Mancini: Roberto Mancini has been approached to coach Russian Premier League club Zenit St Petersburg, the former Inter boss said. "I haven't signed a contract but it is an interesting project," the 44-year-old Italian was quoted as saying by Russian media.
Ribery: Franck Ribery suffered an injury scare in training yesterday but Bayern Munich said they expected him to be fit for Saturday's Bundesliga match against Mainz. Ribery, who returned to action with Bayern in their 1-1 draw against Werder Bremen on Saturday after about a month off injured, was forced out of training because of pain in his adductor muscles. The Frenchman will miss today's low-key friendly against Gelb-Weiss Goerlitz.
Senna: Villarreal midfielder Marcos Senna expects to be back to full fitness soon and said he is available to play now if coach Ernesto Valverde needs him. "I am feeling much better but I am still not back to the same level I was last year," the Spain international, who strained a muscle in his left leg in April, said. "I am working hard and I will get back to my (previous) level soon," he added.
Ticket prices: New Zealand football authorities have slashed ticket prices for a crucial World Cup qualifier in November in a bid to draw a full house. Football pales in comparison with rugby for popularity in New Zealand but the All Whites can carve a niche for themselves if they win a two-leg play-off and qualify for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa. New Zealand will meet either Bahrain or Saudi Arabia for a place in the finals.
In Scotland: Premier League - Dundee Utd vs Hearts 2-0.
Berlusconi Cup: Milan vs Juventus 1-1 (Milan win 5-4 on penalties).
Baseball: Los Angeles Dodgers hurler Hiroki Kuroda was released from hospital yesterday, a day after he was struck in the head by a line drive in a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Pinch-hitter Rusty Ryal belted a pitch straight back to the mound. The ball hit the Japanese pitcher above the right ear, and he fell to the mound clutching his head. After several minutes, a brace was put on his neck to immobilize it before he was stretchered off the field.
Cricket: The International Cricket Council and Pakistan board chiefs will meet later this month with a view to resolving their dispute over the staging of the 2011 World Cup. ICC president David Morgan and Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt will meet in Dubai to discuss the distribution of 14 matches to co-hosts India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh after they were moved out of Pakistan due to security concerns.
Rugby Union: The Western Australia city of Perth is in danger of losing future test matches unless more fans start turning up to games. Perth has been staging rugby internationals since 1998, including matches in the 2003 World Cup, but an Australian Rugby Union official told reporters that a test match between Australia and South Africa this month could decide the city's future when their contract ends next year. "This is an important test match. If Perth wants to stay on the test match schedule, they had better show up," the official said.
Tennis: The actress wife of Australian tennis star Lleyton Hewitt took a gossip magazine to court hoping to uncover the source of a story which implied she was having an affair. New Idea magazine has twice published apologies over the April article, titled "Bec's Other Man", which pictured Bec Hewitt with what they described as a "hunky American fitness trainer" named Minder Mark. The man in the picture was in fact her brother, Shaun Cartwright.
Winter games: Harbin is awaiting approval from China's cabinet before launching a bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics. The northern metropolis of nearly 10 million people, which failed to make the shortlist for the 2010 Games, wants to bring the Olympics back to China a decade after the successful Summer Games in Beijing. "We are applying for the 2018 Winter Olympics, Harbin wants to host the Games," Li Chunlei, who is working on the bid project, told reporters.