Portsmouth: Troubled Portsmouth moved a step closer towards becoming the first Premier League club to enter administration when their appeal against a winding up order was dismissed by a High Court judge yesterday. Portsmouth, owned by Saudi businessman Ali al Faraj, argued that the VAT portion of its outstanding tax bill was too high by £7.5 million.
Hanover: Relegation-threatened Hanover have appointed Mirko Slomka as their new coach after sacking Andreas Bergmann following a 3-0 loss to Hertha Berlin at the weekend. Hanover are 16th in the Bundesliga on 17 points after 18 games following three straight defeats and seven league games without a win.
Maradona: Diego Maradona took his tally of call-ups in his 14 months as Argentina coach past 90 when he named a squad of 18 for next week's friendly against Costa Rica. Maradona had called up more than 80 different players since his first match in charge in November 2008. The squad for the Costa Rica match included eight players the coach had never picked before.
Complaint: Mali have lodged an official complaint to the Confederation of African Football over Monday's 0-0 draw between Angola and Algeria that knocked them out of the African Nations Cup. Mali missed out on a quarter-final place despite beating Malawi 3-1 in their final Group A game, the goalless draw between hosts Angola and Algeria meant both those teams had qualified.
New sponsors: Turkish Airlines has became an official sponsor of Spanish and European champions Barcelona under a three-year deal. Spanish media said the airline will pay the club three million euros over the term of the contract, which lasts until 2012. Barca has an annual budget of more than €400 million and among its major sponsors is sporting goods manufacturer Nike.
Dunfermline: Dunfermline have appealed against their expulsion from the Scottish Cup for bringing on a banned player in a match they won 7-1. The Scottish FA said in a statement it had received the appeal and it would be heard within seven days by an independent panel.
Canales: Real Madrid is hoping to sign much-coveted 18-year-old offensive midfielder Sergio Canales from Racing Santander. Real's director of football, Jorge Valdano, discussed the move on Monday with the chairman of Santander, Francisco Pernia, Marca said.
Basketball, NBA: The Los Angeles Lakers picked up where they left off in the NBA Finals last June by finishing strongly to beat the Orlando Magic 98-92. In a theme familiar from the Lakers' 4-1 championship series triumph last year, Magic looked to be going well before a Los Angeles late surge stole the show.
Horse racing: Rachel Alexandra, who became the first filly to win the Preakness Stakes since 1924 and won all eight of her races in 2009, was named US Horse of the Year this week. The three-year-old, finished ahead of undefeated mare Zenyatta 130-99 in Eclipse Award voting by members of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers Association.
Boxing: Andre Berto has pulled out of this month's welterweight non-title fight with fellow American Shane Mosley because he is dealing with family loss after last week's earthquake in Haiti. Berto, who represented Haiti in the 2004 Olympics, said he lost several relatives in the earthquake and his sister and niece were left homeless.
Badminton: Indonesia's former world champion Taufik Hidayat will set up a badminton school in Jakarta to unearth fresh talent in his country. The Taufik Hidayat Arena will take shape next year. Hidayat told reporters that his decision was prompted by a lack of international success by the younger players of his country. "I do not know what is preventing them from bursting on to the international stage," he said.
Swimming: Japan's multi Olympic gold medallist Kosuke Kitajima has signalled his intent to swim at the 2012 London Olympics, describing the Games as his "last target". The 27-year-old considered retirement after successfully defending his 100 and 200-metre breaststroke titles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. However, he returned to competition late last year, ending a 15-month hiatus.