FORMULA ONE: Former Formula One driver Eddie Irvine was sentenced to six months in prison by an Italian court yesterday in a trial over a brawl in a nightclub, a lawyer in the case said. The judge found Irvine and Gabriele Moratti guilty of “mutual injury” during the incident in the VIP section of the Hollywood nightclub in Milan in 2008. Each had accused the other of using a glass in the brawl. A lawyer for Moratti said the sentence was likely to be suspended and that neither would go to jail. He denied Italian media reports the two had fought over a woman.

PARIS MARATHON: Kenenisa Bekele will make his marathon debut in Paris in April after the prospect of a clash with Mo Farah in London failed to materialise. Ethiopia’s three-time former Olympic champion had been widely tipped to line up alongside British athlete Farah in London, but race director Dave Bedford said it had become an unlikely prospect. And Paris Marathon organisers confirmed that Bekele will instead line up in their race on April 6.

BASKET, NBA: The National Basketball Association fined New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith $50,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct after twice tinkering with opponents’ shoelaces, the league said yesterday. Smith was fined after he attempted to untie the shoelace of the Detroit Pistons’ Greg Malone at the free-throw line on Tuesday. He had been warned by league officials to refrain from similar conduct after he untied the shoelace of Dallas Mavericks’ forward Shawn Marion during a free-throw attempt in New York’s 92-80 road win on Saturday.

RUGBY UNION: Australia captain Ben Mowen is to quit the country at the end of 2014 and play in Europe, ending his hopes of representing the Wallabies at the 2015 World Cup. The 29-year-old loose forward only made his international debut last year before he was sensationally vaulted into the captaincy role by coach Ewen McKenzie as he shook up the team after replacing New Zealander Robbie Deans in July.