Sporting briefs

Diego: The on-off transfer of Brazilian midfielder Diego from Juventus to Wolfsburg looks set to be finalised today, the Bundesliga club have announced. The clubs have agreed the contract which will take the 25-year-old back to the Bundesliga and the Brazilian is set to put pen to a four-year deal estimated to be worth around 15 million euros.

Cerci: Fiorentina yesterday announced the signing of winger Alessio Cerci from Roma. The 23-year-old cost three million euros on a four-year deal worth €800,000 a year, according to Italian press reports. Cerci came through the youth ranks at Roma but failed to break into the first team and has had loan spells at Brescia, Pisa and Atalanta.

Adriano: Roma’s Brazilian forward Adriano has suffered a thigh strain, his club said yesterday. The 28-year-old former Inter player was injured in training on Wednesday and underwent tests yesterday. Roma did not reveal how much time he would be out but the Italian press claimed he could face a month on the sidelines for such an injury.

Jelavic: Rangers new-boy Nikica Jelavic has been given the green light to play for the Scottish champions after being granted a work permit yesterday. Jelavic agreed to move from Rapid Vienna last Friday in a four million pounds deal, but the Croatia striker had to wait for the Scottish FA to give him a work permit before he could officially begin his spell at Ibrox.

Murray: Wolves goalkeeper Matt Murray has been forced to retire after losing his battle to recover from a serious tendon injury. Former England Under-21 international Murray had been ravaged by injury for much of his career and was unable to recover from a ruptured patella tendony.

Schalke: Last season’s Bundesliga runners-up Schalke 04 have signed Ghana’s World Cup defender Hans Sarpei on a two-year deal. The experienced German-bred 34-year-old all-rounder has joined from Bayer Leverkusen, in a deal worth 400,000 euros.

Serie B: Novara vs Triestina 2-0.

League Cup: Second round – Birmingham vs Rochdale 3-2.

Tennis: Australia’s former world number one Lleyton Hewitt is looking for a new coach after splitting with Nathan Healy. The pair, who played together in doubles tournaments this year, have parted ways after 12 months. Hewitt’s manager David Drysdale said the split was amicable with Healy wanting to spend more time with his wife and two-year-old daughter. Drysdale said Hewitt would not be rushing to fill the position with the US Open starting at New York’s Flushing Meadows on Monday.

New York Marathon: Kenya’s Mary Keitany, the ­25-kilometre world record-holder, and Japan’s Arata Fujiwara were among eight new entrants announced by organisers of the 41st New York Marathon. The November 7 race will be the marathon debut for Keitany, the reigning world half-marathon champion who set a 25km world mark of 79 mins 53 secs last May in Berlin. Keitany, 28, has not lost a half-marathon since October 2007. Joining her in the women’s field were two-time New Zealand Olympian Kim Smith and former world champion Werknesh Kidane of Ethiopia.

Formula One: Michael Schumacher has finally apologised to Rubens Barrichello 25 days after nearly running the Brazilian into a concrete wall during the Hungarian GP. Barrichello had come close of being forced into the pit wall after Schumacher moved to his right in attempting to block the Williams driver from overtaking. Barrichello said: “I received a message from him today, an SMS. Somebody said to him that I was under the impression he had pushed me onto the wall, and he said it wasn’t the case and he apologised for that. I just said ‘thank you, no problem’. I accepted it, wished him a good weekend, life goes on.”

Rugby Union: The doctor at the centre of the Harlequins fake blood scandal did not act in the best interests of the rugby player she cut to cover up a bogus injury, a disciplinary panel said yesterday. Wendy Chapman gave into pressure from Harlequins winger Tom Williams, who wanted to conceal that he had bitten into a fake-blood capsule during last April’s European Cup quarter-final tie against Irish side Leinster, who held on to win 6-5. His so-called injury meant a specialist goal kicker could come on to the pitch in the final stages of the match.