Glourcuff: Ligue 1 champions Girondins Bordeaux will have to make do without playmaker Yoann Gourcuff when they host Juventus in a Champions League Group A match on Wednesday, coach Laurent Blanc said yesterday. Gourcuff is sidelined with a groin injury sustained in France's controversial 1-1 draw with Ireland in the return leg of their World Cup playoff at Stade de France last Wednesday.
In Germany: A second division player in Germany today admitted he tried to commit suicide last month because of depression. Andreas Biermann, who plays for Hamburg-based team St Pauli, issued a statement saying he has been in a treatment clinic since November 13. He did not disclose details about his suicide attempt, but thanked the club, his family and his agent for their support and claimed he was making it public in order to encourage other people suffering from the illness to seek help.
Rubin Kazan: Rubin Kazan held Zenit St Petersburg to a 0-0 draw to seal their second consecutive Russian Premier League title yesterday. The scoreless stalemate in Kazan gave Rubin 60 points and an insurmountable five-point lead over second-placed Spartak Moscow with one game remaining.
Hearts: Csaba Laszlo will hold talks with Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov in the next few days about the direction of the club. Yesterday's 2-1 defeat by St Johnstone leaves Hearts ninth in the league table, and Laszlo again lamented the squad he has at his disposal. "I'd like to talk to the board about everything," Laszlo said. "We lost a lot of players from last season and definitely we haven't got back that quality."
Super Cup: The Italian Super Cup will be held in China for the next three years after the successful Beijing experiment, Italian FA said. This August Lazio emerged 2-1 winners over champions Inter in Beijing. "We have a basic agreement with China to host the next three Italian Super Cup finals in their country," president Maurizio Beretta said.
Basketball: Vince Carter scored 10 of his game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Orlando Magic to an 83-78 victory over the Boston Celtics. Carter, who joined the Magic in the offseason, shone in a defensive battle between two of the top sides in the Eastern Conference. Orlando scored the game's final five points after Carter's turnaround jumper with 2:32 remaining broke a 78-78 tie. "I enjoy playing big games. I live for it," Carter said. "We really respect (the Celtics), they're one of the best. We're trying to get there consistently and prove ourselves."
Athletics: A hammer throw challenge event will be introduced next year to provide worldwide competition for athletes whose speciality is not part of the new Diamond League. International Association of Athletics Federations spokesman Nick Davies said the governing body's ruling council had decided to introduce six to seven hammer competitions in 2010. The council also approved the retention of a nine-day format for its outdoor championships with one day devoted exclusively to road events.
Cycling: Austrian cyclist Christian Pfannberger has received a lifelong ban for repeated doping offences, the national anti-doping agency announced yesterday. Pfannberger, 30, tested positive in March for the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin) as he prepared to start in the three-week Tour of Italy as part of the Russian Katusha cycling team.He was subsequently suspended by the team.
Horse Racing: Cheltenham Gold Cup champion Kauto Star battled home by the narrowest of margins on his seasonal debut in the Grade One Betfair Chase at Haydock Park yesterday. Ridden by Ruby Walsh for trainer Paul Nicholls, Kauto Star (4-6 favourite) led by a length after the last fence but was pressed all the way to the line by 9-1 chance Imperial Commander who was edged out by a nose in the photo-finish. The pair finished 24 lengths clear of third-place Madison Du Berlais (6-1). Walsh told Channel 4 Racing: "He always digs deep."