Sporting briefs

Terry: Chelsea captain John Terry was included in a 20-man squad that headed to France yesterday for the Champions League match away to Marseille tonight. But Chelsea have left striker Nicolas Anelka and full-back Ashley Cole back in London. Terry returned to action in the champions’ 1-1 league draw with Everton on Saturday following a nerve problem in his right leg.

Raid: Ghana’s anti-graft agency yesterday raided the country’s Football Association headquarters as part of its investigation into alleged corruption, officials said. Agents of the Serious Fraud Unit, who arrived at the Ghana FA with a court warrant, took away computers and mobile phones and prevented workers from entering the premises, they said.

In jail: Bruno Souza, the Brazilian keeper suspected of having his ex-girlfriend killed, was sentenced to four and half years in prison yesterday on charges related to her disappearance. Judge Marco Couto pronounced the sentence against Souza, who in July was charged with the kidnap and murder of 25-year-old Eliza Samudio. Her body has not been found.

Win to stand: No club will challenge Barcelona’s 3-0 win over Osasuna at the weekend, despite the team’s late arrival for the match in violation of federation rules. The Barcelona squad arrived in Pamplona at 8:02 p.m., two minutes after the league match was due to start. Bar-celona took a risk in travelling by bus on Saturday as the nation’s air space was shut down by a 24-hour strike by air traffic controllers.

Junta bid: Manchester United were once the target of a takeover by Myanmar’s military junta, according to an American diplomatic document revealed by whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks. A cable sent from the US embassy in Rangoon to Washington revealed military commander-in-chief Than Shwe was advised by his grandson before January 2009 to look into the possibility of buying Manchester United.

Snooker: UK Championship, second round results – Robertson bt Higginson 9-5; Allen bt Junhui 9-8; Higgins bt Dott 9-8; Maguire bt Selby 9-7.

Marathon: The route of Jerusalem’s first-ever marathon came under fire yesterday, with critics calling for the main sponsor to boycott the event which passes through the city’s occupied eastern sector. Criticism of the route was outlined in a letter by three Jerusalem city councillors sent to German sportswear giant Adidas, one of the main sponsors of the event to take place in March. In the letter, the councillors urged Adidas to withdraw sponsorship of the event unless the route is changed.

Volleyball: Britain will field a women’s volleyball team in the London 2012 Olympics despite having their funding stopped. The British Olympic Association yesterday confirmed they will field both men’s and women’s volleyball teams using the ‘host nation qualification places’. Under normal circumstances neither team is likely to have qualified for the Games.

Boxing: Vladimir Klitschko dismissed Dereck Chisora, his challenger for his three heavyweight world titles next Saturday, declaring that he did not beat up women unlike his British opponent. Klitschko was referring to the fact that 26-year-old Chisora received a three-month suspended sentence in November for assaulting his ex-girlfriend.

Basketball: Amare Stoudemire poured in 34 points to lead the New York Knicks to their fifth straight NBA victory on Monday, a 121-114 triumph over Minnesota. Wilson Chandler added 21 points and Raymond Felton chipped in 18 points and 11 assists for New York, who won for the 10th time in 11 games and improved to 13-9. It is the first time the Knicks have been four games better than .500 since they finished the 2000-01 season with a 48-34 record. Stoudemire joined the Knicks in July.