IN BRIEF (Page 24)
Soccer
Naples magistrates charge 37 over match-fixing
MILAN: Naples magistrates charged 37 people on Tuesday over Italy's match-fixing scandal including former Juventus general manager Luciano Moggi.
Last year a sports tribunal stripped Juventus of its last two Serie A titles and relegated them to Serie B after being found guilty of match-fixing, while AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina all started last season with points deductions.
Moggi was banned from football for five years.
The Naples investigation is a separate probe to that held last year with 48 people originally accused of trying to influence the result of 40 Serie A matches, 15 of which did not feature in the original trial.
US set to name Latin coach as technical director
NEW YORK: US Soccer plans to name a technical director next year and is looking to name a Latin coach to the position, federation president Sunil Gulati said on Tuesday.
"We will bring on a technical director to work with (national coach) Bob (Bradley)," Gulati told Reuters.
"There's a reasonable chance that would be an international coach, not because I necessarily think they're better but because he'll bring something different to the mix.
"Everything else being equal, if we could have it be a Latin coach that would be ideal. The Hispanic community is a huge part of our future in the United States."
Villarreal makes Tomasson loan deal permanent
MADRID: Villarreal has agreed a deal with VfB Stuttgart to make Denmark striker Jon Dahl Tomasson's loan move permanent, the Primera Liga club said on Tuesday.
The 30-year-old, who has scored 46 goals in 90 internationals, was loaned to Villarreal in January, and netted four times in 11 appearances.
He will sign a two-year contract and is expected to help cover the loss of Villarreal's leading scorer Diego Forlan, who joined Atletico Madrid last week.
NBA
Salary cap for next season set at $55.6 million
NEW YORK: The National Basketball Association's salary cap for the 2007-08 season will be $55.6 million, the league announced on Tuesday.
The new salary cap goes into effect on Wednesday when a 10-day moratorium ends and teams can begin signing free agents and making trades.
League officials said the tax level for the upcoming season will be $67.9 million, meaning any team whose salary exceeds that figure will have to pay a so-called luxury tax.
Teams whose salary exceeds $67.9 million will pay a $1 tax for each $1 it goes over the amount.
Last season the salary cap was set at $53.1 million and the tax level was $65.4 million.
The salary cap is calculated as a percentage of the NBA's revenue from the previous season.
NFL
Struggling Raiders sign veteran safety Darius
NEW YORK: The Oakland Raiders on Tuesday signed Donovin Darius, a free safety who spent his first nine years in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Darius, 31, has started in all 115 league games in which he has played.
"We are extremely excited about adding Donovin to the Raiders," Oakland first-year coach Lane Kiffin said in a statement. "He will bring us strong competition and he gives us added flexibility in our secondary.
Oakland had an NFL-worst 2-14 record last season but ranked third in total defense and number one against the pass.
(China Daily 07/12/2007 page24)
