Del Piero: Juventus captain Alessandro Del Piero has been ruled out for at least a month with a left hamstring problem. The 34-year-old striker has barely featured this term having only just returned to fitness after a back problem. Juve said midfielder Tiago would also be out for 20 days with a similar injury.
Santana: South Africa coach Joel Santana resisted the growing clamours for striker Benni McCarthy to be recalled when he named his squad for friendlies in Norway and Iceland. Despite media speculation that a recall was on the cards, Santana did not include the Blackburn forward or Spanish-based defender Nasief Morris in the travelling party for internationals in Oslo on Oct. 10 and Reykjavik on Oct. 13.
Ronaldo: Cristiano Ronaldo may miss Real Madrid's trip to in-form Sevilla on Sunday after the Portuguese winger damaged his right ankle in Wednesday's 3-0 win over Marseille. Real's record signing scored twice against the French club but was felled by defender Souleymane Diawara in winning a second-half penalty and had to be replaced by Gonzalo Higuain.
Bridges: The Newcastle Jets have signed former England U-21 international Michael Bridges for the rest of the 2009/10 A-League season. The 31-year-old striker previously played for Leeds and Hull.
Boycott: Bolivia's players will boycott the national team's World Cup qualifiers against Brazil and Peru in the next fortnight, their union Fabol said. Fabol announced that their members were resigning from the national team in demand of major changes.
Argentina: Striker Martin Palermo scored twice in 10 minutes to give Argentina's "home" team a 2-0 win over Ghana in a friendly on Wednesday. Palermo, who spearheaded a team drawn exclusively from Argentine clubs, will have impressed coach Diego Maradona for a place in his main squad for key World Cup qualifiers against Peru and Uruguay in the next fortnight.
Division Three: Played yesterday - Xgħajra vs Swieqi 2-3; Naxxar vs Gudja 0-2.
In Gozo: Division One - Victoria H. vs Ghajnsielem 3-5.
Tennis: Maria Sharapova advanced to the semi-finals of the Pan Pacific Open by outfoxing Czech Iveta Benesova 6-4 7-5 yesterday. Earlier, Jelena Jankovic eased past Marion Bartoli 6-4 6-3 to reach the last four of the $2 million Tokyo tournament. Sharapova, 25th in the world following shoulder surgery a year ago, recovered from a slow start to keep event organisers happy after a glut of early exits by top-seeded players.
Cycling: British sprint specialist Mark Cavendish will not take part in the Paris-Tours one day race. Cavendish, pulled out of this month's world championships in Mendrisio, Switzerland, with a lung infection. The Paris-Tours classic will be held on October 11.
Sailing: A 16-year-old Australian girl bidding for a solo around the world record took to the high seas yesterday, despite pleas from authorities for her to reconsider after she crashed on a test voyage. Jessica Watson set off in her pink yacht from Queensland's Gold Coast to Sydney, from where she will embark next week on an attempt to become the youngest person to sail non-stop and alone around the world.
Athletics: World record-holder Paula Radcliffe will compete in the New York Marathon on November 1. Race director Mary Wittenberg said the 35-year-old, a three-time winner, will return to defend her crown as she continues her comeback from a broken toe.
Baseball: A 17-year-old schoolgirl who became the first female to play alongside men in Japanese professional baseball will leave after just one year. Eri Yoshida was drafted last year for Kobe 9 Cruise, which praised her side-armed knuckleball, a low-speed style of pitching. But after a year-long contract with Kobe, Yoshida has decided to leave the team to go to university.