Angel: Aston Villa striker Juan Pablo Angel will be out for two weeks with a sprained ankle, putting him in doubt for Colombia's World Cup qualifiers at the end of March. Villa said Angel, who sprained his ankle in training last week and missed the 2-0 win over Middlesbrough in the Premier League on Saturday, has been virtually ruled out of their next match, the derby with Birmingham City on March 20.
Fulham: English Premier League side Fulham will play a Major League Soccer (MLS) All Star team in a pre-season friendly in Columbus, Ohio on July 30. The London club's American striker Brian McBride spent eight seasons with Columbus Crew while compatriot and team-mate Carlos Bocanegra played for Chicago Fire. "The All-Star Game celebrates the league's 10th season and the lasting impact made by MLS in the US and around the soccer world," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said.
Celtic: Celtic fans have reacted furiously to an invitation to former striker Maurice Johnston who defected to bitter rivals Rangers in 1989 to play in a charity match later this month. The former Scotland international famously signed for Rangers just weeks after being paraded in the Celtic hoops in a hyped-up return to the club from French side Nantes in May 1989. Johnston was invited to play in an Old Firm Legends match on March 23 at Hampden to help raise cash for two charities. He was asked to play one half of the match in Rangers kit and the other half in Celtic colours.
Costa Rica: Costa Rica have been fined and ordered to host their next World Cup qualifier behind closed doors after fans rioted following their defeat by Mexico last month. FIFA fined Costa Rica $17,000 and ordered them to play Panama in the CONCACAF qualifiers behind closed doors at the Saprissa stadium in the capital on March 26. Mexico and the US lead the six-nation CONCACAF final qualifying group with three points each after the first round of matches. The top three sides qualify directly for the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany. The fourth-placed team will play-off against an Asian team.
Lengthy Ban: Fluminense forward Felipe has been suspended for 180 days for punching an opponent during a Copa Brasil match last week. The Superior Tribunal of Sports Justice banned the player after he punched midfielder Marcos Mendes of Campinense during a match last week, Brazilian newspapers reported. They said Fluminense could rescind Felipe's contract due to the length of the suspension.
Feminine assets: The South African women's soccer team will be coached in etiquette and given tighter T-shirts in a drive to attract sponsorship ahead of a 2007 World Cup bid. A top official said yesterday female players who dressed and acted like men were giving women's soccer a bad name and needed to nurture their feminine side. The national team would be given a more shapely kit to emphasise their femininity on the pitch and would swap dowdy track suits for skirts and jackets when travelling. "Obviously they can't wear skirts on pitch... but they will be given outfits made for women, with female shirts that are shaped for breasts," a spokesman said.
Maradona: Diego Maradona checked out of a Colombian clinic yesterday after having his stomach stapled to reduce his weight, his doctors said. Maradona, 44, considered one of the finest soccer players of all time, is on a two-week liquid diet to be followed by solid foods, his doctors told a news conference after the procedure was performed.