Postponed: The weekend's first match in the FA Cup third round between Burnley and Liverpool at Turf Moor last night has been postponed because of a waterlogged pitch. The game was due to kick off at 8.45 p.m. (Malta time) but after torrential rain in Lancashire referee Mark Clattenburg was forced to postpone the tie despite the hard work of the Burnley groundstaff to remove surface water from the pitch. First division Burnley will now host Premier League Liverpool on Tuesday January 18.

Hartson: Wales striker John Hartson signed a new contract with Scottish champions Celtic on Friday that will keep him at the club until May 2007. The 29-year-old Hartson, whose existing deal was due to expire in the close season, has scored 77 goals from 139 appearances since joining Celtic from Coventry City in August 2001. Celtic meet Old Firm rivals Rangers in the third round of the Scottish Cup at Parkhead tomorrow.

Hearts: Hearts directors want more time to consider proposals from prospective new owner Vladimir Romanov. The Lithuanian banking tycoon sent a response to Hearts chairman George Foulkes' request to outline his proposals ahead of Monday's annual general meeting (AGM). Romanov had called for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on the same night to gain support from shareholders to abandon the deal to sell their Tynecastle ground to CALA Homes for £20 million ($37.52 million). However, the club's board of directors discussed his response yesterday before issuing a short statement calling for a postponement of the EGM until later in the month.

Lizarzu: Bixente Lizarazu says he returned to Bayern Munich because he had reached a dead end at Olympique Marseille under new coach Philippe Troussier. "Leaving Marseille is not a failure, it's a release," the 35-year-old former France international said. "Two days after Troussier's arrival, I understood I was not going to play. The situation only became worse and worse. At Christmas, I took stock and understood that our ways were not compatible and, even worse, that there was a real incompatibility of characters."

Basketball: Peugeot League - Depiro Still vs Qormi Seiko 102-47; Naxxar Danone vs Kerygma 52-48.