Manchester City send Joey Barton home in disgrace from the club’s pre-season tour of Thailand after an altercation with team-mate Richard Dunne and a young Everton supporter.

Manager Stuart Pearce is said to be furious about Barton’s behaviour but he absolves Dunne from any blame.

No away fans will be at Elland Road when Leeds United kick off their season against Millwall on Sunday 7 August.- Manchester City send Joey Barton home in disgrace from the club’s pre-season tour of Thailand after an altercation with team-mate Richard Dunne and a young Everton supporter. Reports suggest the incident occurred when City’s players had returned from a restaurant in the early hours and were in the bar of their Bangkok hotel. Manager Stuart Pearce is said to be furious about Barton’s behaviour but he absolves Dunne from any blame. The midfielder is no stranger to controversy and was told he was on his last chance after an incident at last year’s club Christmas party. The England Under-21 international made his City debut in April 2003 and his contract was extended to June 2007 last September.

- No away fans will be at Elland Road when Leeds United kick off their season against Millwall on Sunday 7 August. The London club return almost 1,000 tickets for the opening-day clash after they were supplied on the proviso that all visiting fans had to travel on organised coaches so they could be escorted to and from the stadium. Millwall’s Supporters’ Club felt the travel restrictions were ‘unwarranted and unjustifiable’.

- UEFA confirm they’ve received five bids to host the Euro 2012 championships. They comprise joint bids from Croatia-Hungary and Poland-Ukraine and single bids from Greece, Italy and Turkey. Bids from Azerbaijan, Romania and Russia were submitted by the initial deadline in February but not followed up by Thursday’s final deadline.

- South Africa has made a good start in its preparations to host the 2010 World Cup according to FIFA. A delegation from the game’s governing body has visited Johannesburg, Pretoria, Rustenburg, Bloemfontein, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. Sports minister Makhenkesi Stofile states a maximum of 10 cities and a minimum of eight would host the games. A decision will be made before the end of the year.