Sporting briefs

Martins: Newcastle manager Alan Shearer will not take disciplinary action against Obafemi Martins, despite the Nigeria striker's late withdrawal from Saturday's 1-1 draw against Stoke. Martins was a surprise omission from the Newcastle squad and Shearer revealed after the match that the former Inter star had only informed him six hours before kick-off that he was pulling out with a groin injury.

Agger: Liverpool defender Daniel Agger, who will be out of contract at the end of next season, has endured a frustrating season of injuries but wants to stay at Anfield in future. The 24-year-old is in talks with the club over a new deal but admits the outcome is uncertain. "I am at the stage of my career where I need to play but that situation has nothing to do with the contract talks," he said. "I don't know when things will be decided. I don't have a clue. In my heart, I hope I will be here next season."

Amauri: Striker Amauri is likely to play for Juventus in the big clash against Inter next Saturday after recovering from a thigh injury. "It was not a simple injury to recover from but the pain is gone now," he said. "The two strongest teams in Italy will be meeting. Mathematics still leave us hope and therefore we must continue believing until it is impossible. There are great expectations on our part."

Moyes: David Moyes says that while he's flattered by talk of his succeeding Alex Ferguson at Manchester United his sole concern is to win trophies for Everton. Ahead of his side's clash with United in next weekend's FA Cup semi-final Moyes said: "I try not to take any notice but obviously stuff comes back to you. It is nice. But maybe it's Alex Ferguson having a different kind of mind games to soften David Moyes up. That might be the case or it might not. But I would never be disloyal or disrespectful to my club."

Scotland: Scotland will take on Japan in a friendly international on October 10, the Scottish FA said. Both sides will hope the fixture in Japan, at a venue yet to be confirmed, will form part of their preparations for the 2010 World Cup.

Cycling: Belgian Tom Boonen, riding for Quick Step, won the 259km Paris-Roubaix race for the third time yesterday. Boonen came through in a dramatic finale which saw three potential champions crash inside the final 18km. After forcing the decisive break with 46km to go, he then overcame a mechanical problem to see off Italian Filippo Pozzato and Norwegian Thor Hushovd.

Tennis: Lleyton Hewitt reached his first clay court final in a decade with a 7-6 6-4 victory over Evgeny Korolev at the US men's Clay Court Championships in Houston. The Australian was playing Wayne Odesnik in last night's final. Hewitt won his 498th career match, moving him closer to joining Roger Federer and Carlos Moya as the only active players with 500 wins.

Rugby Union: There will be seven English clubs in the 2009-10 European Cup, one more than this season, while the number of French clubs drops to six following Toulouse's loss to Cardiff Blues. England and France are guaranteed six clubs in European club rugby's premier competition, with a seventh berth up for grabs depending on the relevant country's overall performances.