Cristiano Ronaldo: Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo has agreed a two-year contract extension with Manchester United that will keep him at Old Trafford until 2010. The 20-year-old joined from Sporting Lisbon two years ago for £12 million and has become a first-team regular alongside Ruud van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney in United's attack. Manager Alex Ferguson, who had been working on the new deal for six months, told the club's website: "It represents our faith in young players at the club and Ronaldo will develop into a fantastic player."
Tourism Promo: Cadiz will promote El Salvador on their strip for the rest of the season under a sponsorship deal with the central American state's tourist board. "We are the first country in the world sponsoring a football team that plays in the best league in the world," El Salvador's Minister for Tourism, Jose Ruben Rochi said. The deal, reported to be worth around 150,000 euros, will see the words "Visit El Salvador" printed on Cadiz's shorts.
Jestrovic: Cleared of fraud allegations relating to a burglary at his home in 2003 by the Brussels public prosecutor, Anderlecht striker Nenad Jestrovic now wants to forget the past and concentrate on football. "After the rain comes the sunshine," the 29-year-old told Reuters this week. "I just want to put everything behind me and get on with doing my job on the pitch." Jestrovic was banned for three games by UEFA last week for racially insulting an opponent during a Champions League match.
Crouch: Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez told Peter Crouch yesterday to be more aggressive on the pitch if he wants to start scoring goals. Crouch has not scored for club or country in 17 matches since July. "He is a nice boy and sometimes he is too nice," Benitez said. "As a centre forward in England you must not be too nice. You must be aggressive against defenders because they will be aggressive to you."
Hoyzer: Banned for life from refereeing and now convicted of fraud, Robert Hoyzer may yet earn an honest euro from his pivotal role in Germany's match-fixing scandal. Hoyzer believes German fans still have an appetite for his exploits and told judges during his trial that he plans to write a book. The two-year and five-month sentence he was ordered to serve on Thursday means he will certainly have time to put pen to paper.
In England: The Championship - Derby vs Wolves 0-3. League One - Swansea vs Yeovil 2-0. League Two - Cheltenham vs Lincoln 4-1.
In Italy: Serie C - Pavia vs Ravenna 3-0.
MFA Division Two: Mellieha vs Gharghur 4-3; Dingli vs Attard 7-0.
Basketball: Peugeot League - Kerygma vs Naxxar 31-49; Depiro vs SN Suns 69-22.