Soccer inquiry: Hearts have asked the Scottish FA to investigate the "integrity of the decision" that led to the chaotic ending of their controversial 2-1 home defeat by Rangers on Wednesday. Premier League leaders Rangers won with a last minute penalty after a linesman flagged for a push by Lee Miller on Sotirios Kyrgiakos as they battled to reach a far-post cross. Hearts were furious at the decision and forward Saulius Mikoliunas was sent off by World Cup referee Hugh Dallas for shoving the linesman.
Passarella: Daniel Passarella, who captained Argentina to the 1978 World Cup title, has taken charge of Brazil's Corinthians. He replaces Tite who resigned after Corinthians, whose new British-based investors MSI are spending heavily on their squad, lost the derby against Sao Paulo 1-0 last Sunday. A report said Passarella would earn $858,000 a year.
Santrac: Slobodan Santrac has been named Macedonia's national coach and will be offered a two-year contract next week. The Macedonia FA said they could offer an annual salary of up to $130,600. The 59-year-old Santrac was coach of former Yugoslavia in their 1998 World Cup campaign.
Germany: Germany called up 33 players for fitness tests later this month, giving a hint of coach Juergen Klinsmann's plans for the 2006 World Cup. The squad includes Bayern Munich's Sebastian Deisler and VfB Stuttgart defender Markus Babbel. Midfielder Deisler, still struggling to make a full recovery from depression and injury, has been left out of recent friendlies. Babbel last played for Germany at Euro 2000.
Mourinho: Despite making headlines for his behaviour in Barcelona and at the League Cup final, controversial Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said yesterday he did not like the limelight. "I don't want it, I'm a group man. I'm not interested in myself, I'm not interested in my image and what people think about me," Mourinho said.
Nadal: Former Spain and Barcelona defender Miguel Angel Nadal announced his retirement yesterday. The 38-year-old has played for Real Mallorca for the last six seasons but has managed only six games in 2004/5. Nadal said he felt he was no longer able to perform at the top level.
In England: The Championship - Burnley vs Sunderland 0-2.
In Italy: Serie C1 - Giulianova vs Teramo 2-2.
Mfa Div. Three: Gharghur vs Zurrieq 3-1; Sta Lucija vs Luqa 5-0.
Former Argentina World Cup-winning captain Diego Maradona may have his stomach stapled to reduce his ballooning waistline, a Colombian doctor said. Maradona, 44, is deciding whether to have surgery in the picturesque port city of Cartagena on Colombia's Caribbean coast. Stomach stapling, also known as a gastric bypass, reduces the stomach's capacity for holding food and bypasses part of the small intestine, forcing individuals to eat less.