Friendly: Morocco will play a friendly match against Northern Ireland in Belfast on November 17. Morocco will use the match as a warm-up for the 2012 Africa Cup qualifiers, in which they are in Group D along with Algeria, Tanzania and the Central African Republic.
Arles: Faruk Hadzibegic, the former manager of Bastia, was named as the new boss of struggling top-flight outfit Arles-Avignon. The former Yugoslav international replaces Michel Estevan, who was sacked last month.
Aguero: Atletico Madrid’s Argentine striker Sergio “Kun” Aguero will miss today’s league match at Sevilla after a training injury, the club said. Aguero suffered an injury to the gluteus maximus muscle of his left buttock during a training session on Friday. A club statement said he had undergone an MRI and had begun treatment.
Zico: Brazilian legend Zico said he has resigned as footballing executive of top side Flamengo just four months after taking the reins of his former club, citing poor relations with officials. “I believe that I cannot achieve right now what I wanted to for Flamengo. I have put many people’s backs up since my arrival,” said the former Brazil international who scored more than 500 goals for the club in two spells.
Messi: Barcelona star Lionel Messi last week received the Golden Boot award as last season’s top scorer in Europe’s domestic leagues at a ceremony. The 23-year-old Argentina striker’s 34 La Liga goals made him a clear winner ahead of Chelsea’s Didier Drogba and Udinese’s Antonio Di Natale, who both achieved 29.
Real Shirts: Real Madrid has sent signed jerseys to the 33 miners who have been trapped underground in Chile and invited them to attend a match at the club’s stadium in Spain once they are released. Real officials delivered the jerseys imprinted with the message “be strong miners” along with photo albums of players to Chile’s Mining Minister Laurence Golborne, the club said in a statement posted on its website.
Motor Racing: Defending IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti captured the pole for today’s season finale at Homestead, putting together a top lap of 213.187 mph around the 1.5-mile oval. Franchitti is within 11 points of Will Power in the championship race. His Target Chip Ganassi Racing team-mate Scott Dixon will start second. Power qualified third but could lose the lead he’s held for almost the entire season if Franchitti wins and leads the most laps today.
CYCLING: Former Paris-Roubaix winner Stuart O’Grady has confirmed his departure from Danish cycling team Saxo Bank. O’Grady, who is part of the Australian national team gunning for gold in the men’s elite event at the world road race championships today, said he has signed for a new as yet unnamed team. “The contract’s pretty much signed and completed but it’s just up to that (new) team whether or not they release it or not,” said O’Grady.
Swimming: The 22-year-old Mahoney, who is a rising star on the US swimming scene, tested positive for the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine, widely used as a nasal decongestant but also found in recreational drugs. The World Anti-Doping Agency added methylhexaneamine to its banned list this year. The drug increases alertness, delays fatigue and has a role in weight loss. It is also a popular ingredient in recreational “party pills” in New Zealand.
Tennis: World number four Andy Murray said yesterday he was in no rush to find a new coach, but would try to choose one before the 2011 season begins. The 23-year-old Scot sacked coach Miles Maclagan in July after a collaboration that lasted two-and-a-half years. “I said before the US Open, well, quite a few weeks before the US Open, that it’s not something I want to rush into. I want to make sure I pick the right coach,” Murray told reporters. “I don’t want to just go for anyone and it might be a mistake in three, four months,” he said.