based tribunal said on Tuesday that "it had registered the protest, although it could not yet give a date for the hearing and decision" (BBC, 10/29). ... Northern Ireland Manager Michael O'Neill "has backed plans to expand the competing nations in the World Cup Finals from 32 to 40." O'Neill: "It's just an extra game really. It'd benefit the game and if there were extra places available for European teams it would certainly be a bonus" (UTV, 10/28). ... The Scottish FA "could face punishment" from FIFA for the behavior of "Croatia fans during a World Cup qualifying match at Hampden Park this month." FIFA has "opened disciplinary proceedings against the SFA and the Croatian FA" for their failure to prevent travelling supporters from "letting off flares and smoke bombs during Scotland’s 2-0 win in the concluding group A qualifying match two weeks ago, with one flare being thrown on to the track" (LONDON TIMES, 10/29).
