Stimac refutes tunnel brawl allegations

The Hajduk Split defender Igor Stimac has been accused of grabbing the Real Mallorca striker Carlos Dominguez by the throat after Wednesday's Champions' League qualifier.

Mallorca's assistant coach Damia Amer has also accused the Croatian international of striking him in the face during an alleged bust-up in the tunnel.

Stimac, the former West Ham player, has responded angrily to the claims, and labelled Amer a "son of a bitch" following the accusations, which are refuted by the Croatian side. However, Amer yesterday laid the blame firmly at the door of the Croatians, who won the rugged game 1-0 in front of 40,000 fervent fans.

Amer said: "At the end of the match we all went into the tunnel to get to the changing rooms. There were several Croatian fans who started insulting and hitting Mallorca players.

"Stimac, the Split player, grabbed Carlos, a Mallorca player, by the throat. Two players and myself went back to get Carlos and drag him into our changing room. I told Stimac to stop being so aggressive and to stop the violence. But he turned around and hit me in the face."

A Mallorca club spokesman added that after Stimac ellgedly attacked Dominguez, his team-mate Javier Olaizola challenged the Croatian and was also hit. The incident was included in the referee's report and has also been reported to Uefa by the Spaniards.

The Italian Cup could be thrown into chaos after Serie C players said they would boycott Sunday's first-round ties in protest at new regulations. The Italian Footballers' Association has called a strike in a dispute over how many foreign and young players Italian Serie C clubs can field.

Luis Figo is hoping to play in England before the end of his career, although he has no intention of leaving Real Madrid at the moment.

The 28-year-old Portuguese international, who joined Real from Barcelona last year, said he would prefer to play in England rather than Italy if and when he leaves Spain. "The truth is I'd like to try the sensation of playing in the English league, the Premier League," Figo told the Spanish magazine Don Balon.

"It's a possibility that's very much in the long term, though. At the moment the only thing in my head is Real Madrid. I like the Premiership a lot more than Italian football." Figo is no longer the undisputed star at Real Madrid following the arrival of Zinedine Zidane in a world-record move.