Brighton and Hove Albion striker Tomer Hemed will serve a three-match suspension after the FA found the 30-year-old guilty yesterday of violent conduct during Brighton’s 1-0 victory over Newcastle United in the Premier League last Sunday.
Hemed, who scored the winning goal, allegedly stamped on Newcastle defender DeAndre Yedlin in the 88th minute and while the incident was not spotted by match officials, it was caught on video. Off-the-ball incidents that are not seen by match officials are eligible for retrospective action by the FA and English football’s governing body charged the Israeli international on Tuesday.
“Hemed appealed the charge, but an FA panel rejected the appeal,” Brighton said on their website. Hemed will miss Brighton’s upcoming league games against Arsenal, Everton and West Ham United.

UEFA open disciplinary probe against Spartak
UEFA announced yesterday they had opened disciplinary proceedings against Spartak Moscow over the behaviour of their fans during the 1-1 draw against Liverpool in the Champions League. The Russian champions face charges of “illicit banner and chants”, the use of fireworks, and blocking stairways inside the Otkrytiye Arena. Spartak were fined 250,000 roubles (3,600 euros) by the Russian Football Union (RFU) in July for supporters’ racist chants during the Super Cup against Lokomotiv Moscow. Brazilian-born goalkeeper Guilherme, a twice-capped Russia international, was the target on that occasion, while former Zenit striker Hulk said in July 2015 that he encountered racism in “almost every game”. But Russian authorities insist they are stepping up measures to tackle racism ahead of hosting the 2018 World Cup.

Varane extends Madrid deal to 2022
Raphael Varane joined a host of his Real Madrid teammates in recent weeks by signing a five-year contract extension to 2022 yesterday. Marcelo, Isco and Dani Carvajal have also extended their deals to 2022 over the past fortnight, whilst Karim Benzema signed on till 2021 as Real reward key members of the squad that became the first side to retain the Champions League trophy in June.
A new contract for coach Zinedine Zidane is also imminent with the Frenchman repeatedly stating his deal is “done”, although no official announcement has yet been made. Then in a previous role as a club adviser, Zidane played a key role in bringing Varane to Madrid as an 18-year-old back in 2011 from Lens. The Frenchman has since blossomed into vital player for club and country making 196 appearances in total for Madrid.
Varane has won 13 trophies in his time at the Bernabeu, including three Champions League and two La Liga titles. This season he has fully established himself as a first team regular alongside club captain Sergio Ramos at the heart of the Madrid defence following the departure of veteran Portuguese international Pepe.

Totti thanks fans for support in new life
AS Roma legend Francesco Totti yesterday thanked his fans for their support in his post-playing career as he celebrated his 41st birthday four months after retiring. Totti retired after 24 years with Roma at the end of last season, swapping his jersey for a director’s suit, and has also started a coaching diploma.
“It’s been a year since I decided to open my social media account,” Totti wrote on Facebook. “I wanted to be near my fans, feel your affection, make my voice heard and tell you things about myself. It went much better than I expected: you have filled me with messages and conveyed your emotions to me. I’ve seen your love first hand and you’re helping me face this new stage of my life.”
Totti won a Serie A title with Roma in 2001 and has Italian Cup and Super Cup titles but never tasted success on the European stage.

FA charge West Ham, Spurs after ugly melee
The Football Association charged West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur for failing to control their players during their Premier League clash at the weekend. Spurs won Saturday’s derby at the London Stadium 3-2 but almost squandered a three-goal lead. 
The Hammers were pressing for an equaliser in stoppage time when tempers frayed. 
Five players were cautioned by referee Michael Oliver in stoppage time. West Ham’s Andy Carroll, Winston Reid and Andre Ayew were shown yellow cards, while Eric Dier and Fernando Llorente were booked for Spurs.
The incident that prompted the charge came after a foul by Carroll, which drew angry reactions from both sides and saw four players booked. Ayew’s caution for a foul came earlier in stoppage time. Spurs were under pressure after being reduced to 10 men with 20 minutes remaining when Serge Aurier received a second yellow card.

Bournemouth’s Wilson back in training after knee injury
Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson has started training with the first team again after a serious knee injury but will need time to regain match fitness, manager Eddie Howe has said. Wilson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in February.
It was a second setback for the 25-year-old who suffered the same injury to his right knee 15 months earlier. Limited to 33 Premier League appearances over two seasons, Wilson has not been given a specific recovery timeline but Howe said the player was in a good frame of mind. Bournemouth, second from bottom in the Premier League, host Leicester City on Saturday.

Costa delighted to be ‘home’ at Atletico
Spain striker Diego Costa claimed he was coming home after completing his return to Atletico Madrid from Chelsea on Tuesday. Both clubs finally reached an agreement for a reported initial 55 million euro deal ($64.8 million) last Thursday and the Brazilian-born striker has now completed his medical with the Spanish giants.
“I’m very happy to return home, I’ve always said it, Atletico is my home, I’m very, very happy,” he said. Costa can’t feature until January as his move was completed outside the transfer window.
However, Atletico said he will begin training immediately and was likely to be in the stands when Chelsea faced Champions League game at Atletico’s new Wanda Metropolitano last night.
Costa was Atletico’s top scorer as they won La Liga and reached the Champions League final in 2013/14 before moving to Chelsea where he won two Premier League titles in three seasons. 

Australia lose Jedinak for World Cup play-offs
Injured captain Mile Jedinak was Wednesday ruled out of Australia’s crunch World Cup play-offs against Syria, as coach Ange Postecoglou included a host of fresh faces in the push to make Russia.
The Aston Villa star missed the Socceroos’ final qualifiers with a groin problem and was not used by club manager Steve Bruce for the Championship side’s three recent wins.
His absence is a blow to Australia’s chances against the Syrians, with the first leg on October 5 in Malaysia before the return clash in Sydney five days later.
Despite this, Postecoglou is confident the team will come out on top and progress to face the fourth-placed side from the CONCACAF region for a place at the 2018 World Cup.