SOCCER: Chelsea and Barcelona have escaped serious sanction following their rancorous Champions League match at the Camp Nou. The referee's and Uefa match delegates' reports were yesterday lodged with Uefa but a spokesman said later: "Nothing was noted regarding any incidents."

That means cynical challenges by Chelsea's Ricardo Carvalho on Deco and by Barcelona's Rafael Marquez on Michael Essien on Tuesday will go unpunished even though the ill-will in the Group A match was criticised by Uefa executives.

The referee, Stefano Farina, was mobbed several times by numerous players from both teams, prompting Uefa's director of communications William Gaillard to indicate temporary dismissals may be introduced to restore discipline.

The only censure will be for Chelsea, and that only for having received multiple cards. There is a formula of fines in place for teams who receive five cautions or more in a match. Farina booked four Barcelona men and cautioned Chelsea's Frank Lampard, Arjen Robben, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, John Terry and Essien. The £842 fines for each of the cautions will hardly trouble Chelsea, though Lampard's ban from the next match - due to his total of bookings - might.

World football's governing body Fifa and players union FIFPro will propose a limit on the number of foreigners who can play for a club. The organisations, who yesterday signed an agreement to work closer together, propose the implementation of a six-plus-five system, whereby six members of a side must be homegrown.

The Stevens inquiry into bungs has examined the transfer activity involving the former Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Fernandes. It is known the football authorities are also looking at transfers involving Tal Ben Haim, Ali Al-Habsi and Hidetoshi Nakata. Fernandes joined Bolton from Southampton in August 2005.

Guardian Service