Briefs

Diarra: Real Madrid will be without injured midfielder Lassana Diarra for the visit of Marseille in Champions League Group C today. The France international has a shoulder complaint, joining striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and defenders Alvaro Arbeloa and Christoph Metzelder on the injury list.

Neuer: Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is not to be punished for an alleged elbow on Borussia Dortmund's Kevin Grosskreutz after a fiery derby on Saturday. Grosskreutz accused the Germany international of intentionally elbowing him after the final whistle, but the incident looked harmless when the first footage of the presumed clash emerged yesterday.

McCourt: Northern Ireland have recalled Celtic midfielder Pat McCourt to their squad for a make-or-break World Cup qualifier against the Czech Republic in Prague on October 14. McCourt has been rewarded by manager Nigel Worthington after scoring in both of Celtic's last two matches.

Tunchev: Central defender Alexander Tunchev will miss Bulgaria's World Cup qualifiers against Cyprus and Georgia next month with a knee injury. Leicester City's Tunchev, 28, sustained the injury during his club's 2-1 defeat to Preston on Saturday.

Orellana: Chile midfielder Fabian Orellana has had his asthma medication approved by the Spanish sports council, clearing him to make his debut for promoted Xerez. Orellana needed approval to be able to use the banned stimulant Salbutamol for his condition, and has not been able to play for Xerez since completing a loan move from Udinese last month.

Lafita: Angel Lafita has been registered as a Real Zaragoza player with the Spanish football league (LFP) and will be available to play in the club's next match. On Monday, the LFP rejected an appeal from the midfielder's former club Deportivo, who were disputing the transfer fee agreed with Zaragoza.

Tennis: American third seed Sam Querrey has pulled out of the Thailand Open after undergoing emergency surgery for a freak arm injury sustained after a practice session. Querrey was sent to hospital in Bangkok late on Monday after he stumbled and landed on a glass table, badly cutting his right forearm.

Rugby Union: Australia have added a midweek game against English club Gloucester to their northern hemisphere tour at the end of this year. The Wallabies will play Gloucester on Nov. 3, four days before the opening leg of their Grand Slam tour against England at Twickenham.

Olympics: Payment card group Visa was unveiled as the principal sponsor of Britain's team for the London Olympics in 2012. The extent of the company's backing for Team 2012 was not revealed but the funding will help to meet a 50-million-pound shortfall in financing for Olympic and Paralympic sports caused by the economic recession. Sebastian Coe, chairman of the London organising committee, described the agreement with Visa as a "ground-breaking moment for British sport."

Motor Racing: Fernando Alonso will sign a five-year contract with Ferrari worth €25 million a season, Spanish radio said yesterday. The deal is expected to be announced tomorrow. Alonso is under contract with Renault until 2010 but has the option of leaving at the end of this year. At Ferrari, he will receive a salary of €25 million a season for five years, with the option of extending the contract by one more year.

Rugby Union: Lesley Vainikolo, the Tongan-born England wing, has been cleared for an international recall after serious assault charges against him were dropped. The 30-year-old stood trial earlier this month for causing grievous bodily harm to a fan, Jake Alicker, he punched outside a nightclub in October, 2008. Alicker, 25, suffered a fractured skull. The jury was unable to reach a verdict and the Crown Prosecution Service announced that it would not be pursuing the case against Vainikolo.