McGregor: Allan McGregor was named as expected in the Scotland squad for the friendly against Sweden in Stockholm. The Rangers keeper’s lifetime ban for his part in the ‘Boozegate’ saga was overturned by manager Craig Levein when he took over from George Burley in December. Levein is without his no.1 Craig Gordon who is out with a broken arm and McGregor is favourite to take over in goal.
New Coach: Argentina have yet to approach any potential successors to take charge of the national team following the bitter departure of Diego Maradona, manager Carlos Bilardo said. “Julio Grondona (the Argentina FA) president has spoken to nobody and has told me nothing,” said Bilardo. “We are waiting. Anything could happen.”
Marchena: Villarreal have signed World Cup-winning centre-back Carlos Marchena from Valencia. The 31-year-old, who can also operate as a holding midfielder, passed a medical. He signed a three-year deal with the club to join Joan Capdevila, his colleague in Spain’s victorious squad in South Africa this summer, in the Yellow Submarine’s defence.
Berger: Australian national technical director Han Berger will be acting coach when his team take on Slovenia next week. Berger, who coached 637 matches in the Dutch Eredivise, will be in temporary charge of the Socceroos for their first post-World Cup match since the departure of fellow Dutchman Pim Verbeek. Australia take on Slovenia in Ljubljana on August 11.
Nigeria: Nigeria are set to parade a team of local league players for a friendly against South Korea following a spate of withdrawals. Injury has already ruled out Russia-based striker Osaze Odemwingie and Ike Uche, of Real Zaragoza, from the August 11 match. Caretaker coach, Austin Eguavoen, has now disclosed that Monaco midfielder Lukman Haruna, Obinna Nsofor, of Inter, and Ukraine-based Dele Adeleye have pulled out of the game.
Auto Racing: BMW’s Andy Priaulx came from fourth on the grid to claim his team’s 50th World Touring Car Championship victory in race two at Brno on Sunday. The Briton finished two seconds ahead of fellow BMW driver Colin Turkington and Chevrolet’s Alain Menu. Championship leader Yvan Muller, who crashed out in race one, completed his miserable day with a 12th-place finish, while defending champion Gabriele Tarquini, second in the standings, retired with an injector problem.
Golf: Germany’s Bernhard Langer fired a three-under par 67 to win the US Senior Open, a week after he captured the Senior British Open crown eight time zones away at Carnoustie. Langer birdied three of the first six holes then parred his way home to claim back-to-back major crowns.
Basketball: US President Barack Obama took his daughter Sasha to watch the Washington Mystics defeat the Tulsa Shock 87-62 in a Women’s NBA game on Sunday with disgraced ex-track star Marion Jones on the losing side. Obama played basketball against a US Army team in the American capital before joining his daughter and one of her friends in court-side seats at the Verizon Center.
Tennis: Eighth seed Victoria Azarenka, of Belarus, overwhelmed Russian fifth seed Maria Sharapova 6-4, 6-1 in Sunday’s WTA tournament final in California to win her first title of the season. A day after her 21st birthday, Azarenka broke the Russian three times in the first set then took advantage of Sharapova’s 16 unforced errors in the second set while committing only one to win the 700,000-dollar hardcourt event.
Cricket: Acclaimed New Zealand sportsman Eric Tindill, a double international who was the world’s oldest surviving Test cricketer and an All Black, has died aged 99. As well as playing cricket and rugby at Test level, Tindill also achieved the unique distinction of being the only person to umpire a Test cricket match and referee a rugby Test.