Servette celebration turns sour

Servette FC midfield player Paulo Diogo had to have his finger amputated after a weekend goal celebration turned into a horrific accident. The 29-year-old jumped on to the perimeter fencing to celebrate the third goal in a 4-1 victory against Schaffhausen only to fail to notice that his wedding ring and finger were trapped in it as he jumped off. The Portuguese-Swiss was booked for his excessive celebration before realising that part of his finger was missing. Diogo ran to the dressing room while officials searched for the digit and although it was found, the finger could not be sewn back on and doctors were forced to amputate the remaining stub.

Former Aberdeen FC striker Hicham Zerouali was killed in a car accident in another weekend accident. The 27-year-old Moroccan international played for the Scottish side between January 2000 and May 2002, scoring 13 goals during his time at Pittodrie. After moving to Al Nasr in the United Arab Emirates, Zerouali returned to play in Morocco last year. He scored twice on Saturday for Royal Armed Forces before his involvement in the fatal crash near Rabat.

The 27-year-old Swede Kristoffer Arvhage has returned to his former club IF Elfsborg after Danish side Aalborg BK did not take up an offer to sign the defender permanently. AaB have also released defenders Kléber Saarenpää, Jacob Krüger, and Bård Borgersen in addition to striker Christian Lundberg.

Former Poland international Piotr Swierczewski has returned to Lech Poznan on an 18-month contract. The 32-year-old midfielder won the Polish Cup and Super Cup with Lech last season before joining top-flight debutants KS Crakovia in the summer. However, after failing to win a first-team place there he is now back at his former club. Capped 70 times by Poland, Swierczewski's experience should help Lech who have struggled this season and sit second from bottom of the Ekstraklasa.

Staying in Poland, second division club MKS Korona Kielce have dropped their claim for €70,000 in compensation from Legia Warszawa for the loss of coach Dariusz Wdowczyk. Wdowczyk and his assistant both quit Korona last month to join Legia but when Korona president Wieslaw Tkaczuk demanded compensation for the pair, Legia subsequently decided again hiring them. The 37-year-old Jacek Zielinski remains in temporary charge of the Warsaw club although the path now appears clear for Wdowczyk to finally take charge. In the meantime, Ryszard Wieczorek has been appointed Korona's new coach.

Donny de Groot has joined RBC Roosendaal on an 18-month contract. The 25-year-old forward, who will sign officially on 1 January, was a free player having left FC Utrecht in the summer. De Groot's best season to date came on loan at second division side BVO Emmen in 2002/03, where he scored 30 goals in 31 matches.

Finally, OGC Nice have lost left-back Cédric Varrault until the new year because of an adductor injury. The 24-year-old will miss the Ligue 1 games against AC Ajaccio and AJ Auxerre which come before the winter break.