Sagnol: France defender Willy Sagnol plans to extend his contract with Bayern Munich until 2010, manager Uli Hoeness said yesterday. "We have come to an agreement," Hoeness said. "Willy will stay certainly another four years with us." The announcement ends months of speculation during which the 28-year-old said he would leave the Bundesliga champions to join Juventus.
In France: Olympique Lyon started a campaign for the first league and cup double in their history with a 4-0 win at second division Grenoble in the French Cup first round yesterday. The runaway Ligue 1 leaders, who are chasing a record fifth successive league crown, lifted the Cup for the third and last time in 1973. Holders Auxerre survived the first round with a 1-0 victory at fourth division amateurs Noisy-le-Sec yesterday. Six Ligue 1 clubs bowed out on Saturday, three to teams from lower divisions. Toulouse lost 2-1 at fourth division amateur side Lyon-La-Duchere, Nice went down 3-0 at second division Brest and Troyes were beaten 3-2 after extra time by fourth division Calais, who were French Cup finalists in 2000.
Deco: Barcelona midfielder Deco was discharged from hospital yesterday after spending the night under observation after a blow to the head during the Primera Liga match against city rivals Espanyol. The 28-year-old Portugal international briefly lost consciousness after hitting his head colliding with team-mate Thiago Motta early in the second half. Barcelona medical staff said he had made satisfactory progress and would follow a special training plan before joining the rest of the squad during the course of this week.
Australia: Australia have postponed their Asian Cup qualifier against Lebanon in March to play a friendly against a tougher opponent which will help their World Cup preparations. Australia were due to host Lebanon on March 1 in the second round of qualifiers for the 2007 Asian Cup, but have switched the match to September 1.
Altintop: Turkey striker Halil Altintop will join FC Schalke 04 from Kaiserslautern on a free transfer at the end of the season, the Bundesliga club said yesterday. Altintop, who has signed a four-year-contract, will join his twin brother Hamit at Schalke. Altintop, 23, has scored 13 goals for relegation candidates Kaiserslautern and is second highest top scorer in the Bundesliga behind Werder Bremen's Miroslav Klose.
World Cup Tour: Hundreds of Ghanaians queued in blazing sunshine to see the World Cup last weekend when soccer's most coveted trophy began its first world tour. Fans in the soccer-mad West African nation, whose national team will make their first World Cup finals appearance in Germany this year, competed for tickets to see the trophy by taking part in radio and television quiz shows. The 15-inch, solid gold statue went on display in a glass case in a conference centre in the capital Accra. The trophy will go on show in 31 cities in 28 countries ahead of the World Cup, ending its tour on April 10 in Rome. The 32-team finals kick off on June 9.