Deco: Portugal midfielder Deco has decided to retire from international football after the World Cup finals in South Africa. "I will close my cycle (with the Portugal team) at the end of the World Cup, due to my age and because it is tiring," the 32-year-old told Brazil's Radio Globo.
Bayern Munich: Bayern Munich trio Daniel Van Buyten, Thomas Mueller and Holger Badstuber have agreed new contract extensions with the Bundesliga outfit. Van Buyten has penned a two-year extension while Mueller and Badstuber will remain at the Allianz Arena until 2013 and 2014 respectively.
De la Pena: Espanyol captain Ivan De la Pena will go under the knife next week and could be sidelined for another three months. The 33-year-old former Spain playmaker is to have an operation on a lower leg injury and he will be out for between two and three months.
Ecuador: Ecuador will play South Korea in a friendly in Seoul on May 16. Ecuador, who failed to reach the World Cup finals in South Africa, will meet Mexico in a friendly in New Jersey on May 7. South Korea meet Argentina, Greece and Nigeria in Group B at the finals starting on June 11, while Mexico were drawn against hosts South Africa, France and Uruguay in Group A.
Loew: The negotiations over Germany coach Joachim Loew's contract extension have been postponed until after the World Cup finals, the German Football Federation (DFB) announced yesterday. The news is a surprise as both the 50-year-old Loew and DFB president Theo Zwanziger had previously said the contract, which expires after the World Cup, was almost certain to be extended in the early months of 2010.
Hefty bonus: Saudi Arabian football chiefs will dole out a $1 million bonus if any of their clubs win the Asian Champions League this year. Al Ittihad, the 2004 and 2005 Asian champions and losing finalists last year, Saudi champions Al Hilal, Al Shabab and Al Ahli will all be vying for the prize in the continent's top club competition.
King's Cup: Semi-final first leg - (Played on Wednesday) Sevilla vs Getafe 2-0.
In Gozo: Division One - Għajnsielem vs Sannat 1-0.
Basket, NBA: Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson set the all-time mark for coaching wins with the Lakers on Wednesday after his team beat the Charlotte Bobcats 99-97. Jackson surpassed previous record holder Pat Riley with the win, his 534th victory with the Lakers.
Golf: European skipper Colin Montgomerie will wait until much later in the year to name his Ryder Cup vice-captains, he said yesterday. "There will be nothing announced until at least after the British Open (in July) because I want to give everybody an opportunity to qualify for the team," Montgomerie told reporters. The Ryder Cup will be held at Celtic Manor in Wales in October.
Tennis: Australian Open finalist and former world number one Justine Henin has been granted a wildcard place in next month's BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. The Belgian, who won the event in 2004, retired from tennis in May 2008 but has followed compatriot Kim Clijsters in making a successful playing return.
Sumo: Troubled sumo grand champion Asashoryu has announced his retirement after a probe into reports of a drunken scuffle in Tokyo last month. "Thank you for everything, I will retire," the 29-year-old said. The Japan Sumo Association ordered an investigation following reports that Asashoryu had allegedly broken a man's nose in an incident outside a nightclub last month.