Sporting Digest: Football

Sao Paulo's Nelsinho became the ninth coach to lose his job since the Brazilian championship began in early August when he resigned yesterday. Nelsinho, whose reign lasted seven months and included one major title, walked out after club directors dismissed several of his assistants in the wake of Sunday's humiliating 7-2 defeat by Portuguesa.

Thorsten Legat, the VfB Stuttgart midfielder, is to undergo surgery on his right Achilles tendon and is expected to be out of action until the end of the year.

Claus Nielsen, a defender with the Danish Superleague club Viborg, has been put up for sale after a training incident left his team-mate Claus Struck with two missing teeth and a broken jaw. Newspapers reported that Nielsen, who joined the club three weeks ago, punched Struck in the face. Nielsen said the incident was an accident during a tough fight for the ball.