Ref banned: Tunisian referee Slim Jdidi has been banned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) after his controversial performance in the African Nations Cup semi-final between Burkina Faso and Ghana. Among the contentious issues during Wed-nesday’s match in Nelspruit was the red card given to Burkina Faso forward Jonathan Pitroipa for simulation that could mean he will miss Sunday’s final against Nigeria.

Balotelli fined: Mario Balotelli’s troubles have followed him back to Italy after media reports yesterday said the Milan striker was fined by police following a row over his parked car at a city airport. The 22-year-old parked his car in front of Linate arrivals and pretended to move it when police asked - only then to be sanctioned.

Chelsea: Chelsea will visit Indonesia for the first time in July as the final leg of their pre-season tour of Asia. The European champions will face an Indonesia XI at Jakarta’s 88,000-seat Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on July 25, following matches in Thailand and Malaysia.

US lose: The United States’ bid for a place in Brazil 2014 suffered an early setback with a 2-1 defeat to Honduras in San Pedro Sula on Wednesday in the opening match of final round of CONCACAF qualifying. Nine games remain for Juergen Klinsmann’s US team as they challenge for a spot in the finals but with their next away game a tough trip to Mexico City, the loss puts pressure on the Americans.

Man.United: Manchester United will take on J -League outfit Cerezo Osaka this summer as part of their pre-season preparations. It is the second fixture during a short stint in Japan, which is bound to be well received given the presence of Shinji Kagawa in Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad. The game, on July 26, will take place at the Nagai Stadium.

Davies: Nottingham Forest have appointed former manager Billy Davies after the Scot turned down a move to Blackpool. Davies, who was sacked as Forest manager in June 2011 has returned to his former job after Alex McLeish’s 40-day reign at the Championship side came to an end on Tuesday.

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