Uruguayans miss jailed players

Nine players from the leading Uruguayan clubs Peñarol and Nacional were still in jail yesterday for brawling at the end of their derby match on Sunday and could miss the final stages of the championship.

Nine players from the leading Uruguayan clubs Peñarol and Nacional were still in jail yesterday for brawling at the end of their derby match on Sunday and could miss the final stages of the championship.

Six Peñarol players and three from Nacional were taken into custody in Montevideo's central prison on Monday following their part in the pitched battle which took place in the centre circle following Sunday's 1-1 draw in the Uruguayan championship. Both are unbeaten in the second stage of the championship and have two matches left to play. Both sides had games scheduled for last night.

The Peñarol coach, Julio Ribas, accused by his opponents of starting the trouble, was also behind bars, sharing the cell with his players. Media reports said that the players are unlikely to be granted bail at least until 10 December, by which time the championship could be over.

Last year, Peñarol were involved in a similar brawl after being knocked out out of the Copa Mercosur by Brazil's Flamengo. As soon as the final whistle went, they attacked the Flamengo players with kicks and punches. On that occasion, 10 players were given suspensions varying between three and 10 games.