Sporting briefs

Diarra: Real Madrid have agreed to sell Mali midfielder Mahamadou Diarra to struggling French first division side Monaco. “Real Madrid and Monaco have agreed the transfer of the player Mahamadou Diarra,” Real said. “The agreement is dependent of the player passing a medical exam, as well as the signing of the contract with his new club.”

Wolfsburg: Ex-England boss Steve McClaren has begun the hunt to replace Edin Dzeko at Bundesliga side Wolfsburg by signing Congo striker Dieumerci Mbokani on loan from Monaco, it was reported Friday. McClaren sold hot-shot Dzeko to Premier League side Manchester City earlier this month for 37 million euros and Mbokani will play for the Bundesliga side until the end of the season.

Busquets: Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets has signed a contract extension to keep him at the Nou Camp until 2015. The 22-year-old this morning put pen to paper on his new deal at the club’s offices alongside president Sandro Rosell. The new agreement contains an automatic extension for a further year depending on games played in the 2014/15 campaign - and a buyout clause from 80 to 150m euros.

Asian Cup: Ticket revenue from the Asian Cup semi-finals raised around 330,000 US dollars for flood victims in Australia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, competition organisers revealed yesterday. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and Qatar FA (QFA) had earlier announced that money from ticket sales would go to help people affected by devastating floods in the three countries.

England U-21: England U-21 have a March double-header against Denmark and Iceland in the build-up to this summer’s European Championships. Stuart Pearce’s youngsters, who begin their preparations with a friendly in Italy next month, will face tournament hosts Denmark at one of the finals venues on March 24 before taking on fellow qualifiers Iceland at Deepdale stadium four days later.

Lee: South Korean veteran Lee Young-Pyo has confirmed his retirement from international football after his side went out of the Asian Cup in the semi-finals. Bidding to reach their first final since 1988, South Korea fell 3-0 on penalties to Japan in Doha on Tuesday, after a pulsating game finished 2-2 following extra-time. “I have decided to retire from the national team,” said the 33-year-old left-back.

Alpine Skiing: Downhiller Mario Scheiber became Austrian skiing’s second casualty inside a week yesterday when he suffered a fractured collar bone and broken nose in a heavy crash in training for the World Cup downhill in France. Scheiber was airlifted off the ‘Verte des Houches’ course to the nearby Sallanches hospital after the accident, which comes less than a week after team-mate Hans Grugger suffered serious head injuries in a crash on Kitzbuhel’s Streif course training.

Handball: The International Handball Federation yesterday awarded the 2015 men’s world championship to the Gulf emirate of Qatar, beating out competition from France, Norway and Poland. The women’s world championship in the same year went to Denmark, which was the only remaining candidate following the withdrawal of South Korea. The handball decision follows FIFA’s vote to host the 2022 football World Cup to Qatar and the emirate is currently staging the Asian Cup.

Basketball, NBA: The New York Knicks have surpassed the league champion Los Angeles Lakers as the National Basketball Association’s most valuable franchise, Forbes magazine said. New York’s franchise value climbed 12 per cent to $655 million, the magazine reported in its annual evaluation of sports teams. Sponsorships and ticket sales were the main factors for the increase. The Lakers went up by six per cent to $643 million. The magazine said that 17 of the NBA’s 30 teams lost money last season.

Rugby Union: Ireland are reeling from a double injury blow after Tommy Bowe and Jamie Heaslip were ruled out of the Six Nations opener against Italy. The Ospreys winger and Leinster number eight are the latest names to be added to a lengthy list of players who will miss the trip to Rome tomorrow week. Bowe is struggling with a knee problem while Heaslip is nursing an ankle injury and the race is now on for them to return against France on February 13.