Copa America: Venezuela's Copa America stadiums may not all be ready in time, the South American Football Confederation (CSF) said after a week-long inspection. Eugenio Figueredo, the confederation's vice-president, said his team would be back in June for another visit to see if all the work had been finished. Venezuela has ambitious plans to host this year's 12-team event at nine different venues around the country, including five brand new stadiums. "We will return on June 1 to see if the timetable has been kept to and then we will make the final decision on where the games will be played," Figueredo said. The Copa America starts on June 26.
Adebayor: The Togolese Football Federation (TFT) has lifted a suspension imposed on Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor and two other players in March after a row over unpaid World Cup bonuses. The Federation said that it reinstated the players to the national squad "due to demand from the population, the sporting public and the senior sporting authorities of the country." Adebayor, forward Mohamed Kader Coubadja and defender Nibombe Dare are demanding payments they claim are outstanding after Togo qualified for the first time for the World Cup last year.
McCarthy: Benni McCarthy has been included in South Africa's 19-man squad for next week's African Nations Cup qualifier against Chad even though the Blackburn Rovers striker has told officials he is unavailable. McCarthy has not played for South Africa for the last 16 months, saying he wanted to concentrate on his club career in England, where he moved from FC Porto last July.
Bayern Munich: Germany left-back Marcell Jansen is to join Bayern Munich on a four-year contract, the Bundesliga club announced yesterday. Jansen, who has made 14 appearances for the German national team, will make the move from relegated Borussia Moenchengladbach after the clubs agreed an undisclosed fee. The 21-year-old is Bayern's fourth signing for the new campaign following deals for Hamit Altintop, Jan Schlaudraff and Jose Ernesto Sosa.
Juninho: Brazil midfielder Juninho has extended his Olympique Lyon contract by two years and is now tied to the club until 2010, the French champions said. Juninho, 32, has helped Lyon win six consecutive Ligue 1 titles since joining them in 2001 from Vasco da Gama. The set-piece expert has scored 77 goals in 259 matches for Lyon, 32 of them from free kicks. The decision means Juninho, who has won 39 caps for Lyon and had received offers from several European clubs, has decided to finish his career at Lyon.