By Chris Read

Spain’s government on Monday demanded Britain prevent fuel spills from a wrecked ship off its colony Gibraltar that have polluted Spanish beaches.

Small amounts of fuel from the New Flame bulk carrier, which partially sank off Gibraltar in August, washed onto beaches near Algeciras over the weekend after a storm, Spain’s Environment Ministry said.

The scrap carrier sank after colliding with a tanker in waters under Gibraltar’s jurisdiction and Spain says it is the British colony’s responsibility that the wreck is cleaned up.

Spanish media says leaking fuel from the wreck has washed up along more than one kilometre (half a mile) of beaches in the south of the country.

Spain’s foreign ministry summoned British ambassador Denise Holt “to communicate our concern over the sinking of the New Flame,” a ministry source said.

The government will also “note that the ministry has written to the British embassy several times asking that the United Kingdom assume its responsibilities” over the New Flame, the source said.

The Gibraltar government said that stormy weather at the weekend caused the ship to sink further, and all that now remains visible above the surface is the vessel’s navigation bridge, aft mast and the upper part of her funnel.

“As this was not unexpected, Titan, the firm contracted for the wreck removal operation, had already put in place precautionary measures before the onset of the stormy weather,” a Gibraltar government statement said.

Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos meanwhile said Gibraltar Chief Minister Peter Caruana had promised to “do whatever is necessary to avoid a deterioration” in the situation.

Spain ceded Gibraltar to Britain in 1713 under the Treaty of Utrecht but has retained a constitutional claim should Britain renounce sovereignty.

by Chris Read

Former Spain and Serbia coach Javier Clemente has accepted an offer to take charge of the Iranian national side during the qualification phase for the 2010 World Cup. “Yes, I’ve accepted the offer,” Clemente told Reuters on Monday. “My aim is to help Iran learn and improve as a team.”

As a club coach he achieved his greatest success at Athletic Bilbao, steering the Basque side to the league title in 1983 and a league and cup double the following season. His other clubs include Atletico Madrid, Espanyol, Real Sociedad, Real Betis and Olympique Marseille. Whilst on a national level he took charge of Spain after their failure to qualify for the 1992 European Championship in Sweden, guiding them to both the quarter-finals of the 1994 World Cup and Euro 96.

He was appointed Serbia coach in July 2006, but was sacked in December last year after the team ended their Euro 2008 qualification campaign in third place behind Poland and Portugal and failed to make the tournament.

The Iran Football Federation (FFI) announced last month they had appointed Clemente but the Spaniard said his decision would depend on a visit to Iran. “Last week’s visit to Iran went well,” said Clemente, who explained that he would not live in Iran but would travel to the country only to prepare the team for their matches.

“It has been decided that I will go back and forth between Spain and Iran in order to coach the team,” he said. “I won’t be living there.” - I don’t blame you Javier!