No Interest: West Brom have abandoned their interest in signing Odense midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba on medical grounds. Albion boss Roberto Di Matteo was hopeful of landing the Cameroon international after holding talks with the player this week. But the club released a statement confirming they will not be attempting to sign Djemba-Djemba.
Rovers Beaten: AEK Athens remained unbeaten in the Sydney pre-season tournament with a 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers yesterday. It was the Greek team’s second win after thrashing hosts Sydney FC 5-3 on Sunday.
Davids: Edgar Davids appears keen to resume his playing career after training with former club Ajax on Tuesday. The 37-year-old has not played professionally since leaving Ajax in 2008, attracting interest but never agreeing terms with both Vitesse and Leicester City.
Regan: Stewart Regan has been appointed as the new chief executive of the Scottish Football Association after four years in a similar post with Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Regan has previous football experience from his time as a director of England’s Football League and replaces Gordon Smith, who stepped down in April after three years as SFA chief executive.
Moviola Off: Rai, Italy’s national TV, will stop showing replays of controversial refereeing decisions in an effort to reduce the polemic that afflicts the game. The moviola is part of football history in Italy but it has also been a constant source of arguments between rival clubs.
Janssen: Twente midfielder Theo Janssen is hopeful of reaching an agreement on a new deal with the Eredivisie champions. Janssen, who turned 29 yesterday, is negotiating with the board of the Enschede club on an extension to his current contract which expires in two years’ time. “If my current contract runs until 2012, this (new contract) will probably be my last so it should be good,” he said.
Diego: Brazilian playmaker Diego has committed his future to Juventus despite reported interest from German champions Bayern Munich. “I want to stay at Juventus to redeem myself by having a great season,” he said after Italian media had quoted an unnamed Bayern official as claiming the player had been offered to them “at least six times”.
Abidal: French international Eric Abidal admitted that he was raring to return to action with Primera Liga champions Barcelona after the nightmare of France’s World Cup flop. “I’m really looking forward to returning to training with Barca. With Barca I enjoy training, much more than with France where sessions are long and very physical,” explained the 50-time capped defender.
Duisburg: The local football club in Duisburg, where 20 people were killed and more than 500 injured in a stampede at a music festival, said it would hold a benefit match for the victims. Second division MSV Duisburg said they would play a match against Schalke, runners-up in last year’s Bundesliga, with the exact date to be confirmed in the coming days.
Rugby Union: Playmaker Quade Cooper will miss Australia’s two upcoming Bledisloe Cup Tests against New Zealand after his dangerous-tackle appeal was dismissed yesterday. Cooper was challenging the severity of his two-week ban for a spear tackle on South Africa counterpart Morne Steyn in last weekend’s win over the Springboks. But, after a marathon six-hour teleconference, the SANZAR appeals committee comprising of Peter Hobbs (New Zealand, chair), Terry Willis (Australia) and Peter Ingwersen (South Africa), ruled against the in-form no.10.
Tennis: Andy Murray has sacked his coach Miles Maclagan, his management company 19 Entertainment said. Former professional player Maclagan, 35, had been on Murray’s coaching team for two and a half years. Murray, 23, is currently competing in Los Angeles, his first tournament since his Wimbledon semi-final loss to Rafael Nadal. For the time being, the Scot will work with Alex Corretja.
Golf: Anthony Kim has given America’s Ryder Cup hopes a boost by announcing he will be back in action at next week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational in Akron. One of the stars of their victory at Valhalla two years ago, Kim has not played since undergoing thumb surgery nearly three months ago. Currently fourth on the US points table, he started hitting golf balls again early this month, but chose not to rush his return for The Open at St Andrews. The leading eight earn automatic spots on Corey Pavin’s side after the PGA Championship.
Cricket: Teams from Afghanistan and Hong Kong are to appear in a club-level event in Pakistan, in a tentative step towards reviving the sport in the violence-hit country. Pakistan has not hosted any international cricket since Islamist militants attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009. The attacks killed eight people, effectively ending any chance of Pakistan staging international cricket in the foreseeable future.