Sporting briefs

Real: Fernando Gago and Pedro Leon were excluded from Real Madrid’s side for the Spanish Cup semi-final against Sevilla last night after almost coming to blows at a training session. The club said the duo were not part of the squad for “technical reasons”.

French Cup: Fifth division amateurs Chambery continued their dream French Cup run yesterday, a 2-1 victory over Sochaux seeing them progress into the quarter-finals. Sochaux had previously knocked out Monaco and Brest.

Roma: Abu Dhabi-based investment fund Aabar yesterday denied news that they were making an offer to buy Roma. “An offer has not been made to buy Roma and Aabar does not intend to make one in the future,” the group said.

Samba: Blackburn Rovers captain Christopher Samba has committed his future to the club by signing a new contract until the summer of 2015. There had been speculation about the centre-back after he suggested last month that he was looking to move.

Matavz: Groningen striker Tim Matavz will join Napoli in June. Initially it had looked as though the 22-year-old would arrive on deadline day last week, however, a few details weren’t sorted out in time and the deal was postponed. Matavz is among the top scorers in Holland this season with 12 goals.

Drink-driving: Levski Sofia’s top scorer, Malian Garra Dembele, was handed an eight-month suspended sentence for drink-driving yesterday. Dembele was handed the suspended sentence with a three-year probation period after being caught drink-driving in December and presenting police with a forged driving licence.

Julio Cesar: Goalkeeper Julio Cesar wants to keep playing for Inter until 2014. The 31-year-old has been linked with a move amid speculation that Bologna’s Emiliano Viviano is already lined up as his replacement. Asked whether he will still be at Inter when his contract expires in 2014, Cesar replied: “I don’t see why I should change. For me Viviano’s arrival wouldn’t change anything.”

Commonwealths: An Indian government probe into corruption at the Commonwealth Games has accused two broadcasting executives of colluding with a British company over a deal to provide television coverage. The Shunglu committee, which is investigating allegations of massive financial malpractice at the Games, said that the deal with SIS Live cost the Indian government about $30m. The Commonwealths in October were marred by poor organisation despite a budget that ballooned from $2 billion to $6 billion.

Basket, NBA: LaMarcus Aldridge poured in a career-high 40 points on Tuesday as Portland Trail Blazers handed San Antonio Spurs just their eighth defeat of the NBA season. Aldridge also added 11 rebounds in the 99-86 victory over league leaders San Antonio, who snapped Portland’s own two-game losing streak. The game marked the start of a nine-game road trip for San Antonio, an annual event for the team as a rodeo takes over their home arena.

Sumo: The head of Japan’s sumo association yesterday apologised in the wake of match-fixing allegations that have dealt a fresh blow to the ancient sport’s already tarnished image. Japan Sumo Association chairman Hanaregoma made the apology after Japanese media reports said police uncovered text messages from the cellphones of wrestlers that implied they were fixing bouts. The association has already summoned some wrestlers involved in match-fixing but has yet to confirm the allegations.

Rugby Union: The head of rugby union’s international governing body was tight-lipped yesterday following talks in Fiji aimed at ironing out issues which threaten to derail the Pacific nation’s World Cup preparations. IRB chief executive Mike Miller described his discussions on Tuesday with Fiji Sports Minister Filipe Bole as “fruitful” but refused to answer questions. Miller flew to Fiji following reports the military government was withholding $1.6 million in World Cup funding in a row after an investigation found the FRU had mismanaged funds.

Cricket: Australia conjured up their biggest ever successful run chase to beat England by two wickets in a thrilling sixth one-day international at the Sydney Cricket Ground yesterday. After a Jonathan Trott century helped England post their highest ever ODI score against Australia of 333-6, the home side batted their way into contention, needing six to win off the final over with two wickets in hand. It was Australia’s record run chase in an ODI and extended their lead over the tourists in the seven-match series to 5-1 with one game to play.