IN BRIEF (Page 23)

NFL

Titans agree to terms with former Colts lineman Scott

NEW YORK: The Tennessee Titans have agreed to terms on a multi-year contract with offensive lineman Jake Scott, the team said on Monday.

Scott, 26, was an unrestricted free agent who played the last four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.

"He is a technician at the position who rarely makes mistakes and he has enough versatility to play either guard spot," Titans general manager Mike Reinfeldt told the team's Website (www.titansonline.com).

A fifth-round selection in the 2004 draft, Scott has eight career playoff starts, all at right guard, and was a member of the Colts' Super Bowl-winning team in 2006.

Terms of the deal were undisclosed but the Tennessean newspaper reported it was a four-year contract worth just under $5 million a season.

The Titans were in the market for an offensive lineman after losing free-agent left guard Jacob Bell, who signed with the St Louis Rams last week.

Soccer

Brazilian referee suspended for miscounting yellow cards

RIO DE JANEIRO: A Brazilian referee was given a 15-day suspension on Monday for failing to send off a player despite showing him two yellow cards.

The incident occurred in the Paulista championship on Sunday when referee Jose Henrique de Carvalho twice booked Guaratingueta midfielder Magal in the first half of the 2-0 defeat by Corinthians.

"He (Carvalho) made some serious mistakes," Marcos Maurinho, head of the Paulista federation's refereeing committee, told Jovem Pan radio.

"There was a procedural error when he wrote down he had given a card for the number five (Jackson) instead of number eight (Magal). He maintained the decision even after being told by the fourth official."

Carvalho, who sent off Corinthians player Bovio in the first half, acknowledged the mistake in a television interview after the game and apologized to supporters.

A similar incident occurred at the 2006 World Cup when England's Graham Poll failed to send off Croatia's Josip Simunic after handing him a second yellow card against Australia.

Stuttgart resigned to losing top striker Gomez

BERLIN: VfB Stuttgart striker Mario Gomez is in such good form that the Bundesliga club has given up hope of keeping him for the remaining four years of his contract.

Gomez, the Bundesliga's player of the year last season, took his tally for the current campaign to 14 league goals after scoring a hat-trick in Saturday's 6-3 win over Werder Bremen.

"It's unrealistic to think that Mario will stay to the end of his contract in 2012," Stuttgart sporting director Horst Heldt was quoted as saying by German media on Monday.

"We're not so naive as to think he's going to play his whole career in Stuttgart, although obviously we want to keep him for as long as possible."

Kicker reported on Monday that AC Milan, Fiorentina and Juventus were all interested in signing Gomez.

The 22-year-old striker is certain to be named in the Germany squad for Euro 2008. He has scored four goals in just eight internationals so far.

(China Daily 03/12/2008 page23)