Pastore: Argentine playmaker Javier Pastore’s agent Marcelo Simonian has denied his client is set to move to Roma, following Italian press reports to that effect. “There’s no truth in it, I only found out about it through the media,” Simonian told a Roma fans’ website. “I don’t know how much he’s worth because Palermo will decide the price when the moment comes to sell him.”
Marquinhos: Brazilian striker Marquinhos has quit J-League side Vegalta Sendai citing trauma caused by the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan. “It was a great shock for him to actually see the disasters caused by the earthquake and it is mentally difficult for him to keep playing. That’s why we cancelled the contract with him,” said a statement on the club’s website.
Crawley: Crawley secured league football for the first time in their history as yesterday’s 3-0 win at Tamworth earned them promotion from the Blue Square Bet Premier. Crawley lead AFC Wimbledon by 14 points with their rivals having only four games left this season after Matt Tubbs’s double helped the Red Devils to a comfortable win in Staffordshire.
Nesta: Alessandro Nesta will skip Milan’s away match at Fiorentina today, joining Andrea Pirlo and the suspended Antonio Cassano. The veteran defender has been suffering from an inflammation of the right knee and underwent a personalised training schedule over the last two days. Nesta is not even in the squad travelling to Florence today.
‘Silly’ fans: Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood has branded disgruntled supporters “silly” for expressing concern about the club’s trophy drought. The Arsenal Sup-porters Trust revealed last week they planned to discuss the Gunners’ six-year failure to win any silverware with chief executive Ivan Gazidis. Hill-Wood said: “We are 100% behind Wenger. I simply cannot believe he will react to these stupid comments from these silly people. They are supposed to be supporters, but, in fact, they do quite a lot of damage.”
Trezeguet: David Trezeguet, 33, is not ruling out a move back to the Serie A after his spell with Hercules in the Primera Liga. The former Juventus striker is being linked with Napoli. “I will not deny or confirm interest from Napoli,” agent Antonio Caliendo said. “At this moment we are looking around and clearly there is talk of a return to Italy.”
Marathon: The Gaza Strip will next month host its first-ever marathon, a 42-kilometre test of endurance in which entrants will run the entire length of the narrow coastal enclave. The race, which is being organised by the UNRWA, will take place on May 5 with the aim of raising funding for the United Nations refugee agency’s Sum-mer Games programme which is held every year in the Hamas-run territory.
Rugby Union: Irish referee George Clancy will officiate the opening game of the 2011 Rugby World Cup between hosts New Zealand and Tonga at Eden Park, Auckland, on September 9. The International Rugby Board, the sport’s governing body, said Clancy was part of a streamlined panel of 10 referees picked after a performance review, who will be supported by seven dedicated assistant referees and four television match officials at rugby’s showcase event.
Tennis: Rising Japanese star Kei Nishikori demolished American number one Mardy Fish 6-3, 6-2 in the quarter-finals of the US Clay Court Championship. The 21-year-old Nishikori did not face a single break point in the match as he ousted the top seed from the tournament in stunning fashion. Nishikori will face Pablo Cuevas of Uruguay in today’s semi-finals. Cuevas beat third-seeded Guil-lermo Garcia-Lopez 1-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.