Naysmith: Everton and Scotland defender Gary Naysmith will be sidelined for six weeks with a knee injury, the Premier League club said. He will miss Scotland's Euro 2008 qualifiers next month against France and Ukraine. Naysmith sustained a ligament injury to his left knee in the first half of Sunday's 1-1 draw at Newcastle United.
Zanetti: Inter captain Javier Zanetti made his 500th appearance for the Italian champions when he started against Bayern Munich in the Champions League last night. The 33-year-old Argentine international arrived at Inter in 1995 as the first purchase of the club's owner Massimo Moratti. Since then he has won six titles - the 1998 UEFA Cup, the Italian Cup and Italian Super Cup in 2005 and 2006 and last season's Serie A.
Cicinho: Real Madrid defender Cicinho has undergone surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and is expected to be out for six months. "The operation (on Tuesday) was a success. There is no great rush for him to return but we hope that he will be back playing again in March," Real doctor Alfonso del Corral was quoted as saying. The 26-year-old Brazilian international sustained the injury during Real's 1-0 win away to Real Betis in the Liga on Saturday.
Argentina: World Cup stalwarts Hernan Crespo, Roberto Ayala and Gabriel Heinze have been recalled by Argentina for their friendly international against Spain in Murcia next month. Ayala is set to equal the national caps record of 106 held by retired former captain Diego Simeone. The trio were not match fit earlier in the month with Crespo moving to Inter from Chelsea, Ayala in conflict with his club Valencia and Man. United's Heinze nursing an injury.
English premiership: The Premier League has agreed a deal with its sponsors for an extension worth £65.8 million until the end of the 2009/10 season. The deal with Barclays is effectively an extension of the current £57-million three-year deal, which had been due to expire at the end of the 2006/07 season. The bank will also sponsor the pre-season Premier League Asia Trophy, which will be played in the European close-season next year.
Racism: The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has agreed to open an investigation into racist chants from the crowd at last month's Primera Liga match between Celta Vigo and Barcelona, an RFEF spokesman said yesterday. Although nothing was mentioned in the referee's report on Aug 28, a request to look into the matter has been made by the government-run Anti-violence commission.
Derby violence: A gang of youths hurled stones at police after a derby match in the Swedish capital, leading to 24 arrests, police and local media said yesterday. The violence broke out late on Tuesday after a game between AIK Stockholm and Hammarby, which Hammarby won 2-0. "Around 300 people ran at the police and threw stones at them and their vehicles," the police said in a statement. One officer was taken to hospital with cuts on his face.
In England: League One - Chesterfield vs Scunthorpe 0-1. League Two - Boston vs Lincoln 1-0; Bristol Rovers vs Hereford 2-1; Wrexham vs Rochdale 1-2.