HANOI (DPA) — Three men were shot dead at the weekend after pursuing a group of suspected dog thieves, police in Ho Chi Minh City said Monday.

The three men, all neighbours from Cu Chi District on the outskirts of the city, were killed Saturday evening while chasing four men they believed responsible for a spate of dog thefts in their area, said local police chief Phan Van Thiet.

Dog thieves often use home-made guns to shoot the dogs, and have also used them to shoot at people, police said.

"Villagers are angry because thieves have stolen many dogs in the village recently," he said, adding six people have been arrested over three separate cases.

Dog meat is considered a delicacy in Vietnam. Restaurants specializing in barbecued dog are popular at the end of each lunar month, when people believe eating the meat will bring them good luck.

The animals can be sold for around 35 dollars, according to local media.

SALVADOR, BRAZIL (DPA) — Doubles from Robin Van Persie and Arjen Robben inspired the Netherlands to a sensational 5-1 victory over defending World Cup champions Spain in Salvador on Friday.

Salvador, Brazil (dpa) – Doubles from Robin Van Persie and Arjen Robben inspired the Netherlands to a sensational 5-1 victory over defending World Cup champions Spain in Salvador on Friday.

In a rematch from the 2010 final, Van Persie equalized a penalty kick from Xabi Alonso with a brilliant diving header in the final minute of the first half.

And after the break the Netherlands swept aside the lacklustre Spaniards with a clinical display of finishing. Arjen Robben put them in front in the 53rd minute before Stefan De Vrij and Van Persie, capitalizing on Iker Casillas errors, made the points safe.

Spain rarely looked capable of matching the Dutch, who sit proudly atop Group B, and Robben raced clear in the 80th to round Casillas and complete the scoring.

"It's unbelievable. For the whole of the Netherlands, a dream has come true," captain Van Persie said in a first television interview. "I can't explain it, but it's fantastic."

Spain coach Vincente del Bosque said his side had to accept the defeat.

"In the second half there were many, many mistakes. The euphoria carried the Dutch, we were uncertain. We brought the difficult situation upon ourselves," he said.

After a cautious opening, the first chance of the game came to Netherlands on eight minutes when Robben slipped Wesley Sneijder behind the defence only for the midfielder to fire his shot straight at Casillas.

But Spain slowly but surely began to dominate proceedings in the middle of the park and started to release Diego Costa and David Silva behind the Dutch backline.

The danger to the Netherlands was apparent and when Costa tumbled under a challenge from De Vrij, Spain earned a penalty. Costa seemed to play for the spot-kick but with De Vrij going to ground in a reckless manner to make contact, it was a difficult decision for the referee.

Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen got a hand to Alonso's penalty, but struck low and firm to his right, he could not keep it out.

The Netherlands had some half-hearted pressure in search of an equalizer but the next clear chance came for Spain. Silva tried to chip Cillessen but the keeper stood tall to make a strong block.

That save proved decisive as just minutes later the Netherlands levelled when a brilliant cross from Daley Blind, from just inside the Spain half, was met on the run by Van Persie.

The positioning of Casillas – caught out for a goal in the Champions League final last month – near the edge of the six-yard box was questionable once more and Van Persie's header looped high into the net.

If Spain were the better side in the first half, after the interval the Netherlands, and Robben in particular, vanquished four years of painful memories from the 2010 final with a breath-taking display.

It began in the 53rd minute as Robben controlled a pass from Blind on his chest and, reminiscent of Dennis Bergkamp in 1998, cut inside Gerard Pique and left Casillas helpless due to the deflection from Ramos.

Van Persie smashed a shot against the bar but moments later he would play an important part in the third goal. By putting pressure on Casillas as he tried to gather a free kick, he ensured the ball passed on to De Vrij who found the net from point blank range at the back post.

In a rare moment of resistance, Silva had a goal disallowed for offside. But Van Persie capitalized on a clumsy touch from the horrified Casillas in the 73rd minute to rob the keeper and make it 4-1.

Spain looked shell-shocked and their misery was completed 10 minutes from time as Robben raced clear to round Casillas and fire high into the net and condemn Vincente del Bosque's side to their second highest defeat in World Cup history.

SYDNEY (DPA) — The Australian government may try to reclaim the 40 million Australian dollars (37.7 million US dollars) it spent trying to win the 2022 World Cup after allegations of bribery in Qatar's winning campaign, a media report said Friday.

Minister for Sport Peter Dutton said the government was "considering its options" to get back some of the millions Australia spent on its 2010 campaign which garnered just one vote, the Sydney Morning Herald reported Friday.

Dutton said the government would wait for the result of FIFA's independent investigation into the corruption allegations.

"I think it is one step at a time and the first step is to wait and see what the world body does. And then I think we can consider options."

Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy has demanded FIFA return the money. Lowy said in Sao Paulo that Australia's support for Sepp Blatter to run again for the post of FIFA president will hinge on his response to the investigator's report.

David Hill, who ran the FFA forerunner Soccer Australia from 1995 to 1998, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation the Australian government was "mad" to risk public funds on the 2022 bid "when everybody knew the process was crook."

Franz Beckenbauer is suspended from all football activity for 90 days by world governing body FIFA on Friday.

By Barry Whelan, dpa

The German football great and former member of FIFA's executive committee had refused to cooperate with an investigation by FIFA ethics committee, a statement by the ethics committee said.

Alan Sullivan, the deputy chairman of the FIFA ethics committee's adjudicatory chamber, issued the ban at the request of the chairman of the investigatory chamber, Michael J. Garcia, the statement said.

The ban is effective immediately, it added.

The decision follows Beckenbauer's decision not to respond to Garcia's inquiries in a corruption allegation surrounding the award of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively.

Beckenbauer took part in the 2018 and 2022 votes for the World Cup hosts as a FIFA executive at the time.

Britain's Daily Telegraph and Germany's Die Welt had reported that Beckenbauer refused to answer FIFA investigator Garcia.

Beckenbauer, a World Cup winner with West Germany as both player and coach, this week rejected those reports, saying he had only asked to have Garcia's questions in the German language instead of the original English but his request was rejected.

"I was ready to answer all the relevant questions. However, they were in legal English and I did not fully understand such complicated material," he said. "I asked kindly for a discussion in the German language and this was rejected."

"I only have an adviser status with FIFA. I am no longer a commission member and therefore I am not obliged to talk to Mr Garcia."

FIFA's statement said the decision to hand Beckenbauer a provisional suspension was "on the grounds that a breach of the Code of Ethics appears to have been committed and a decision on the main issue may not be taken early enough."

It added: "The apparent breach relates to Mr Beckenbauer's failure to cooperate with an Ethics Committee investigation despite repeated requests for his assistance, including requests that he provide information during an in-person interview or in response to written questions provided in both English and German.

"The case is now the subject of formal investigation proceedings being conducted by investigatory chamber member Vanessa Allard as chief of the investigation."