Togo: The brother of Togo's President was voted back as head of the West African country's football association yesterday, two years after he was forced out of the job due to an embarrassing World Cup debut in Germany in 2006. Rock Gnassingbe, half-brother of President Faure Gnassingbe and son of Togo's late veteran leader Gnassingbe Eyadema, won the presidency of the Togolese Football Federation (FTF) in an election supervised by FIFA.
Fan shot: A man was shot following a pre-season match between Penarol and Nacional in another bout of Uruguayan football violence. The 33-year-old Nacional supporter was taken to hospital after being shot in the chest as rival fans clashed outside the Centenario stadium following Saturday evening's game. Media reports said the man, who has not been named, was in intensive care and that his condition was serious.
Celtic: Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink is hoping he can earn a contract extension at Celtic. Hesselink's current deal is due to expire in the summer, although that includes a clause which would see another year automatically added after a certain number of games. "Celtic is a great club and we have to get together and talk. If we can agree with each other then I'll stay for another year," he said.
King: Tottenham captain Ledley King could be set for a lengthy injury lay-off after tearing a hamstring during the 1-1 draw against Portsmouth at White Hart Lane yesterday. "Ledley King has a torn hamstring and is going to be out long term," Spurs manager Harry Redknapp said.
Kaladze: Milan defender Kakha Kaladze fears he could miss the rest of the season if his troublesome left knee requires an operation. "I have a small but painful back part of a knee meniscus. There is inflammation, the meniscus is seriously damaged," he said.
Fred: Lyon striker Fred will not be joining Brazilian side Fluminense in the summer. Fluminense president Roberto Horcades claimed yesterday that the 25-year-old had reached an agreement with the club's football manager Alexandre Faria to move to the Sao Paulo-based outfit when his contract at Lyon expires. "Until now no Fluminense board member has talked with me," his agent Rodrigo Chaves said. "As far as I know, everything is speculation."
Ligue 1: Played yesterday: Caen vs Monaco 2-2; Paris SG vs Sochaux 2-1; Lille vs Stade Rennes 1-0. Leading standings: Lyon 42; Bordeaux 41; Marseille 38; Rennes, Toulouse 37; Paris SG 36; Lille 35; Nice 33.
Waterpolo: The death was recently announc-ed of Tancred Schembri, a former official of the old St Julian's waterpolo team and later a prominent member of the Malta Waterpolo Referees Association. He was 89. Schembri had migrated to Canada in the fifties but on his frequent summer visits here, he still controlled top waterpolo matches.
Doping: Greece's 2004 Athens Olympic 20kms walk champion Athanasia Tsoumeleka has tested positive for the bloodbooster erythropoietin (EPO). She had tested positive on August 6 last year, just two days before the opening ceremony for the Beijing Games. Tsoumeleka denied taking the drug but said she had decided to retire from the sport.
Golf: Briton Paul Casey won the Abu Dhabi Championship yesterday with a record score. The Englishman parred the final hole to beat playing partner Martin Kaymer of Germany and South Africa's Louis Oosthuizen by one shot. Casey, the winner of the Abu Dhabi event in 2007, closed with a two-under-par 70 for a record 21-under total of 267, beating the previous best of 20-under-par 268 by American Chris DiMarco.
Figure skating: Japan's Yuko Kawaguchi, who has been competing internationally for Russia with partner Alexander Smirnov, has been granted Russian citizenship, enabling her to represent her adopted country in the Olympic Games. Kawaguchi has been allowed to compete in world or European championships for Russia with an approval from the International Skating Union.
Tennis: A zero-tolerance policy will be applied towards troublemakers at this year's Australian Open after ugly scenes marred the past two events. A riot erupted at the tournament in 2007 between rival Croatian and Serbian fans, while last year police used capsicum spray on a group of Greek supporters. "People that misbehave should understand that it's most likely they will find themselves outside the arena," police said.
Athletics: Kenneth Mugara led a Kenyan sweep in the Mumbai marathon yesterday in the city's first international sports event since the militant attacks last November. Almost 35,000 people participated in the annual run through the streets of Mumbai. Mugara clocked a course record of 2:11.51 ahead of David Tarus and John Kelai.