"’Tis the season to be sleazy — er, I mean "merry" — so this week I’m doing my best to counteract all the unattainable illusions that the mass media are trying to make the public hope for over this festive season … I thought it’d be far more pleasant, sane and fun just to pander cheerfully to the prurient interest." Ian Fraser trawls the web.

Fifa was accused on Wednesday of being far too lenient by letting Spain off with just a fine and a warning for racist abuse by its fans. Spanish fans made monkey noises and hurled racist taunts at England’s black players during Spain’s 1-0 victory in a friendly in Madrid last month, a day after similar incidents at an under-21 game.

The charity Save the Children said on Tuesday that it was withdrawing from Sudan’s Darfur region, because the worsening security situation made work too dangerous for its 350 staff. Four Save the Children workers have been killed in Darfur recently, including two last week whose vehicle was fired on in an attack blamed on rebels.

Australia’s cricketers have praised England’s eighth consecutive Test victory, but say talk of breaking the Aussies’ Ashes supremacy is premature. England mastered South Africa by seven wickets in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday to eclipse the previous record for English consecutive Test wins, which had stood for 75 years.

Formula-one supremo Bernie Ecclestone has won a vote of confidence from the three banks that two weeks ago won a legal action to wrest voting control of his companies from motor racing’s commercial rights holder. The banks acknowledge that without the 74-year-old at the helm, the business of grand-prix racing will be too complicated to administer.

Tiger Woods admitted his frustration with his swing struggles this year in an e-mail newsletter sent on Tuesday, but said two late-season victories have boosted his confidence for greater success in 2005. ”It is frustrating when you can do it at home with your buddies, but it doesn’t carry over to tournaments,” Woods wrote.