Kosovo crisis: Yugoslav international striker Predrag Mijatovic is refusing to play for Real Madrid in their next league match on Sunday in protest at the NATO air strikes against his country.
"The majority of Yugoslav footballers in Spain will do the same thing," Mijatovic claimed during a television interview in his home in Montenegro. He said that Real Zaragoza's Savo Milosevic, Slavisa Jokanovic of Tenerife, Albert Nadj of Oviedo, Celta Vigo's Zoran Djorovic, Vladimir Jugovic of Atletico and Albert Nadj of Real Betis would also refuse to play for their teams.
"I couldn't wear the jersey of Real Madrid knowing that my parents are sleeping in a garage," said Mijatovic, who returned to his homeland to collect his son.
Meanwhile Yugoslavia's volleyball team has been dropped from the 12-country World League because of the crisis. The team was due to play in pool C together with Argentina, Cuba and France, with the home matches in Belgrade and Novi Sad. Portugal will now replace Yugoslavia.
A 30-year tradition of Russian amateur boxers travelling to the United States for contests with the Americans is under threat. A reduced working day and tight security at the US mission in Moscow, following a weekend gun attack, has prevented Russia's squad from getting their visas.
The first-round Fed Cup tennis tie between the United States and Croatia, scheduled for Zagreb on April 17th and 18th, has been switched to the US because of the overall unrest in the Balkans.
Boxing: Britain's Lennox Lewis may have to wait until November for a heavyweight title rematch with Evander Holyfield, Lewis's promoter Panos Eliades said yesterday.
"Evander's signed up with Don King and Don is talking to me about doing a rematch possibly as late as November of this year," he told BBC Radio. "The site is possibly Las Vegas." he added.
"Everybody wants the fight. I've had offers from Saudi Arabia, I've had offers from South Africa. But Las Vegas is the one that really wants the fight and they are pushing the price sky high. King also wants to keep it in America."
Swimming: British swimming bosses have vowed to step up the war on drug cheats when the sport's world governing body FINA hold their extraordinary congress in Hong Kong today on the eve of the World Short Course Championships.
David Sparkes, chief executive of the British Amateur Swimming Federation, said: "We will continue to lobby in favour of the toughest possible rules against drug cheats."
