Sporting briefs

Lippi: Marcello Lippi said he won’t be coaching Lyon next season, dismissing reports that appeared in the French media last week. Lyon are lagging behind in the title race this season and the fans have turned on the current manager, Claude Puel. “I have never received offers from Lyon’s directors,” Lippi said.

Japan: Japan yesterday withdrew from the Copa America after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Japan FA president Junji Ogura had travelled to CONMEBOL’s Parag-uayan headquarters to update the confederation on the situation with the quake and tsunami having brought to a halt action in the J-League, creating a fixture backlog now set to be resolved in July.

Abidal: Barcelona defender Eric Abidal was present at his club’s training session yesterday, without actually taking part, for the first time since undergoing an operation to remove a liver tumour. He “put on his tracksuit to stroll around the pitch”, the Spanish club said.

Friedel: Aston Villa have opened talks with veteran keeper Brad Friedel over a new contract, according to his agent. Friedel’s agent, Tony McGill, said: “We are in talks over a new contract.”

Grant: West Ham manager Avram Grant has been handed a two-match touchline ban and fined €6,800 for comments made about match official Mike Jones. Grant was found guilty of improper conduct relating to comments made in the aftermath of the Hammers’ 2-1 FA Cup defeat to Stoke on March 13.

Serie B: Frosinone vs Siena 0-1.

The Championship: QPR vs Sheffield United 3-0.

U-19 Friendly: Malta vs Hungary 0-0.

MFA Div. Three: Sirens vs Luqa 3-5; Kalkara vs Fgura 2-3.

Waterpolo: Winter League – Neptunes vs ASA U-17 24-5.

Rugby League: Test forward Anthony Watmough and a team-mate have been suspended by Australian National Rugby League club Manly Sea Eagles after their arrest on offensive behaviour charges. Watmough and hooker Terence Seuseu were banned for one NRL match after they were arrested for urinating on a shopfront late Sunday. Watmough and Seuseu were also fined a week’s wages by the club, in addition to the AUS$220 ($S220) on-the-spot fine issued by police for their offensive behaviour.

Golf: Stacy Lewis conquered her nerves and held off defending champion and world No.1 Tseng Yani to win the LPGA Kraft Nabisco Championship in California. Lewis made the first major of the year her first career LPGA victory, firing a three-under par 69 for a 13-under total of 275. She erased an early two-stroke deficit, coming out ahead as she and Taiwan’s Tseng turned the final round into a virtual head-to-head match.

Basketball: Miami Heat clinched the Southeast Division title with a 108-94 win over the New Jersey Nets behind 31 points and 11 rebounds from LeBron James late Sunday. “We don’t want to be jaded,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That’s the first step. It’s not our ultimate goal. We want to gobble up as many of those things as possible.” Victory moved Miami (54-23) within 2 1/2 games of the Chicago Bulls in the race for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Chicago have six games remaining and Miami five.

Cycling: The Spanish city of Ponferrada will host the 2014 UCI Road World Championships, the International Cycling Union announced. Pon-ferrada lost out to Florence as host of the 2013 championships and was the sole candidate for the 2014 event. World cycling’s governing body added that Oman and the US city of Richmond, Virginia, had already presented their candi-datures to host the 2015 UCI Road World Championships.