Sporting briefs

CAPELLO: Fabio Capello will tell his England stars their World Cup fate in a group meeting to unveil his 23-man squad for the finals. Capello will take a preliminary group of 30 players for a week of training in Austria leading up to a friendly against Japan on May 30 and the Italian will then gather his players to let them know if they have earned a place in the final squad.

TRIBUTE: Reneil Sappleton and Emile Sinclair gave Macclesfield an emotional 2-0 victory at Hereford on Saturday in their first game since the death of manager Keith Alexander. Alexander, who passed away on Wednesday aged 53, was the subject of tributes at grounds around the country. The win was Town's first of 2010 and helps to ease their relegation fears.

ERIKSSON: Ivory Coast have revealed they are in talks with Sven-Goran Eriksson about coaching the team during the 2010 World Cup. The former England manager was present at the Elephants' 2-0 defeat to South Korea in a friendly at Loftus Road midweek. And, although president Jacques Anouma denied after the game they had contacted Eriksson, the Ivorian FA released a statement confirming the 62-year-old is very much a candidate.

RUBIN KAZAN: Russian champions Rusin Kazan added the Super Cup to their trophy cabinet, beating CSKA Moscow 1-0 yesterday. Russian international forward Alexander Bukharov scored the only goal of the match, dashing the Red Army side's hopes of winning their fifth Super Cup.

TROUBLE: The game from the Turkey top division between relegation-threatened Diyar-barkispor and second-placed Bursaspor was abandoned on Saturday due to crowd trouble. Play was suspended after fans threw objects on to the pitch, injuring visiting keeper Dimitar Ivankov, and police then had to use tear gas and water cannons to disperse fans as they clashed outside the stadium.

ONE TOURNAMENT: Chilean clubs decided to suspend this year's two championships and play a single tournament as a result of the devastation caused by a massive earthquake. Some clubs have been badly affected. Some foreign players have fled the country, Chilean players and their families have suffered losses and stadiums have been damaged.

RALLYING: France's Sebastien Loeb, driving a Citroen C4, won the Rally of Mexico yesterday, his 55th career world championship victory. It was the world champion's fourth win in Mexico following triumphs in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Victory gave Loeb a six-point lead in the championship standings over Mikko Hirvonen.

GOLF: South Korean teenager Noh Seung-yul demonstrated nerves of steel to win the Malaysian Open by one shot yesterday after a magical final-hole birdie. The 18-year-old floated a superb chip shot from behind a hospitality marquee to within four feet as his four-under-par 68 edged out compatriot KJ Choi, who closed with a 69. Noh finished with a winning total of 14-under 274 in Kuala Lumpur.

RUGBY UNION: France scrumhalf Frederic Michalak has been ruled out with a knee injury from next Sunday's Six Nations game against Italy and will be replaced by Dimitri Yachvili. "The decision has been taken after Michalak had medical tests. Yachvili will join the squad," team media manager Lionel Rossigneux said yesterday. Michalak injured his left knee in a tackle and was carried off on a stretcher in the second minute of his Toulouse club's 29-0 win over Stade Francais on Saturday.

BASKET, NBA: San Antonio playmaker Tony Parker was removed from last weekend's 102-92 victory at Memphis after suffering a broken bone in his right hand at the end of the first half. Parker, who ranks second on the club with 16.6 points a game, broke the fourth metacarpal, the bone between the wrist and bottom knuckle, in the final seconds of the second quarter.

SUMO: Former sumo grand champion Asashoryu has broken his silence after quitting the sport amid a "booze-rage" probe by apologising to his former boss. The 29-year-old Mongolian, whose birth name is Dolgorsurengiin Dagvadorj, was dressed in a suit and tie to make his first public comments since his retirement on Feb. 4. Asashoryu, who was frequently in hot water during his controversial career, abruptly retired from the ancient sport last month following reports of a drunken scuffle outside a Tokyo nightclub.