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■ Soccer
Rooney to sue tabloid
Wayne Rooney is to the sue the Sun, Britain's biggest-selling daily newspaper, over a story the tabloid ran claiming the Manchester United and England striker slapped his girlfriend, Coleen McLoughlin. Rooney has instructed lawyer Keith Schilling to issue proceedings for libel (written defamation) against the Sun, his media adviser Ian Monk said on Wednesday. Rooney, 19, is alleged to have hit his girlfriend Coleen, also 19, after a row in the Brasingamens club in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, north-west England while enjoying a night out with other United stars on Sunday, April 10. He denies hitting his girlfriend. The Sun reported the story and has since claimed Rooney is in danger of losing lucrative sponsorship deals because of the bad publicity. Monk said: "I can confirm that as a result of their entirely false allegation that he hit his girlfriend, the Sun is being sued by my client."

■ Soccer
Charges after seven deaths
Officials charged with deaths Iran has charged two low-ranking officials over the deaths of seven people in a post-match crush following last month's World Cup qualifier with Japan, Iranian newspapers reported on Wednesday. The head of the stadium and the police commander in charge of security of the stadium, only identified by their last names Azeri and Hadinejad, have both been indicted, the papers said. Seven people were crushed to death as fans tried to leave the Azadi stadium on March 25 after Iran beat Japan 2-1. Another spectator died of a heart attack during the match. A further 40 were injured. The fatal incident happened when a police helicopter blocked the 60m-wide Azadi stadium main gate. As a result the crowd of several thousands was directed towards the secondary 7m-wide gates, which according to wounded and witnesses were not opened.

■ Football
Doping in NFL scrutinized
The US congressional committee that investigated doping use in Major League Baseball will turn its inves-tigation to the same problem in pro gridiron football. The panel said on Tuesday it will ask National Football League (NFL) officials and union representatives to testify at a hearing next week. "A public review of the NFL's strategy for combatting steroid use marks the next step in our investigation," said Repres-entative Tom Davis, chair-man of the House of Rep-resenatatives' Government Reform Committee. "Exam-ining the effectiveness of the NFL's policy is a key part of understanding why 500,000 high school students today have tried steroids," he said.

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