Football - Cassano to join Milan
Italian news reports say Milan has reached a deal to sign Italy forward Antonio Cassano from Sampdoria. The ANSA news agency said yesterday the deal will be made official when the market reopens in early January. However, Cassano might be allowed to begin training with Milan after Christmas, according to ANSA and other reports. Gazzetta dello Sport says the contract would link Cassano to Milan until 2014. News that Milan was on the verge of signing Cassano fuelled speculation that Ronaldinho might be leaving. Cassano joined Sampdoria from Real Madrid in 2007. But the 28-year-old forward has fallen out of grace with Sampdoria after he insulted the club’s president with a profanity-laced tirade. Milan leads the Serie A by three points.
Football - Bojan Krkic extends
Barcelona contract by two years
Barcelona forward Bojan Krkic has extended his contract at the defending Spanish champions by two years through till 2015. The deal was signed on Monday and increases his buyout clause from €80 million to €100 million. Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola says “it is great news” as “we have a lot of confidence in him and his game.” The 20-year-old Bojan has 38 goals in four seasons in the first team after coming up through the Catalan club’s youth system. He became the youngest player to score for Barcelona with a goal against Villarreal at the age of 17 years and 53 days on 20 October, 2007. That beat Lionel Messi’s previous record by 251 days.
Football - Donovan, Wambach
win US Soccer Federation honours
Landon Donovan and Abby Wambach have been honoured by the US Soccer Federation as player of the year for the fourth time. Donovan scored against Slovenia, Algeria and Ghana at the World Cup. He had an injury-time goal against Algeria that put the US in the second round. Wambach has scored 16 goals in 18 games for the national team. She has 117 goals, third on the American career list. Donovan is the first four-time winner of the male award. He also won in 2003-04 and last year. Wambach also won in 2003-04 and 2007. Wambach trails only five-time honoree Mia Hamm. Defender Gale Agbossoumonde was cited as the top young male player. Goalkeeper Bianca Henninger is the female winner.
Football - Two German Cup
games called off because of snow
Two German Cup games scheduled for yesterday were called off because of wintry weather. Snow and ice have gripped much of Germany and authorities decided they could not guarantee the safety of fans for the Round of 16 games at two third-division clubs, Kickers Offenbach and Koblenz. Offenbach was slated to play Nuremberg, and Koblenz to host Kaiserslautern. In the top game, Bayern Munich visits Stuttgart today, three days after winning 5-3 in the Bundesliga.
Motor-Sport - Virgin Racing
signs D’Ambrosio for 2011 F1 season
Formula One team Virgin Racing says Jerome D’Ambrosio has been signed to drive alongside Timo Glock for the 2011 season. D’Ambrosio, who will replace Brazi’s Lucas Di Grassi for the British team’s second campaign, impressed in practice in four grand prix at the end of this season. He will be the first Belgian driver in F1 since 1994, when Philippe Adams started two grand prix with Lotus. D’Ambrosio says “there was a lot of competition for this seat but ... I got on well with the team and felt that I had found my home.” D’Ambrosio spent the last four seasons competing in the GP2 Series after spells in GP2 Asia, International Formula Master, the F3000 Euroseries and Formula Renault.
Football - Young US squad selected for Chile friendly
Defenders A.J. DeLaGarza and Sean Franklin are among 12 players with no international experience selected for a U.S. national team training camp ahead of the Americans' friendly against Chile. Six of the 24 players in the squad announced yesterday for the 22 January game in California have played just one match for the national team, all in the second half of 2011. Alejandro Bedoya is the most senior player with six international appearances. Others with no international experience include goalkeepers Dominic Cervi, Sean Johnson, Matt Pickens and Anthony Wallace; defender Zach Loyd, Ryan Miller; midfielders Eric Alexander and Jeff Larentowicz; and forward Justin Braun and forward Chris Wondolowski.
Cycling - Caucchioli tests cycling anti-doping scheme at CAS
Italian cyclist Pietro Caucchioli has given evidence at sport's highest court in the first legal challenge to the International Cycling Union's biological passport anti-doping program. The Court of Arbitration for Sport heard Caucchioli's appeal yesterday to annul a two-year ban for doping imposed by Italy's Olympic committee in June. Caucchioli never tested positive for banned drugs. He was sanctioned after the UCI said blood samples taken for his passport gave irregular results.
A verdict is scheduled within several weeks.
The court will hear another biological passport test case on 20 January. The UCI has appealed the Slovenian Olympic committee's refusal to discipline Tadej Valjavec based on his blood profile.
Football - Kakuta signs new 4 1/2-year contract with Chelsea
Chelsea forward Gael Kakuta has signed a new 4½-year contract with the Premier League club.
The 19-year-old Kakuta has started five matches for the English champions since his contentious move from French club Lens in 2007. Kakuta says he now has "to make a way for myself into the starting 11." Chelsea was temporarily banned from signing players by FIFA after Lens complained that Kakuta had breached his contract in moving to London.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the ban.