Sporting briefs

Portsmouth: Portsmouth have agreed a 4.5 million euros ($6.38 million) deal with Lens for Algerian defender Nadir Belhadj who has been on loan with the English Premier League club this season. "Even (Arsenal boss) Arsene Wenger commented on his ability to spring from defence to attack so quickly," manager Tony Adams said after the 26-year-old signed a four-and-a-half year deal. "He has great pace and is a terrific crosser of the ball."

Borriello: Milan forward Marco Borriello is not expected to return from a thigh injury for another month, chief executive Adriano Galliani said. "I fear that Borriello will not be available before the end of January," Galliani told a news conference at Milan's winter training camp in Dubai.

Russia awards: Russia manager Guus Hiddink and Zenit St Petersburg boss Dick Advocaat have been named the recipients of the Merited Coach of Russia award - the country's highest sporting honour - by Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko. This year, Hiddink led his team to the European Championship semi-finals for the first time in 20 years while fellow Dutchman Advocaat guided Zenit to UEFA Cup victory.

Iniesta: Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta has recovered from a thigh injury that has sidelined him for eight weeks and he could play in the Primera Liga match at home to Real Mallorca on Saturday.

Zigic: Nicola Zigic said he wants to put his disappointing spell with Valencia behind him now he has returned to former club Racing Santander on loan until the end of this season. "I am not interested in looking to the past any longer and above all I want to score goals for Racing," the Serbian striker said.

Fuller: Stoke City have not discussed transfer-listing or selling Ricardo Fuller despite the forward's sending off for slapping his club captain Andy Griffin, chairman Peter Coates said. He said: "There have been no discussions about selling Ricardo Fuller. He is such an important player for us. We want to strengthen the team rather than sell our best players."

In England: Premier League - Hull 0 Aston Villa 1 (Zayatte 88 og).

In Scotland: Division One - Morton vs Partick 2-0; Dunfermline vs Livingston 1-0. Division Two - Brechin vs Ayr 0-1.

Tennis: Former world number one Maria Sharapova, who has played just three matches since early June, has pulled out of next month's Hong Kong exhibition tournament because she has not fully recovered from a shoulder injury. "It's with much disappointment that I have to withdraw. I've been using this event for the last five years to get ready for the new season, in fact Hong Kong has been successful in preparing me for the Australian Open," Sharapova, who won the Melbourne grand slam this year, said on her website.

Shooting: New Zealand's only Olympic medal winning shooter Ian Ballinger has died at the age of 83, local media reported on Monday. Ballinger, who won a bronze in the 50-metre prone rifle at the 1968 Mexico City Games and also went to the 1972 Olympics in Munich and 1976 Montreal Games, died on December 24, the New Zealand Herald reported on its website.

Ice hockey: Alexei Cherepanov, who died after losing consciousness during a Russian Superleague game two months ago, had been taking banned substances, government investigators said. The 19-year-old forward, one of Russia's most talented young hockey players, was rushed to hospital after collapsing late in the third period of the game between Vanguard Omsk and Chekhov, a small town south of Moscow. He never regained consciousness and later died.