Van Der Vaart: Spurs Dutch international playmaker Rafael Van der Vaart was ruled out of his side’s Premier League match with relegation-threatened Blackpool today. The 28-year-old has suffered a recurrence of a calf muscle injury, which had forced him out for several matches.
Given: Shay Given, 34, will discover this week if he needs to undergo surgery after the Manchester City goalkeeper suffered a shoulder injury. Given, who has played second fiddle to Joe Hart all season, was not on the bench for the 5-0 FA Cup victory over Notts County on Sunday.
Egypt: Egypt’s football chiefs are to request that next month’s international match against South Africa be postponed due to recent political unrest in the north African country. The Pharaohs are due to face Bafana Bafana in South Africa on March 24 in an African Nations Cup qualifier but will instead ask the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to delay the fixture until the summer.
Bedoya: Birmingham are giving a trial to US midfielder Alejandro Bedoya. The 23-year-old has spent the last two years in Sweden with Orebro SK. Bedoya said: “I am very happy and grateful about this opportunity. It will increase my experience, motivation and confidence for the future.”
Mavuba: Lille captain Rio Mavuba has extended his contract with the current French table-toppers until 2015, the club announced yesterday. The 26-year-old holding midfielder, who has won six caps for France, has signed a three-year contract extension.
Chovanec: Sparta Prague coach Jozef Chovanec was suspended for 10 weeks by the Czech Football Federation (CMFS) yesterday after fielding junior players under false identities. The CMFS said that Chovanec had withdrawn two Sparta players from an international U-21 match and then selected them for a club fixture under different identities.
FA Cup: Fifth round – West Ham 5 (Hitzlsperger 23; Cole 48, 40; Reid 59; Sears 90) Burnley 1 (Rodriguez 71).
Primera Liga: Real Sociedad vs Mallorca 1-0.
Serie B: Varese vs Frosinone 3-3.
MFA Div. Three: Għargħur vs Marsa 3-1; Qrendi vs Attard 0-3.
Cricket: Cricket fans lashed out yesterday when it was revealed that just 4,000 tickets will go on sale for the World Cup final at Mumbai’s historic but capacity-squeezed Wankhede stadium. The venue for the title match, which has already been criticised for failing to meet safety regulations, has undergone major renovations for the tournament which led to a reduction in seating from 38,000 to 33,000.
Rugby Union: John O’Neill will remain in charge of the Australian Rugby Union until at least the end of 2013 following a contract extension, the ARU said yesterday. O’Neill, 59, will stay on as ARU Managing Director and CEO in a period which will incorporate the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia in two years’ time. O’Neill initially joined ARU in October 1995 and presided over Australia’s sole hosting of the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
Horse Racing: The Breeders Cup will provide an automatic berth into the Breeders Cup Turf Race to the Takarazuka Kinen winner, the first Japanese race so honoured. The 52nd Takarazuka Kinen, to be staged on June 26 at Hanshin Racecourse, will be part of the global Breeders Cup challenge series, in which horses worldwide can win their way into selected races of the annual equine showdown. The Breeders Cup, worth $26 million, is set this year for November 4-5 in Kentucky.
Golf: Australian Aaron Baddeley carded a final-round 69 to win the Northern Trust Open, denying veterans Vijay Singh and Fred Couples at the Riviera Country Club. Baddeley notched his fourth round in the 60s on the par-71 Riviera Country Club Course, finishing with a 72-hole total of 12-under 272. Fiji’s Singh, two days shy of his 48th birthday, closed with a 69 to finish second on 274 while Couples settled for a two-over 73 to finished tied for seventh.