Matthaeus: Former Germany captain Lothar Matthaeus, named as Racing Club’s new coach last week, will not be coming to Argentina, the club’s president Rodolfo Molina said yesterday. Racing, in danger of relegation, thought they had met all Matthaeus’s demands and were shocked by his refusal. “He started asking for things that hadn’t been discussed, we told him to come to talk about them and as he didn’t we brought negotiations to an end,” Molina said.
Ronaldo: Cristiano Ronaldo will not be fit in time for Real Madrid’s trip to Milan in the Champions League next week. The Portuguese forward, who has been out since aggravating an injury to his right ankle while on international duty three weeks ago, had been targeting a return for the trip to Italy. Ronaldo will undergo another test in a week’s time, Real said.
Babbel: Markus Babbel will remain coach despite Stuttgart going out of the German Cup and struggling in the Bundesliga, the club said yesterday. Babbel, in his first full season in charge and still studying for his coaching licence, has come under increasing media scrutiny since Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat by second division Greuther Fuerth in the German Cup third round.
Celtic: Hearts sent holders Celtic crashing out of the Scottish League Cup as Michael Stewart’s penalty clinched a 1-0 quarter-final win at Parkhead last night. Tony Mowbray’s team fell behind midway through the second half. The hosts piled on the pressure in search of an equaliser but Georgios Samaras wasted several chances before Celtic defender Stephen McManus was sent off in stoppage time to complete their misery
Home Ban: Bulgaria’s Lokomotiv Plovdiv must play their next home match at a neutral venue after fan violence disrupted their 2-1 loss against Sliven on Saturday. The penalty will be served on Nov. 7 when the 2004 Bulgarian champions, who were also fined $4,543, host Minyor Pernik.
Federation Cup: Serena Williams will play for the US in next month’s Fed Cup final against Italy. Williams last appeared in the competition in 2007 and was part of the team that won the title in 1999. The US are trying to win the Fed Cup for the first time since 2000. In the absence of Serena’s older sister Venus, 18-year-old Melanie Oudin will get another chance to shine after her run to the US Open quarter-finals. The final will be played in Calabria starting on November 7.
Baseball: Police charged a 43-year-old woman with prostitution after she offered sexual services in exchange for tickets to the World Series, starting today. Susan Finkelstein, of Philadelphia, was arrested after police responded to an advertisement she posted on online. Finkelstein’s ad described her as a “desperate blonde” in need of tickets to the World Series featuring her hometown Philadelphia Phillies against the New York Yankees.
Boxing: Manny Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach has offered $1,000 to any sparring partner that can knock the Filipino down. Pacquiao, started training at Hollywood’s Wild Card club this week ahead of his Nov. 14 challenge for Miguel Cotto’s WBO welterweight title in Las Vegas. “The money’s still with me and I am telling the new sparring partners that they will be rewarded with $1,000 if they score a knockdown over Manny in sparring,” Roach said.
Cricket: Former international cricket umpire David Shepherd has died aged 68 following a long battle with cancer. Shepherd, who played for Gloucestershire for 14 years, stood in 92 test matches and 172 one-day international games between 1983 and 2005. He umpired three successive World Cup finals (1996, 1999 and 2003) and six tournaments overall, and will be fondly remembered for strictly observing cricket’s Nelson tradition; giving a small hop whenever the score reached 111.
Motor Racing: Former champions Renault have secured their first new sponsor since they were handed a suspended permanent ban last month for their involvement in a race-fixing scandal. Dutch watch brand TW Steel said they had agreed a three-year deal to be Renault’s official timing partner.