SHARE
COPY LINK

FOOTBALL

Stuart Baxter named as Finland’s new coach

Finland have named Englishman Stuart Baxter as their new coach replacing compatriot Roy Hodgson with a view to qualifying the country for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Hodgson left the position after failing to qualify Finland for the Euro 2008 finals and he subsequently took over as manager of English Premier league side Fulham.

The 54-year-old Baxter was in charge of the South African national side from 2004-2005 and has been coach at several Swedish clubs including Helsingborg since 2006.

Finland, who have never before qualified for the World Cup finals, have been drawn in a tough group that includes Germany, Russia, Wales, Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein.

RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

SHOW COMMENTS