Mutu: Fiorentina forward Adrian Mutu said he acted in self defence in a scuffle at a hotel which was reported by a Florence newspaper yesterday. "I only responded to defend myself. There's a video that shows everything," Mutu said. Il Firenze said Mutu was involved in an altercation with a Lebanese man last week at a Florence hotel.
Johnson: Injury-plagued Manchester City midfielder Michael Johnson will miss the rest of the season after damaging his knee, City manager Mark Hughes said. The England U-21 player had only recently returned from an abdominal problem that sidelined him for around a year.
Bendtner: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger expects to be without Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner until the New Year. "Let's say the New Year (for him)," Wenger said. "It is quite disappointing because he looked quite sharp."
Apam: Onyekachi Apam, captain of French side Nice, has been suspended until January 10 for head-butting Marseille rival Gabriel Heinze. The Nigerian defender was given a red card for the clash during their 3-1 Ligue 1 home loss to Marseille last Saturday.
Miller: Former Rangers midfielder Charlie Miller signed a short-term contract with Australian A League outfit Gold Coast. Miller had been with the Brisbane Roar since the beginning of the 2008-09 season.
Rincon: Venezuelan international midfielder Tomas Rincon has signed a four-and-a-half year deal with Hamburg. The 21-year-old has been loaned by Deportivo Tachira to Hamburg since January, playing four Bundesliga games this season.
League One: Brighton vs Colchester 1-2.
Division Three: Pembroke vs Għaxaq 2-3; Kalkara vs Marsa 1-2.
Horse racing: World-class jockeys, including Kieren Fallon and Darren Beadman, will be in Hong Kong tomorrow competing for a purse of $8 million at the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races. The annual meeting is one of the world's richest. The premier event will feature four separate races on a turf track - the 2,400m Vase, the 1,200m Sprint, the 1,600m Hong Hong Mile and 2,000m Hong Kong Cup.
Rugby Union: Australian Test rugby star Quade Cooper is to fight his burglary charge, his lawyer said. Cooper, 21, made a brief appearance at Southport Magistrates Court charged with burgling a Surfers Paradise residence on December 6. The case was adjourned until July. Lawyer Angelo Venardos said Cooper would plead not guilty. The centre, who has 11 international appearances, said he hoped the case would not interrupt his career.
Tennis: A back injury has forced Russia's Dinara Safina to pull out of next month's Brisbane International, one of the main lead-up events to the Australian Open. Brisbane organisers said Safina had informed them she would not be fit in time for the Jan. 3-10 event. Safina finished runner-up to Serena Williams at this year's Australian Open.
Basket, NBA: Boston guard Ray Allen became the 32nd player in NBA history to score 20,000 points when he hit a three-pointer with late in the third quarter of the Celtics 104-102 win over Washington on Thursday. Allen came into the game needing 14 points for 20,000 and he finished with 18 for the Celtics who won their ninth consecutive game.