IN BRIEF (Page 23)
NBA
Wizards' Arenas out at least three months after surgery
WASHINGTON: Washington Wizards point guard Gilbert Arenas will miss at least the next three months of the National Basketball Association season after undergoing left knee surgery on Wednesday.
The team announced that Arenas will begin rehabilitation next week but is not likely to return before late February.
"We're optimistic that he will be able to return to action in three months," team physician Marc Connell said.
Arenas, third in NBA scoring last season with 28.5 points a game, is scoring 22.4 points a game and averaging 5.9 assists in eight games for the Wizards, who have won six games in a row after losing their first five of the season.
motor sports
Schumacher to test again with Ferrari
LONDON: Retired seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher will test again for Ferrari at Jerez in southern Spain next month, the Formula One team said on Thursday.
"We haven't arranged the program yet but he will do a couple of days," a Ferrari spokesman said.
Schumacher retired at the end of the 2006 season but returned to the race track this month in a test that Ferrari described at the time as "half for pleasure, half for technical reasons".
He was the fastest driver on both days he tested at Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya.
The 38-year-old German, who has ruled out a return to racing, has useful experience in driving cars without traction control and so-called "driver aids".
soccer
Ballack targets December return for Chelsea
BERLIN: Germany's captain Michael Ballack said on Wednesday he is hoping to end his injury nightmare and return to action for English giant Chelsea next month.
Ballack, 31, has been out of action since damaging his ankle in the Premier League clash against Newcastle United on April 22, but told German television channel ARD he plans to play again next month.
"I have been making big progress," said Ballack, who has missed the last ten German internationals after two ankle operations.
"I was back in full training last week and I plan to play my first game in December. However, I am not setting an exact date or a particular match for my return. I am looking at my progress on a week-to-week basis."
Brazil legend Pele's shirt sold at auction
LONDON: A yellow Brazil football shirt worn by Pele during the 1970 World Cup final has been sold for 66,500 pounds ($137,100) at auction in London, Christie's said Wednesday.
The shirt was the most expensive sale in an auction of memorabilia belonging to former England captain Bobby Moore and Brazil's Mario Zagallo, who was national team manager in 1970 when his side won the tournament.
The buyer on Tuesday was anonymous and the shirt had carried an estimated value of up to 80,000 pounds.
Report: Ronaldinho's poor form hurting shirt sales
BARCELONA, Spain: Barcelona fans have responded to Ronaldinho's recent poor form by shunning his No 10 shirt in favor of those worn by teammates Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry.
According to El Periodico, the Brazilian midfielder's shirt was the most popular among Barca fans last June.
But sales have plunged 40 percent in the last four months compared to the same period last year, the paper said, quoting industry sources.
Recent lackluster performances by the two-time world player of the year have "begun to have alarming and negative repercussions on his commercial image," the paper said.
Unhappy Ismael set for Bayern exit after Hitzfeld slam
MUNICH, Germany: Bayern Munich's French defender Valerien Ismael is set to leave Bayern Munich this winter after he slammed coach Ottmar Hitzfeld for giving him little chance to win back his place with the German league leaders.
The 32-year-old central defender has been turning out for Bayern's second team this season and is angry at being continually ignored even when first-choice defenders Daniel Van Buyten and Martin Demichelis were injured.
Bayern has agreed to the Frenchman's request to quit the German giant and he is expected to leave when the Bundesliga winter break begins on December 15.
(China Daily 11/23/2007 page23)
