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SOCCER SHORTS

■ EAGLAND

Mittal family buys QPR stake

English club Queens Park Rangers (QPR) received a significant cash injection after the family of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal bought a 20 percent shareholding in the team. Last month Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone and Renault team manager Flavio Briatore took over the London club, who are bottom of England's second tier championship. Mittal, described as the wealthiest man in Britain by the Sunday Times rich list with a fortune estimated at £19.25 billion (US$38.3 billion), will be represented on the board at Loftus Road by his son-in-law, Amit Bhatia.



■ Germany

Hertha want Zurich's Rafael

Brazilian striker Rafael, top scorer for Swiss champions FC Zurich, is being targeted in a multimillion euro transfer by Bundesiga side Hertha Berlin, it was revealed on Thursday. The 22-year-old, who has scored 12 goals in 15 games for Zurich already this season, has been discussed by the two clubs ahead of next month's transfer window, but Zurich president Ancillo Canepa says a deal hangs in the balance. "It was a good discussion, but we haven't quite agreed yet," Canepa told German agency SID. "The chances of an agreement is about 50:50. "Both sides are striving to find a solution, but we do not have to sell our best goal-scorer, we have to find an agreeable price."



■ Italy

Players must shake hands

Italian league players will be forced to shake hands with opponents after matches from January next year, Italian league organizers said on Thursday. League president Antonio Matarreses told the Ansa news agency that the new initiative, for both first and second division clubs, had been unanimously adopted. "From Jan. 13, players will line up on the half way line at the end of matches and shake hands," Materrese said. "My dream is that one day opposing fans will also shake hands." It was not made clear what punishment, if any, would be imposed for those players who did not comply.



■ england

Fulham fire Sanchez

Fulham yesterday parted ways with manager Lawrie Sanchez in the hope of finding a replacement to ensure the struggling club stays in the Premier League. "Following a run of disappointing results the club is languishing in the relegation zone of the Premier League table, and losing its Premiership status is a proposition that simply can not be contemplated at this stage in the club's on-going development," Fulham said in a statement. "The club is confident that it will find the right replacement to increase its chances of remaining in the Premiership, which is of vital importance," the statement said. Ray Lewington and Billy McKinlay will be in charge of the team whilst a search for a permanent replacement takes place. Fulham are currently third from bottom of the Premier League with just 13 points from 17 games.



■ China

Female `Rooney' crocked

Ma Xiaoxu, dubbed China's female "Wayne Rooney" because of her prodigious talent, may miss playing in next year's Olympics after seriously injuring her knee, a press report said yesterday. Ma is likely to be sidelined for at least six months with what team doctors fear may be a ruptured ligament in her right knee, after she fell awkwardly while playing in Wednesday's 4-0 defeat of New Zealand, the China Daily reported. Ma was stretchered off and taken to Beijing on Thursday for tests, the newspaper said.
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