Sporting briefs

SPALLETTI: Italian coach Luciano Spalletti yesterday extended his contract with reigning Russian champions Zenit St Petersburg until June 2015. The 52-year-old joined the club in 2011 leading them to the league, cup and Super Cup titles and the knockout stages of the Champions League. No financial details of the deal were disclosed.

JAKUBKO: Russian Premier League side Amkar Perm confirmed yesterday they have signed former Slovakian international forward Martin Jakubko from Slovak club Ducla on an 18-month deal. The 31-year-old previously played for Russian sides Ramenskoye, Khimki, FC Moscow and Dynamo Moscow.

SCHWEINSTEIGER: Bayern Munich’s Germany international Bastian Schweinsteiger’s season took another bad turn with news he will likely be out for several weeks with right ankle ligament damage. Having only just returned to league action following surgery on a broken collarbone, the 27-year-old turned his ankle after 17 minutes of Wednesday’s German Cup 2-0 victory over Stuttgart.

WESLEY: Brazilian midfielder Wesley is to leave German top flight outfit Werder Bremen and return to his homeland with Palmeiras.”The contracts have been signed by both clubs” said Werder sports director Klaus Allofs yesterday as the Germans let go of a player they bought in August 2012 from Santos. Wesley, 24 and who has made just six appearances this season, was to fly today to Sao Paulo for a medical before signing a three-year contract for an estimated six million euros.

BYSTRON: Viktoria Plzen’s Czech defender David Bystron will not be able to compete even if selected in the 2012 European championships after being banned for two years by European football governing body UEFA for failing a drugs test. The 30-year-old failed the doping control after his side’s Champions League tie against Belarus side BATE Borisov. His suspension will expire on January 3, 2014.

VICE-CHAIRMAN DEAD: The vice-chairman of Sparta Prague, Lukas Pribyl, was found dead yesterday at his club office, Prague police said. “Police obtained information around 4 p.m. that the body of a 33-year-old man had been discovered,” police spokesman Tomas Hulan said, adding that the cause of death was not immediately known and that an autposy would follow.