Sporting briefs

Fix recording: A Spanish judge has sent German authorities recordings that allege Russian mafia figures tried to fix last season's UEFA Cup semi-final between Bayern Munich and Zenit SP. Russian champions Zenit crushed Bayern 4-0 at home in the second leg to win 5-1 on aggregate before going on to beat Rangers in the final. Spanish newspaper El Pais said the Operation Troika investigation against the Russian mafia led by investigating judge Baltasar Garzon had uncovered evidence the second leg might have been fixed.

Hleb: Belarus coach Bernd Stange yesterday called up Aleksandr Hleb, who is nursing an ankle injury, for this month's World Cup qualifier against England. Stange included the Barcelona midfielder in his 22-man squad, although he was unlikely to feature in the Group Six match in Minsk on Oct. 15 after twisting his ankle ligaments.

Banned refs: The new chairman of the Bulgarian Football Union referees' commission, Dimo Momirov, has called for the reinstatement of several banned referees, saying they had been misjudged. "We'll draw up a list of officials who we think should be reinstated in their old jobs," Momirov told a news conference. In the last two years, more than a dozen top Bulgarian referees have been banned for "making mistakes".

Cahill: Midfielder Tim Cahill has been recalled to Pim Verbeek's 35-man Australia squad for the World Cup qualifier against Qatar on Oct. 15 after a seven-month absence with a foot injury. Cahill was sent off during Everton's 2-0 derby loss to Liverpool on Saturday and banned for three Premier League matches.

South Africa: World Cup hosts South Africa arrested a run of five matches without a win when they beat Malawi 3-0 in a friendly international at Germiston in Johannesburg on Tuesday night. An experimental side, made up of home- based players, provided relief for beleaguered coach Joel Santana in a match designed to allow the Brazilian further opportunity to side up local talent.

Hemdani: Rangers midfielder Brahim Hemdani has been included in Algeria's squad for next week's World Cup qualifier in Liberia, despite not playing for his club this season. The 30-year-old, who only won his first cap in May, is among a 24-man squad named by coach Rabah Saadane, the Algerian Football Federation said.

Coppa Italia: Fourth round - Bologna vs Ascoli 1-0; Lazio vs Atalanta 2-0; Torino vs Livorno 3-2 (aet). Playing today - Genoa vs Ravenna.

Swimming: Beijing 100 metres butterfly Olympic champion Libby Trickett is to move to Sydney to train in the same squad as fellow freestyle world record holder Eamon Sullivan, the 23-year-old said yesterday. Trickett, the 50 and 100 metres feestyle world champion and record holder, is to link with Grant Stoelwinder at the New South Wales Institute of Sport in Sydney. She had been training with Stephan Widmer in Brisbane since 2002. "Stephan and I have certainly forged a great partnership over a long period of time and I have to thank him for everything he has done for me," Trickett said.

Golf: World number three Vijay Singh is expected to be sidelined for at least two months because of an arm injury. Tendinitis in the Fijian's left forearm has ruled him out of the Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia from Oct. 30-Nov. 2 and the Champions Tournament in Shanghai from Nov. 6-9. Singh has won three times on the US PGA Tour this year, including the Barclays Classic in August and last month's Deutsche Bank Championship which helped him clinch victory in the end of season FedExCup play-off series.