Sporting briefs

Passarella: Daniel Passarella plans to put himself forward as a candidate to become president of his old club River Plate when Jose Maria Aguilar's term runs out next year. "I'm (in Europe) to meet some great players of my time who are now football executives," Passarella said. "I want to learn about merchandising and marketing. I have a year to prepare the campaign."

Gattuso: Gennaro Gattuso is so hard-boned that doctors who operated on the Milan and Italy midfielder's knee this week had to switch scalpels mid surgery. "Gattuso's bones are very hard. It's extraordinary," Krystel De Reycke, who assisted in the operation overseen by top surgeon Marc Martens in Antwerp, told Sky. "We could not break them. It's the first time it has happened to us."

Robinho: Manchester City's Brazil forward Robinho said he was confident manager Mark Hughes could turn round their season. "In the league we have a lot of room for improvement. There is a lot of quality in the squad but we lack cohesion," Robinho said. "Hughes is fighting to strengthen the squad and I hope he can do that this season with the help of the new signings we are going to make in January."

In Italy: Serie C1 (A) - Pro Sesto vs Lecco 0-0.

Scottish FA Cup: Third round - Lochee United vs Ayr United 1-1.

Motor racing: The financial crisis affecting Formula One is having a knock-on effect for the Jerez, Montmelo and Cheste circuits in Spain, with the number of days for testing being reduced next season. "Jerez is the preferred test site for the teams," circuit director Juan Alvarez said. "At the moment, we only have eight days testing confirmed for next year. We are approved with Formula One until 2011 but after that we'll have to see. In current conditions, I don't know if it will be worth continuing with it."

Basket, NBA: Kobe Bryant scored 28 points to help the Los Angeles Lakers rally from a 15-point half-time deficit to edge the New York Knicks 116-114. New York shocked the Lakers by taking a 65-50 lead at the midway stage but the Lakers out-scored the Knicks 66-49 in the second half to subdue the visitors, who slipped to 11-14 with their second straight defeat.

Athletics: Three-times Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt has won French sports daily L'Equipe's Sportsman of the Year award. The Jamaican, who won the 100, 200 and 4x100 metres relay in world record times in Beijing, beat American swimmer Michael Phelps, winner of eight Olympic titles, with French Open, Wimbledon and Olympic champion Rafael Nadal of Spain third. "It is fantastic to be with all these names," said Bolt.

Golf: Ireland's Padraig Harrington has become the first European to be voted PGA Tour Player of the Year. The British Open and US PGA champion earned the coveted award over Vijay Singh of Fiji, Colombian Camilo Villegas and Americans Tiger Woods and Kenny Perry. US Open champion and world number one Woods had been bidding to win the prestigious Jack Nicklaus Trophy for a record 10th time and a fourth consecutive year.

Cycling: Cycling's top stage racer, Spaniard Alberto Contador, said he felt inspired by the 2009 Tour of Spain route unveiled yesterday. "The 2009 route is an exceptionally good one for me. Seeing it on the map makes me feel really keen to ride it again," said the 2007 Tour de France winner and Vuelta champion. For the third time in its 73-year history, the next edition of the Tour of Spain starts abroad, with a 4.5km prologue on the famous motorbike circuit in Assen, Netherlands on Aug. 29 and finishes in Madrid on Sept. 20.

Tennis: Argentina have named little-known Modesto Vazquez as their new Davis Cup captain. Vazquez, 59, will replace Alberto Mancini, who led Argentina to the 2006 and 2008 finals where they lost away to Russia and at home to Spain respectively, the Argentina Tennis Association (AAT) said. Ricardo Rivera will be his assistant.

In Gozo: Division One - Qala vs Għajnsielem 0-0. Division Two - Xagħra vs Għarb 1-1.