Rome  - A retired Serie B footballer has said he contracted amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a nervous-system disease with an unusually high incidence among former Italian players.

Italian media reported Thursday that Stefano Turchi, 40, a forward with Ancona between 1990 and 1992 has suffered from ALS since 2005.

Turchi, in an interview with the Ancona-based newspaper Corriere Adriatico, said he considers himself lucky to have been hit by a less aggressive form of the illness that still allows him to talk and walk.

Rome  - Roma hooligans Wednesday hurled stones at a motor coach carrying Arsenal fans ahead of the Champions League match between the two sides, the ANSA news agency reported.

Rome  - The Vatican has admitted to "errors" in its handling of a decision to reinstate four ultra-nationalist bishops, including a failure to do internet research that might have raised alarm bells about some of the bishops' beliefs, an Italian newspaper reported Wednesday.

According to Rome-based daily Il Foglio, Pope Benedict XVI conceded the errors in the decision making process to revoke the excommunication of the bishops, one of whom embarrassed the church by denying the scale of the Holocaust.

Vatican City - Pope Benedict XVI condemned on Wednesday the recent killings in Northern Ireland, which have sparked fears of a new wave of violence which for decades marred relations between the province's Catholic and Protestant communities.

"It was with deep sorrow that I learned of the murders of two young British soldiers and a policeman in Northern Ireland," Benedict said during his traditional mid-week General Audience.

Rome  - Napoli have hired former Italy coach Roberto Donadoni to replace Edy Reja after a dismal run in the Italian Serie A, local media reported on Wednesday.

Napoli signed Donadoni, 45, until 2011. He was due to be presented Wednesday at the team's camp in Castelvolturno.

Reja, 63, was dismissed late Tuesday as Napoli notched only two points in the last nine games after a good start into the season. They are still 11 points above the relegation zone with 11 games left in the season, but had to bury initial hopes for a place in Europe.