Stars' Stadium: Hollywood stars Russell Crowe and Anthony LaPaglia are in talks about developing a sports stadium in Sydney to be the new home for their soccer and rugby teams. LaPaglia, the Australian star of "Without a Trace", is a director and shareholder in Sydney FC, a soccer team in the domestic A-League. Crowe is co-owner of the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the National Rugby League. "He wants a stadium, I want a stadium and we think together there is a possibility we might be able to pull it off," LaPaglia said.
Coupet: France goalkeeper Gregory Coupet has pulled out of the Euro 2008 Group B qualifier against Georgia on Wednesday. Coupet has left France's training camp on the outskirts of Paris, a France spokesman said without elaborating yesterday. The Lyon goalkeeper will be replaced by Paris St Germain's Mickael Landreau with Fiorentina's Sebastien Frey moving on the bench.
Zambia Stampede: A stampede in Zambia killed 12 soccer fans and injured many others after a match between the home team and Congo Brazaville late on Saturday. Mutentwa said fans were trampled underfoot by fellow supporters as they rushed to leave the stadium after Zambia beat Congo Brazaville 3-0 in an African Cup qualifier. Mutentwa said the cause of the stampede was unclear, though one witness said it had been caused by people rushing to get aboard free transport.
Friendly: The US scored two late goals to complete an emphatic 4-1 win over China in a friendly international in San Jose on Saturday. The hosts opened the scoring in the 10th minute through a penalty by DaMarcus Beasley. Chinese defender Zhang Yaokun scored for China in the 15th minute but Benny Feilhaber restored the US lead before half-time. The US completed the scoring with two late headers, midfielder Clint Dempsey getting the first in the 75th minute and defender Oguchi Onyewu pouncing four minutes later.
Fiorentina: Fiorentina have signed 20-year-old Anderlecht defender Anthony Vanden Borre. Fiorentina released a statement yesterday announcing the arrival of the versatile young player who has put pen to paper on a five-year contract. Vanden Borre was born in Congo, but is a Belgian international who made his senior debut in a friendly against Turkey in April 2004.
New date: Australia and Argentina have re-arranged their friendly international for Sept. 11. The match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground was originally scheduled for June 6 but Argentina asked for it to be postponed due to problems in assembling a full-strength squad.
Forlan: Diego Forlan doubts he will be able to leave Villarreal for Sunderland or anywhere else due to the prohibitive release clause in his contract. The Uruguay striker, 28, is high on Roy Keane's wanted list as the Sunderland boss looks to bolster his squad with high calibre talent. But Forlan has confirmed his future is dependent on whether any suitors are prepared to match a release clause in his contract, with Villarreal having valued the striker at around £16 million.
In Italy: Serie C1(A) promotion SF play-offs (2nd legs) - Sassuolo vs Monza 2-4 (agg: 3-4); Pisa vs Venezia 3-1 (agg: 4-2). C1(B) - Avellino vs Taranto 1-0 (agg: 1-1 - Avellino qualify); Cavese vs Foggia 3-1 (agg: 5-6).