Woodgate: Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has said Jonathan Woodgate could go out on loan in a bid to boost the defender’s recovery from a long-standing groin injury. Woodgate returned to training last week after more than a year out of action. The 30-year-old could return to first-team action in two weeks’ time and Redknapp said a loan spell might be just the thing Woodgate needs.
Adams: Port Vale have given Sheffield United permission to speak to Micky Adams about the managerial vacancy at Bramall Lane. The Blades are seeking a replacement for former boss Gary Speed, who left to take over the Wales national team, and Vale are flying high in second place in League Two.
Mexico: Mexico have announced a friendly against Bosnia in Atlanta on February 9. The match will be new coach Jose Manuel de la Torre’s first in the dug-out since succeeding Javier Aguirre after last summer’s World Cup.
Date fixed: Chelsea and Manchester United’s Premier League showdown has been tentatively rescheduled for Tuesday, March 1 after being postponed due to a frozen pitch at Stamford Bridge last Sunday. The new date is subject to neither team being still involved in FA Cup fifth-round replay action.
Friendlies: Japan will play friendlies against Montenegro and New Zealand in March to prepare for the World Cup qualifiers. Japan will play Montenegro on March 25 in Shizuoka, followed by the New Zealand game four days later at the national stadium in Tokyo.
Paris SG: Paris SG president Robin Leproux has confirmed club owners Colony Capital are considering selling a minority stake in the club. Leproux said talks have begun with potential investors. “Sebastien Bazin (Colony Capital chief executive) authorised me to say that there are discussions to sell a minority stake but there will be no sale of the club or change of ownership,” he said.
Waterpolo: Bogdan Rath, the player of Romanian stock but eligible to play for the Italian national team, is to sue his Serie A1 club Brixia Leonessa over what he is alleging to be financial dues during the last three years. In a letter, Rath has stated that he will be taking legal proceedings against the Brescia club with whom he declared he wanted to part company. The left-handed Rath was again prominent for Sliema last season, finishing joint top-scorer in the Maltese league for the Blues with 36 goals together with John Soler.
Basket, NBA: Recent arrival Gilbert Arenas scored 14 points and handed out nine assists to help Orlando beat San Antonio 123-101 and halt the Spurs’ 10-game winning streak. Arenas came off the bench and added six rebounds as he backed up an ailing Jameer Nelson. Jason Richardson, another newcomer to the retooled Magic, had 15 points as Orlando won for the first time since they put together two blockbuster trades at the weekend.
Golf: David Fay is retiring from the US Golf Association after two decades as executive director, a tenure marked by a drive to bring golf back to the Olympics. Fay’s announcement came two months after his 60th birthday. Fay started his career as a caddie and joined the USGA in 1978. He became the association’s sixth executive director in 1989 and held the post under 12 presidents. Mike Butz, the deputy executive director since 1995, will take over on January 1 pending a search to find a replacement for Fay.
Cycling: Australian Robbie McEwen will debut with his new club Team RadioShack at Australia’s Tour Down Under next month. McEwen, 38, who has won 12 stages at both the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia, will join Lance Armstrong in Team RadioShack for the January 16-23 tour around Adelaide. McEwen and Robbie Hunter this month signed to race for seven-time Tour de France winner Armstrong’s RadioShack team in 2011.