Sporting briefs...

Hitzfeld: Bayern Munich executives increased the pressure on coach Ottmar Hitzfeld to stay on next season after leading the club out of a mid-season slump and into the quarter-finals of the Champions League. "He's the right man at the right time in the right place," chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said.

Dida: Dida has ended speculation about his future by extending his contract with Milan through 2010. The club had been waiting on the Brazilian's decision for the past few months and the possibility of his departure appeared to be growing. The two parties had been struggling to reach an accord on a new deal but Dida finally put pen-to-paper yesterday.

Soccer for free: Russian officials have offered television viewers the chance to watch Premier League soccer for free after President Vladimir Putin criticised an exclusive broadcast deal with the satellite channel NTV+. "I would like to inform fans that there has been a meeting with the bosses of NTV+ and a decision was made to fully preserve the free viewing of football matches," Dmitry Medvedev said. Medvedev is a first deputy prime minister and a potential successor to Putin.

Gomez injured: Germany striker Mario Gomez suffered a torn ligament in his left knee during Stuttgart's 0-0 draw against VfL Wolfsburg yesterday and may be out for six weeks, the club said. Gomez is the top scorer in the Bundesliga with 13 goals.

Red Star: Red Star and coach Dusan Bajevic parted company in acrimony after the Serbian champions suffered a 3-0 home defeat to Vojvodina Novi Sad yesterday. Bajevic got up from the bench and walked out after Vojvodina's second goal amid a chorus of jeers from angry fans. The second successive home defeat cut Red Star's lead at the top to six points.

Betis stadium: Real Betis have been allowed to play today's league match against Real Zaragoza at their own stadium despite being handed a three-match stadium ban for crowd problems in a recent King's Cup tie against city rivals Sevilla. Spain's Committee for Sporting Discipline delayed the introduction of the ban for a week after an appeal from Betis who said that an alternative venue, the city's La Cartuja stadium, would not have the necessary security in time for the game.