MANCHESTER UNITED defender Nemanja Vidic was forced to appeal to Serbia fans for calm as they rioted during his side’s embarrassing 1-0 friendly defeat by New Zealand in Klagenfurt on Saturday night.

Thousands of Austrians packed the southern city of Klagenfurt today to mourn Joerg Haider, a politician who was denounced as a Nazi sympathiser in the 1990s but had remained hugely popular as a provincial governor.

AUSTRIAN far-right leader Joerg Haider was more than three times over the legal alcohol limit when he crashed his car and was killed at the weekend, his party said yesterday.

Joerg Haider, whose far-right rhetoric led to international isolation for Austria during his time in government, died in a car accident early this morning aged 58.

UEFA have expressed their satisfaction that Euro 2008 has so far passed without serious incidents of racism.

OFFICIALDOM always likes to speak warmly of the “family of football”, though the equally popular designation of “stakeholders” tends to bespeak an altogether more revealingly bureaucratic view of the game’s footsoldiers on the part of the universal blazer.

Croatia coach Slaven Bilic spoke of his pride after seeing his much-changed side continue their 100% record at Euro 2008 with a 1-0 win over Poland in Klagenfurt.

WITH the volatile group stages having already achieved knock-out status and the quarter-finals proper hoving into view, we find ourselves with just about enough time to pause, take a deep breath, and declare that, all in all, Euro 2008 has been a bit of a cracker — so far.

Croatia 2 Germany 1

IT might be Lisbon treaty day in Ireland today but yesterday in Geneva, this non-aligned part of Europe was entirely preoccupied with a Lisbon treat. Mind, they were made to wait for it.

UEFA have confirmed 157 people were arrested after violence flared before, during, and after Germany’s Euro 2008 victory against Poland on Sunday.

LUKAS PODOLSKI netted both goals against the country of his birth to give Germany a winning start to their Euro 2008 campaign against Poland in Klagenfurt last night.

A policeman flying to a moose hunt in Sweden was forced to cut his trip short at Stansted airport when airline officials found out he had his hunting rifle as luggage.

Ryanair has announced seven new European routes from Milan and has added two new aircraft to its fleet at Milan Orio al Serio airport at a cost of $120m (€97m),

THE organisers of Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland have dropped plans to use a new football stadium in Zurich after a long-running battle with environmentalists in the Swiss city.

JOERG HAIDER’S political star appeared on the rise yesterday, with preliminary results showing Europe's most popular rightist holding on to a political post he needs to reclaim national prominence for his party.

HOPES that Ireland might again be in the running to stage the UEFA 2008 European Championships have been dashed after a far-right Austrian politician pledged cash to make sure a vital stadium is built.

WHEN it comes to timing you can be sure the Swiss have covered all the angles. As the countdown clock on the Austria-Switzerland EURO 2008 bid website clicks down to mere hours and minutes, decision day is almost here and the Alpine countries’ campaign seems to have peaked at just the right time.

The conservative party of Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel surged to emerge strongest from general elections in Austria today, according to preliminary results that showed a pounding at the polls for the party of right-wing Joerg Haider.

Protests are to take place outside Ryanair offices this week after a decision to promote a new flight with a controversial politician.

Ryanair has launched a new service from London to Newquay - at twice the price of a ticket to Rome.