Sporting briefs

Heskey: The fiancee of England soccer player Emile Heskey was robbed at knifepoint after two men smashed their way into the striker's home in northern England. Heskey, who plays for Wigan Athletic, said the robbers had kicked down the front door of his house in Hale a week ago while he was training at his club. They threatened his fiancee, Chantelle, with a knife before stealing jewellery and a BMW X5 car.

Behrami: West Ham United have signed Switzerland utility player Valon Behrami from Lazio for five million pounds. The 23-year-old, comfortable at both right-back and right-wing, played for the co-hosts at the European Championship in June. He signed a five-year deal. "I am very happy to sign for West Ham. For me it is a dream come true to play for the club and in the Premier League," Behrami said.

Chelsea win: Goals from Salomon Kalou, Frank Lampard, Franco Di Santo and Shaun Wright-Phillips gave Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari a 4-0 friendly win over Chinese side Guangzhou Pharmaceutical in his first match in charge of the club. "I wasn't nervous at all, I was relaxed, it's always good to win the first game although the result doesn't matter much. The team isn't ready yet and they had some difficulties physically, this is something that we'll have to solve," Scolari told reporters.

Dellas: Greece centre-back Traianos Dellas has been released by AEK Athens, the Greek Super League club said. In a brief statement, AEK said that the 32-year-old's contract had been terminated by mutual consent.

Zheng, Dong: Charlton midfielder Zheng Zhi and Manchester United striker Dong Fangzhuo are the only two overseas-based players in China's 18-strong squad for next month's Beijing Olympics. Zheng, 27, is one of the three over-age players allowed in the under-23 squad for the Olympic tournament, which will take place in five Chinese cities from Aug. 6-23. Dong played twice for United last season before his season was ended by a knee injury.

Friedel: Blackburn are likely to part with Brad Friedel after accepting an offer of £2 million from Aston Villa for the veteran goalkeeper. Friedel has been at Ewood Park for the past eight years but he told the club earlier this month that he wanted to move on. Manchester City were also linked with Friedel. At Villa, Friedel will compete for the no.1 jersey with US compatriot Brad Guzan.

Friendlies: B. Leverkusen vs A. Aachen 0-1; Marseille vs Monaco 3-1; Brondby vs Juventus 1-2; P. Belgrade vs Lyon 1-3; Cheltenham vs West Brom 1-1; Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund 1-2.

Jones's pardon: The new chief of USA Track & Field has asked US President George W. Bush not to pardon or commute disgraced sprinter Marion Jones's conviction for making false statements to federal investigators about her drug use. "To reduce Ms Jones' sentence or pardon her would send a horrible message to young people who idolised her, reinforcing the notion that you can cheat and be entitled to get away with it," Doug Logan said in a letter to Bush.

Boxing: Joe Calzaghe's planned light-heavyweight fight against Roy Jones, of the US, in September was postponed this week after the Welshman injured his right hand in training. Calzaghe, unbeaten in 45 bouts, vacated his WBC super-middleweight title to free him up for the duel with the veteran four-weight boxer at Madison Square Garden on September 20. The fight is likely to bring down the curtain on both men's careers. The two were promoting the bout themselves and are expected to meet again at a later date, possibly in November.

Basketball: LeBron James suffered what Team USA officials described as "a mild sprain" to his right ankle during the American Olympic basketball team's practice in Las Vegas yesterday. The injury took place when James landed on Kevin Durant's foot during a practice game between the American team and a squad comprised of young NBA players. Team USA plays an exhibition game against Canada tomorrow.