Sporting briefs

Ferdinand: Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has been given a four-match ban after the Football Association branded his appeal against a violent conduct charge "frivolous". Ferdinand had denied the charge relating to an incident with Hull City's Craig Fagan last Saturday, meaning he was free to play in United's League Cup semi-final second leg against Manchester City on Wednesday.

Ronaldo: Real Madrid's bid to get Cristiano Ronaldo's red card and two-match suspension reversed has been rejected. Real had said that if the appeal failed they would take the case to Spain's Sporting Disciplinary Committee, a body overseen by the government sports council.

Pompey: Portsmouth's financial problems continued yesterday when the club's official website was shut down because its operators had not been paid. Hard-up Portsmouth face a winding up order in the High Court on Feb.10.

Brown: Craig Brown has agreed to take on the role of Motherwell manager on a permanent basis. The 69-year-old will continue in the role until at least the end of the season after winning his first two Premier League games in total charge.

Dos Santos: Tottenham's Mexican midfielder Giovani Dos Santos has joined Turkish side Galatasaray on loan until the end of the season. Dos Santos joined Tottenham from Barcelona in June 2008 but has made just 15 appearances for the London club.

King's Cup: QFs second legs - Sevilla vs Deportivo 0-1 (agg: 3-1); Getafe vs Mallorca 0-1 (agg: 2-2. Getafe through on away goals).

Snooker: Welsh Open (Last 16) - O'Sullivan vs Cope 5-0; Allen vs Stevens 5-2; Maguire vs Hawkins 5-1.

Basketball: Women's MBA Shield SFs - Depiro vs Hibs 57-44; Luxol vs Loyola 64-33.

Doping: Alena Sidko, one of Russia's top cross-country skiers, has received a two-year ban for doping. She had been considered a contender for medals in the sprint events next month in Vancouver after winning several World Cup races and finishing third at the 2006 Turin Olympics and at the World Championships the previous year.

Motorcycling: Lambretta, whose wobbly scooters festooned with flags and wing mirrors were beloved of 1960s 'Mods', is taking to the racetrack to compete in this year's 125cc world championship. The provisional entry list, published by the governing FIM this week, included two bikes entered by Lambretta Reparto Corse and ridden by Spaniard Luis Salom and Italian Marco Ravaioli.

Basket, NBA: Gilbert Arenas and Washington Wizards team-mate Javaris Crittenton have been suspended for the rest of the NBA season after a league investigation into them bringing guns into the team locker room. The pair brought the weapons with them following a dispute on a flight home from a game and NBA commissioner David Stern said they had clearly breached league rules.