Sporting briefs

'Platini': CSKA Sofia have shelved plans to build a squad made up entirely of home-based players after signing three overseas players, including Brazilian striker Michel Platini. Platini, namesake of the UEFA president, was one of the Bulgarian league's revelations last season, scoring a series of goals for Chernomorets Burgas.

Rothen: French midfielder Jerome Rothen has joined Rangers on a one-year loan from Paris SG. The 31-year-old Rothen, capped 13 times by France, had joined the Paris club from Ligue 1 rivals Monaco in 2004.

Blokhin: Former Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin has been appointed sporting director of Chernomorets Odessa, the Ukrainian Premier League club said. Blokhin, 56, European Player of the Year in 1975, had been out of work since being sacked as coach of FK Moscow last November.

Pletikosa: Spartak Moscow goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa will be out of action for up to six months after undergoing knee surgery. "Surgery was a success. Rehabilitation will take about six months," Spartak said.

Arshavin: Russia captain Andrei Arshavin is out of Saturday's 2010 World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein and could miss the clash with Wales four days later after suffering a groin injury. The Arsenal forward picked up the injury playing for his club in Saturday's 2-1 league defeat by Manchester United.

Stoke: Stoke City signed defender Danny Collins from Sunderland for 2.75 million pounds. The fee for Collins, 29, could rise to 3.5 million pounds and Stoke boss Tony Pulis told his club's website: "Danny has been Sunderland's player of the year for the past two seasons which speaks volumes for the impact he has had at that level."

Celtic: Celtic defender Darren O'Dea signed a new three-year contract with the Scottish Premier League club yesterday, then joined Reading on loan until January. O'Dea, 22, has made 50 appearances for Celtic since his debut against St Mirren in September 2006.

Cycling: Italian sprint specialist Alessandro Petacchi has signed for Lampre for the 2010 and 2011 seasons, his new team said in a statement. The 35-year-old, who missed the 2007 and 2008 Tours de France after testing positive for banned substance salbutamol, leaves the LPR Brakes team. He will replace world champion Alessandro Ballan, who is poised to join American team BMC next year.

Olympics: Huge payments to advisers working for Salzburg's ultimately failed bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics raised suspicions of incompetence in the media. In total, over two million euros were paid out to companies, some based in Croatia and Uruguay, Austrian daily Kurier reported. Erwin Roth, one of Salzburg's consultants, is reported to have received a monthly fee of €90,000 over a 13-month period for advice on strategy on the Austrian city's bid to host the Games which went in the end to Russian candidate Sochi.

Athletics: Jamaican triple Olympic and world champion Usain Bolt will race in the 200 metres at the IAAF world athletics final in Thessaloniki, Greece, on September 13, the international governing body said. The race is an addition to Bolt's European schedule, which was to end with a 200 metres in Brussels on Friday. The 23-year-old, who shattered his 100 and 200 metres world records at the Berlin World Championships, will end his season with 100 metres races in Shanghai on September 20 and Daegu, South Korea, on September 25.

Horse racing: Former champion jockey Kieren Fallon was granted a licence by the British Horseracing Authority yesterday. Fallon, six times Britain's champion jockey, has been absent from British race courses since July 2006 due to the Old Bailey trial into race-fixing and an 18-month drugs ban. The 44-year-old is due to have his first rides in England for three years at Lingfield and Kempton on Friday.

II/III Division Knockout: Mdina vs Sirens 2-1; Qrendi vs Għargħur 1-3.