Sporting briefs...

Maldini: Milan captain Paolo Maldini faces a fitness test to determine if he will be able to face Schalke 04 in tomorrow's decisive Champions League Group E match. Maldini picked up a muscle injury in Milan's 2-1 defeat to Chievo on Saturday and although the club described the injury as a "simple strain" his involvement in tomorrow's match will not be decided until after a test today.

Security nets: World Cup organisers will discard a proposal to ease security at the finals next year following the crowd trouble at last weekend's Bundesliga matches. "There had been a proposal to remove the netting back behind the goals but we can't consider that now," World Cup organising committee vice-president Wolfgang Niersbach said. Hamburg midfielder Alexander Laas suffered a deep cut to his head after being hit by a drumstick thrown from the crowd in Saturday's 3-1 win over Cologne.

Pires: Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires, still hopeful of a place in the France squad for next year's World Cup, said he has apologised to coach Raymond Domenech for his behaviour. Pires, a world champion with France in 1998, criticised Domenech in an interview with France Football magazine last year. He has not been picked by Domenech since a World Cup qualifier in Cyprus in October 2004. Pires was substituted at half-time in a game France won 2-0.

Redknapp: Former Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp says he made a "monumental mistake" in leaving the Premier League club last season for Southampton. Redknapp quit Southampton on Saturday after one year in charge and is widely tipped to return to Portsmouth this week. "The last year has been the worst of my life and that is no exaggeration," Redknapp said. "I made a monumental mistake walking out of Fratton Park and a day hasn't passed since I left the ground for the last time that I didn't regret my decision."

Primera Liga: Alaves vs Mallorca 0-3; Cadiz vs Zaragoza 1-2; Santander vs R. Sociedad 2-2; Espanyol vs Valencia 1-3; A. Bilbao vs A. Madrid 1-1; Celta Vigo vs Real Betis 2-1; Real Madrid vs Getafe 1-0; Malaga vs Osasuna 1-2; Villarreal vs Barcelona 0-2. Leading standings: Barcelona, Osasuna 31; Celta Vigo 26; Real Madrid, Valencia 25; Villarreal, Sevilla 23.

Bundesliga: B. Leverkusen vs H. Berlin 1-2; Mainz vs Wolfsburg 5-1.

Ligue 1: Nancy vs Marseille 1-1; S. Rennes vs Nice 1-0.