Van Nistelrooy: Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, 32, expects to be fit in time for next season after making progress on his comeback from knee surgery. "I will start some gentle jogging next week. The pre-season starts in mid-July and if all goes well I think I'll be able to join up with the group again in the first weeks of August," he said.
Stabbed in Rome: Two men were stabbed and eight others arrested before the Champions League final. Briton Greg Whedon, 34, was stabbed in his left leg outside his hotel. Four Italians stabbed a 23-year-old American during the night after assuming he was British when he spoke to them in English. Two other Britons were arrested for paying a 300-euro dinner bill at the upscale Cafe de Paris on Via Veneto with fake banknotes.
Ronaldo: Corinthians striker Ronaldo has been given a one-match ban for pulling an opponent's hair. The striker was found guilty of ungentlemanly conduct for the incident during the goalless draw with Botafogo 10 days ago. The incident, not seen by the referee, happened as Ronaldo tussled with Botafogo defender Fahel and was caught by television cameras.
Portsmouth: Abu Dhabi billionaire Sulaiman al-Fahim has had his offer to buy Portsmouth accepted, the Premier League club said yesterday. Fahim, a board member of the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development that bought Manchester City last year, has been discussing the deal with Portsmouth owner Alexandre Gaydamak.
Cricket: England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has been ruled out of the World Twenty20 after failing to recover in time from knee surgery, the England and Wales Cricket Board said. The 31-year-old, who missed the test and one-day series against West Indies after his latest bout of surgery, is replaced in England's squad by Yorkshire leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who has yet to play a senior international match. Flintoff damaged his right knee playing for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.
Basket, NBA: Dwight Howard dominated the overtime period to lift the Orlando Magic to a 116-114 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, putting the home team on the verge of a trip to the NBA finals. Howard's two free-throws with 21 seconds remaining capped a 10-point effort in the extra session as the centre nicknamed 'Superman' finished with 27 points and 14 rebounds to help the Magic leave LeBron James's Cavs facing a stunning series defeat.
Athletics: Olympic 100 metres gold medallist and world record holder Usain Bolt can expect a stern test at the Festival of Excellence after organisers unveiled a quality field to face the Jamaican sprinter. Bolt will be the featured athlete at the June 11 meet in Toronto as he prepares for the upcoming world championships in Berlin. The line-up for the 100m will have five Olympians, including three who have dipped under 10 seconds.
Cycling: Franco Pellizotti won the 17th stage of the Giro d'Italia yesterday after holding off a number of top riders in the closing stages. The Italian Liquigas rider triumphed on the short 83kms mountainous route from Chieti while Russia's Denis Menchov retained the leader's pink jersey after finishing in the leading pack. Lance Armstrong was in the leading group for a short while before dropping back. The three-week race finishes in Rome on Sunday.