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Sports Briefs

■ Soccer
Beckham move rumored
English Premiership club Chelsea, flush with cash after being bought by a Russian billionaire last year, plan to buy David Beckham from Real Madrid and bring him back to England after just one season, The Sun newspaper reported yesterday. The tabloid, whose information on the Beckham family is normally reliable, said Beckham had not renewed his lease on his Madrid mansion. The midfielder had also halted plans to book his son Brooklyn into Madrid's top English-speaking private school and was getting rid of his Spanish translator, The Sun said. It said buying out Beckham would cost ?140 million (more than 200 million euros), but that Chelsea's new owner, Roman Abramovich, was determined to have Beckham. There is also speculation that England's Swedish manager, Sven Goran Eriksson, could move to Chelsea. Eriksson and Beckham have proved a relatively successful partnership for England.

■ Basketball
Jackson, Lakers fined
The Los Angeles Lakers and head coach Phil Jackson were each fined US$50,000 for comments made about game officials after their 88-83 loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday, the NBA announced Thursday. Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal was tossed from the game by referee Bob Delaney after being assessed two technical fouls in the final quarter, prompting Jackson's criticism. The already undermanned Lakers were ahead 72-68 when O'Neal was ejected.

■ Basketball
Bryant lawyers win decision
Rejecting a prosecution appeal, the Colorado Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for Kobe Bryant's attorneys to ask the 19-year-old woman accusing him of rape detailed questions about her sexual past. The court denied the appeal without comment, which means the woman will testify behind closed doors during a two-day hearing that begins on March 24. Prosecutor Mark Hurlbert said he was dismayed by the ruling. "We continue to have great concern about the humiliation the victim is being asked to endure at the hands of the criminal justice system," Hurlbert said in a statement. "Furthermore, future victims may not report their victimization for fear of similar humiliation." The defense is expected to ask the woman about previous sexual partners in hopes of backing up its claim that she had a "scheme" to sleep with the Los Angeles Lakers star. The defense also says injuries found on the woman during a hospital exam could have come from other sexual partners.

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