Racist chants: UEFA yesterday approved new guidelines for match officials to deal with racist chants or other behaviour in stadiums which includes stopping the game. The new rules would allow the referee to first stop a match and issue a warning over the public address system requesting that the racist behaviour cease. If this did not work, he could suspend the game for 5 to 10 minutes.
Keita: Lyon announced yesterday they have agreed terms with Turkish giants Galatasaray for the transfer of Ivory Coast striker Kader Keita. The deal leading to a three-year contract for the 27-year-old goal-scorer in Istanbul is expected to be completed later in the day.
Libertadores Cup: Striker Mauro Boselli scored twice to give Estudiantes a 2-1 win over Nacional of Uruguay on Wednesday and send them into their fifth Libertadores Cup final. The Argentine side, title winners three years in a row from 1968 to 1970, went through 3-1 on aggregate and will meet the winners of the all-Brazilian semi-final between Gremio and Cruzeiro, who are 3-1 up.
Valencia: Valencia have signed goalkeeper Miguel Angel Moya from Real Mallorca on a four-year contract. Spanish media reported Valencia had paid 5 million euros ($7 million) for the 25-year-old Moya, plus a possible 1 million more depending on performance.
Rugby: South Africa lock Bakkies Botha will miss tomorrow's third and final test against the British and Irish Lions after losing his appeal against a two-week ban. Botha was suspended for a dangerous charge on Lions prop Adam Jones in the second test which left the Welshman with a dislocated shoulder. South Africa flanker Schalk Burger was banned on Sunday for eight weeks after being found guilty of gouging the eyes of Lions winger Luke Fitzgerald during the same match.
Cycling: Kazakh Alexander Vinokourov said yesterday he would return to cycling when his two-year doping suspension ended later this month. "I want to announce that I will return to competitive cycling on July 24," Vinokourov said. "I do not see myself anywhere else than Astana. This team was created in 2006 with the Kazakh cycling federation, it is our baby." Vinokourov was banned for two years after testing positive for blood doping in the 2007 Tour de France.
Swimming: Olympic champion Oussama Mellouli, who won five swimming gold medals at the Mediterranean Games, has enrolled in a sports management masters degree course in a bid to increase the number of Tunisians in top-level competition. The 25-year-old, who took gold in the 1,500m freestyle at last year's Beijing Olympics, won the 200, 400 and 1,500m freestyle races plus the 200 and 400 individual medley at the Games in Pescara this week. "I want to be useful to those who do sport in my country, across all disciplines," Mellouli told reporters.
Basketball: The Detroit Pistons wasted little time in retooling their team for next season, agreeing terms with free agents Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. The NBA's free-agent market opened on Wednesday, though players can not officially sign with new teams until July 8. The Detroit Free Press reported Gordon's five-year contract was worth $55 million, while Villanova signed a five-year, $35 million contract.