About 50 supporters, angry at what they see as a media campaign against their club and continued insinuations that Juve players take banned drugs, had to be restrained by police.

``This is intolerable and we condemn it absolutely,'' Federation president Luciano Nizzola said yesterday. ``The events of the last few days - manipulation of the facts and in some cases the use of incorrect information - cannot justify in any way this show of hostility and violence towards the press.''

Bulgarian soccer star hangs his boots
SOFIA: Bulgaria's veteran striker Lyuboslav Penev is quitting the national team because he believes it is time to make way for younger players.

Penev, 32, who plays for Spain's Celta Vigo, returned to Sofia to inform coachDimitar Dimitrov of his categorical decision.

``I think that our generation gave all it could to Bulgaria football and now we have gifted players to replace us, such as Georgi Ivanov and Marian Hristov,'' Penev was quoted as saying at Sofia airport.

Penev, named in the squad to play England this weekend, said his decision had not been provoked by any personal feelings but a conviction that Bulgaria needed a fresh national side.

Man United seek to reassure fans
LONDON: English soccer giants Manchester United PLC have moved to reassure fans and shareholders about the impact of a planned billion dollar takeover of the club by Rupert Murdoch-controlled pay TV firm BSKYB PLC.Sir Roland Smith, chairman of the United PLC board, said yesterday BSKYB would not interfere in team affairs and transfer policy if the deal goes through.

``(Manager) Alex Ferguson will be in charge of team selection. Alex Ferguson and the board of Manchester United will be responsible for the acquisition of new players,''Smith wrote in a document sent to shareholders outlining the bid.

George Foreman scripts a fairy tale
DUBLIN: Former world heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman is helping out a small Irish Youth Club in the South-West of the country in what the catholic priest who runs it describes as a `Fairy story'.

Father Joe Young, who founded the Limerick Club for disadvantaged youths ten years ago, met 49-year-old Foreman by chance in a restaurant in America. ``He ate eight double cheeseburgers and we got talking about kids. I was just fascinated by the fact that a man of his age was still boxing.''

Another setback for Mike Tyson
LAS VEGAS: Mike Tyson lost another battle to keep his psychological reports from being made public.

A judge rejected a request for a stay pending an appeal to the Nevada supreme court.

The decision left the former heavyweight champion with only the option of a direct appeal to the supreme court. That would almost certainly delay a tentative Oct. 19 hearing inwhich Tyson will try to regain his boxing licence.

Tyson's lawyers are trying to decide whether to give up the fight to keep the records private and go ahead with the Oct. 19 date. An early hearing date is important if Tyson is to fight this year as planned, if he gets his licence.

C'wealth competitors test positive
LONDON: Trinidad and Tobago rider Stephen Alfred and Pakistan pistol shooter Rustam Khan tested positive for drugs at last month's Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games, the Commonwealth Games Federation said.

Alfred, eighth in the men's sprint cycling final, tested positive for the steroid Norandrosterone while Rustam returned a positive test for Propanolol, a beta blocker used to stop tremors.

In a statement the Federation said Alfred was disqualified from the Kuala Lumpur Games and banned from the 2002 Manchester Games.

Rustam's results were nullified and his case referred to the Commonwealth Games Association of Pakistan and the International Shooting Federation.