Sporting briefs

Juventus: Mauro Camoranesi and Pavel Nedved will miss Juventus's visit to Atalanta on Sunday because of their respective neck and hamstring problems, the club said. The midfielders are expected to return to action after Serie A's Christmas break.

Kinnear: Newcastle United manager Joe Kinnear is hopeful Michael Owen will sign a new contract after holding talks with the England striker this week. "I am optimistic now having spent that time with him but we will know in the next few days," Kinnear said.

Eduardo: Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva hopes to be back in Croatia's squad in February as he continues his recovery from a broken leg and dislocated ankle. "I'm (getting) fit again and looking forward to the next match for Croatia, hopefully in February," Eduardo told the Jutarnji List daily.

Le Havre: Frederic Hantz is set to take over from Jean-Marc Nobilo as coach of Ligue 1's bottom club Le Havre after a string of poor results. Nobilo was made Le Havre's general manager, with his team having picked up only 12 points from 18 matches. Hantz previously coached Le Mans from 2004-07 and Sochaux for six months in 2007.

Doping: Italy's Eduardo Carlos Morgado Oliveira has been banned for two years for testing positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone during the Futsal (five-a-side) World Cup in October, FIFA said.

Violence: A Twente fan was injured by a hatchet in clashes with Paris St Germain supporters ahead of a UEFA Cup game at the Parc des Princes, police said yesterday. Paris police said the fan had been taken to hospital but his life was not in danger. About 1,500 supporters were expected in Paris for the match.

In Mexico: Former Mexico coach Jesus Ramirez said robbers broke into his home, kept his family captive for around an hour and stole his world under-17 championship winners medal among other possessions. "My family were in the hands of these characters for more than an hour," he said.

Van der Vaart: Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart says he needs to improve to earn a regular place in the team but dismissed media reports the Spanish champions were looking to offload him. "I have been here five months and think it is a little early to start speaking of these things. No one has said anything to me," he said.

Nascar: Chrysler, which is halting factory operations for at least a month as sales and cash dwindle, will not abandon its involvement in the NASCAR racing circuit but will reduce spending, a top executive said yesterday. A day after the cash-strapped automaker said it will idle North American plants starting today, Mike Accavitti, director of Chrysler's Dodge brand and motorsports, said the automaker would not change its involvement with the sport. "We're not going to pull out. We are going to throttle back," he told Reuters.

Vainikolo charged: England winger Lesley Vainikolo was charged yesterday for assault on another man in the city of Bath two months ago. A Somerset police spokesman said the 29-year-old Tongan-born Gloucester player was charged with grievous bodily harm following the incident on Oct. 26 in which the victim received a head wound and needed hospital treatment.

Sumo wrestling: Three Japanese sumo wrestlers were handed suspended jail sentences yesterday for beating up a 17-year-old trainee who later died, a court said, in a case that has sparked concern over training practices in the ancient sport. The wrestlers, all in their 20s, had been accused of beating the trainee with a metal bat during sparring practice last year, a day after clobbering him for hours with a beer bottle and a wooden stick, local media reported.

Tennis: Wimbledon will open its doors to the public on May 17 to test its new retractable roof on Centre Court, organisers said. The All England Club will hold the ticketed event five weeks before the start of the grasscourt grand slam in June. Media reports suggested former champions Andre Agassi and Stefan Edberg had been approached to take part in the event along with former British number one Tim Henman.