Robben: Real Madrid's Dutch winger Arjen Robben will be out of action for about two weeks with a hamstring injury. The 24-year-old has pulled out of the Dutch squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Iceland and Norway, and Real said their objective was to have him ready for the city derby against Atletico Madrid.
Kalou: Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou will lead the Ivory Coast attack in the absence of club mate Didier Drogba in Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Madagascar in Abidjan. Kalou was named among four strikers in a 22-man squad selected by coach Vahid Halihodzic.
Hleb: Belarus captain Aleksandr Hleb, who is nursing an ankle injury, doubted that he would be fit to face England in a World Cup qualifier on Oct. 15. "The rehab is going well but I'm still not 100 percent ready," the Barcelona midfielder said. Belarus coach Bernd Stange said: "Right now it doesn't look like he will play against England."
Larsson: Sweden captain Henrik Larsson will miss Saturday's World Cup Group One qualifier against Portugal after injuring his thigh during training with the national team yesterday. The 37-year-old Helsingborg striker, who is likely to be out for a couple of weeks, joins a long list of absentees including defenders Erik Edman and Olof Mellberg plus midfielders Anders Svensson, Christian Wilhelmsson and Tobias Linderoth.
Ballardini: Palermo coach Davide Ballardini, who has led the side to fourth in Serie A after taking over in September, has agreed a two-year contract extension, the club said.
Fans banned: Juventus fans have been banned from attending their team's Serie A game at Napoli on Oct. 18 because of security concerns, Italy's anti-hooligan body said in a statement.
Rugby: Italy national coach Nick Mallett has named the uncapped pair of winger Andrea Bacchetti and scrum half Giulio Toniolatti in a 30-man training squad which will meet up from October 19-21. Italy are preparing for home November tests against Australia, Argentina and the Pacific Islands.
Swimming: France's former Olympic champion Laure Manaudou has joined the Cercle des Nageurs de Marseille club to salvage her career after a poor performance at the Beijing Games. "I am motivated, I need to get back to my best, it will be a hard season," Manaudou, who finished eighth in the 400 free in Beijing, said.
Rugby: Northampton and Ireland flanker Neil Best has lost his appeal against an 18-week ban for eye gouging in a Premiership match last month. Best, who moved to Northampton this season from Ulster, was cited for illegally making contact with the eye of Wasps forward James Haskell. He will not be eligible to play again until Jan. 28 and will miss Ireland's home tests next month against Canada, New Zealand and Argentina.
Cricket: Former India captain Saurav Ganguly announced yesterday that he will retire after the test series against Australia that starts this week. "This is going to be my last series," the 36-year-old left-hander told a packed news conference two days ahead of the first test. "I have decided to quit. I have told my team-mates before I came here. These four test matches are going to be my last."
Sumo: Three sumo wrestlers pleaded guilty to beating up a 17-year-old trainee who later died, Japanese media reported yesterday, the latest blow to the national sport hit by scandals from drugs to match-fixing. The death of the trainee in June 2007 sent shockwaves across the country as the boy's father spoke of his son's battered body and prompted the Japanese government to order the tradition-bound game to clean up its act.
MFA Division Three: Xgħajra vs Sirens 1-1; Gżira vs Żurrieq 3-0.