Sporting briefs
Vidic: Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic signed a new four-year contract with the Premier League club yesterday. United announced last month that Vidic had agreed to extend his stay at Old Trafford and the Serbian centre-back has now officially...
Vidic: Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic signed a new four-year contract with the Premier League club yesterday. United announced last month that Vidic had agreed to extend his stay at Old Trafford and the Serbian centre-back has now officially sealed the deal.
Nemeth: Liverpool’s Hungarian international striker Krisztian Nemeth is set to join Olympiakos, the Greek club confirmed. The 21-year-old has agreed a three-year deal, the club said without giving any financial details.
Gignac: France international striker Andre-Pierre Gignac has joined Marseille on a five-year contract from Toulouse. The transfer fee was not revealed but Toulouse had been holding out for €18 million for Gignac, as they must pay 20 per cent of his transfer fee to his former club Lorient.
Derbyshire: New signing Matt Derbyshire will make his Birmingham debut in their Barclays Premier League match against Blackburn at St Andrew’s today. The former Rovers striker joined the Blues this week from Greek side Olympiacos on a season-long loan.
Odemwingie: West Bromwich Albion signed Nigeria striker Peter Odemwingie from Lokomotiv Moscow for an undisclosed fee yesterday. Odemwingie agreed a two-year contract with an option for a further year’s extension and the move was completed after he passed a medical. The 29-year-old becomes boss Roberto Di Matteo’s sixth signing since Albion’s promotion from the Championship last season.
Powerade Cup: Final – Ħamrun Spartans vs Floriana 1-1 (Ħamrun win 4-3 on penalties). Third place play-off – Qormi vs Vittoriosa 0-1.
Commonwealth Games: Australia’s Triple Olympic gold medallist Stephanie Rice will have shoulder surgery and miss the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October, the swimmer said yesterday. Rice, in California to compete in the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, said she could no longer swim through the pain caused by inflammation in her right shoulder and would have surgery, probably within a fortnight.
Volleyball: European champions Italy defeated the Netherlands to secure a berth in the final round with Japan in the World Grand Prix women’s volleyball tournament yesterday. The Italian women, who whipped the Netherlands in the European final, repeated their performance with a 29-27, 25-16, 25-15 victory, while Japan beat the Dominican Republic 25-15, 23-25, 31-29, 25-20. Twelve teams are taking part in the three-week preliminary round competition. The top five teams and hosts China will advance to the final round to be played in Ningbo from August 25-29.
Basketball: Spanish swingman Rudy Fernandez was fined 25,000 dollars by the NBA for “public statements detrimental to the NBA” after his agent said he did want to play for Portland this coming season. Fernandez’s agent, Andy Miller, told reporters that his client wants to play in Europe next season and is even willing to sit out for the next two seasons remaining on his contract with the Trail Blazers. The NBA said it was the statements about Fernandez wanting to be traded or released by the Trail Blazers that prompted the fine.
Athletics: American Harold Connolly, the 1956 Melbourne Olympics hammer throw champion and former world record-holder, has died. He was 79. Connolly competed for the United States at four Olympics, winning in Australia while wearing ballet shoes to improve his footing. He also finished eighth in 1960 at Rome and sixth in 1964 at Tokyo. The 12-time US champion set six world records in a sport he began to help strengthen a left arm that was slightly withered at birth and weakened by injuries in wrestling and American football.