Wohlfarth is suspended

The former German international striker, Roland Wohlfarth, has been given a two-month suspension for taking a banned drug in an effort to lose weight. In the first doping case in the Bundesliga, the German federation (DFB) announced after a four-and-an-half hour hearing yesterday that the former Bayern Munich forward, who now plays for First Division Bochum, was suspended until 23 March. Wohlfarth saidhe would appeal against the ruling.

Wohlfarth, a former leading goalscorer in the Bundesliga, tested positive for a stimulant at an indoor tournament in Leipzig on 5 January. His ban starts from the day when the positive test was announced and he was suspended at the end of last month.

The 32-year-old striker, who recently returned to Germany from the French club St Etienne, admitted taking the appetite-suppressant, Recatol, which contained the banned stimulant Norephedrine.

He took the drug without the permission of his club. "I don't see myself as a doping cheat," he said. "I was just stupid."

In Italy, the president of the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) said yesterday he was concerned that hard-core "ultra" fans had not unequivocally condemned violence after a suspension of all sport on Sunday following the previous week's killing of a Genoa supporter.

"Theirs was a terrible message, I didn't like it at all," said the CONI president, Mario Pescante, referring to a statement issued after a meeting in Genoa on Sunday of about 400 "ultras" from some 40 Italian clubs.

"I am more worried now than I was before. I don't believe it was a message of peace, so I am even more convinced that we must intervene in a radical way," Pescante said. "I wonder, if we don't find a solution, what will happen when another tragedy occurs."

The statement by the "ultras", who on Sunday placed flowers at the spot where Vincenzo Spagnolo was fatally stabbed, did not completely rule out violence and said police would try to stamp out their "way of life".

Leading clubs have come under fire for their cosy relationship with volatile groups of supporters. The Italian federation is expected this week to ratify a proposal banning clubs from providing "ultras" with complimentary tickets or subsidising trips to away matches.