Top Shot

US teenage striker Adu to join Benfica

LISBON: Benfica have reached an agreement in principle with US Major League Soccer to sign teenage striker Freddy Adu for $2 million, the Portuguese Premier League club said on Monday.

The club said the 18-year-old Real Salt Lake player had to pass a medical before joining the Lisbon club.

Ghanaian-born forward Adu became the youngest player to represent the US senior team when he made his debut against Canada in a friendly in January 2006 aged 16.

Benfica finished third last season in the 16-team standings and will play the third qualifying round of the Champions League next month.

Beckham to miss SuperLiga game against Dallas

CARSON: David Beckham will sit out Los Angeles Galaxy's final SuperLiga group match in Frisco, Texas on Tuesday as he has not fully recovered from a nagging ankle injury.

Galaxy coach Frank Yallop has decided not to play the England midfielder against FC Dallas despite needing a win or a draw to reach the tournament semi-finals.

"He's not out here so he obviously won't be going to Dallas with us," Yallop told reporters during Galaxy's training session on Monday. "We're hoping that everything will be fine for next weekend."

Galaxy visit Toronto FC in a Major League Soccer fixture on August 5, the date long pencilled in as his competitive league debut.

Globe-trotting German named Belarus coach

MINSK: German Bernd Stange was appointed coach of the Belarus national team on Monday.

Stange, who signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the Belarus FA, takes over from Yuri Puntus, who resigned last month following a string of poor results.

Belarus are in fifth place in Euro 2008, qualifying for Group G with seven points from seven matches, and are out of contention for next year's finals.

Stange has been out of work since quitting Cyprus club Apollon Limassol earlier this year.

The well-travelled 59-year-old was forced to quit the Iraqi national team in 2004 after receiving death threats.

Italy's Di Michele banned for three months for betting

MILAN: Italy striker David Di Michele has been banned for three months for illegal betting, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) said on Monday.

The 31-year-old, who has made six appearances for the Azzurri and moved from Palermo to Torino earlier this month, has also been fined 20,000 euros ($27,OO0), FIGC's Web site (www.figc.it) said.

Di Michele had been accused of betting "directly or through third parties, on the results of official matches organised by the FIGC". The maximum possible ban was three years.

Top-flight team Udinese were fined 15,000 euros with Serie B sides Vicenza and Mantova having to pay 7,000 euros following the probe. Three lesser known players also received bans of between three months and five months plus 20 days.

(China Daily 08/01/2007 page19)