Ramos: Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos, red-carded for a tackle on Lionel Messi during the team’s 5-0 pasting by Barcelona, said yesterday he had never “wanted to hurt” the Argentine star. “No player can say he has been injured by Sergio Ramos,” he told a news conference. “I didn’t think my actions through and I admit I made a mistake, but I never wanted to hurt Leo Messi or any other player.”
Adler: Just hours before Leverkusen’s Europa League clash at Norway’s Rosenborg Trondheim, Germany goalkeeper Rene Adler flew home yesterday suffering from several pain in his lower back. The 25-year-old jetted back to Germany yesterday and flew straight to see the national team doctor Hans-Wilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt in Munich.
Nigeria: President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Aminu Maigari, yesterday backed the country’s new coach, Samson Siasia, to succeed. “We are happy to find a very able candidate who can pilot the Super Eagles to successes. We will give him and his team the conducive environment to succeed,” stated Maigari at the formal presentation of Siasia in Abuja. Siasia succeeds Lars Lagerback, whose contract expired in July.
SPL postponed: All of Saturday’s six matches in the Scottish Premier League (SPL) have been postponed because of the cold snap that has hit much of Britain. That means there will be no action at all in the 12-club SPL this weekend, with Saturday’s fixtures between Aberdeen and Celtic, Hibernian and St Mirren, Inverness and Dundee United, Motherwell and Kilmarnock, Rangers and Hearts and St Johnstone and Hamilton all having to be rescheduled for a later date.
Ligue 1: Marseille vs S. Rennes 0-0; Valenciennes vs St Etienne 1-1.
Coppa Italia: Fourth round − Bari vs Livorno 4-1.
Basketball: Former NBA bad boy Stephon Marbury has parted acrimoniously with yet another employer, splitting with his team in northern China to sign with another Chinese squad. The former NBA all-star, who resurrected his career by going to China earlier this year, signed a contract on Tuesday with the Chinese Basketball Association’s Foshan Dragon Lions. That came after the Shanxi Zhongyu Brave Dragons last week released Marbury, 33, on a sour note, the report said, with the team citing salary “reasons” and Marbury’s inability to guarantee his fitness to play.
Athletics: Kenyan Josphat Menjo, the fastest 10,000m track runner in the world this year, will compete in next week’s Zatopek Classic in Melbourne. Menjo, 31, put in the fastest 10,000m track performance of 2010 (26:56.74) and sits second on the year’s world list for the 10km road event (27:04). After a string of strong performances over the European summer, Menjo is expected to pressure the Zatopek race record held by countryman Luke Kipkosgei (27:22.54) at Olympic Park. The Zatopek Classic takes place on December 9.
Rugby Union: South Africa have called up uncapped centre Andries Strauss as a replacement for the injured Zane Kirchner ahead of their tour finale against the Barbarians at Twickenham. Kirchner suffered a concussion and a mild elbow sprain in the world champions’ 21-11 victory over England at Twickenham last Saturday and left the field early in the second-half. “We have alternatives for fullback in the squad in Gio Aplon and Patrick Lambie but are short on centres,” South Africa coach Peter de Villiers said.
Cycling: Spain’s 2003 world road race champion Igor Astarloa has been banned from cycling for two years and fined 35,000 euros for doping, the International Cycling Union said. The UCI said it had asked the Spanish Cycling Federation to investigate Astarloa “for a breach of the Anti-Doping Rules on the basis of his biological passport.” Following the probe, the disciplinary commission of the Spanish Cycling Federation decided to impose the fine as well as ban the rider for two years from November 26, 2010, said the UCI.