Sporting briefs

Gialrdino: Italy coach Marcello Lippi, naming his first squad since replacing Roberto Donadoni, recalled striker Alberto Gilardino for the friendly against Austria in Nice on Wednesday. Gilardino, a member of Lippi's 2006 World Cup-winning squad, recently joined Fiorentina in a bid to revive his career after losing his international place because of indifferent form with his former club Milan.

Blatter: FIFA president Sepp Blatter praised the standard of football at the Olympics yesterday then had to sit through one of the worst contests of the tournament. "The standard of football at the Olympics has never been higher," Blatter told reporters minutes before kick-off. His comments were followed by a dismal quarter-final between Brazil and Cameroon which ended 0-0 after 90 minutes. The match, which Brazil eventually won 2-0 in extra-time, was marred by play-acting, continuous remonstrating with the referees and niggly clashes between players.

Parachutist's stunt: The start of the Championship match between Burnley and Ipswich was delayed in bizarre circumstances yesterday after a parachutist became stuck on the roof of the stadium. The Fire Brigade were called to rescue the stranded man causing a delay of more than 25 minutes to play.

Van Bommel: Bayern Munich captain Mark van Bommel makes his comeback in the Dutch squad for a friendly international match against Russia next Wednesday in Moscow. New coach Bert van Marwijk named an 19-man squad and included Van Bommel, his son-in-law, who played his last match for the Dutch team during the 2006 World Cup finals. After that tournamnet Marco van Basten dropped van Bommel.

Ligue 1: Cannes vs Valenciennes 3-1; Nantes vs Monaco 1-1; Lille vs Le Mans 1-3; Nice vs AS Nancy 2-1; St Etienne vs Sochaux 2-1; Toulouse vs Le Havre 2-1; PSG vs Bordeaux 1-0.