Football briefs...

Real Madrid: Real Madrid president Florentino Perez inaugurated the club's lavish new training facilities on the edge of the Spanish capital on Friday, and dedicated them to Madrid fans the world over. Their new training base, in Valdebebas near Madrid's Barajas airport, occupies 120 hectares and is 10 times bigger than their former training ground in northern Madrid. "This training facility is a dream made real. It is for Madrid fans all over the world," said Perez. The facilities, which are not yet complete, will be the home of Real's first team, all the youth teams, and the club's basketball side. Along with the 30 football pitches, gymnasium, and running track, there is a medical centre, a hydro-therapy centre, conference facilities and offices.

Zidane: France midfielder Zinedine Zidane has been included in Real Madrid's 19-man squad to face Real Mallorca in the Primera Liga today, after being sidelined for three weeks with a groin injury. "Zidane is ready to play, but not for the full 90 minutes," Real coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo told a news conference yesterday. Zidane suffered a groin strain during France's 1-0 victory over Ireland in a World Cup qualifier on September 7 and has not played since. The 33-year-old has been included in Raymond Domenech's France squad for their World Cup Group Four qualifiers against Switzerland on October 8 and Cyprus four days later.

Givet: Monaco defender Gael Givet is a doubtful starter for France's last two World Cup qualifying matches because of a thigh injury, a French team spokesman said. Givet will join France's training camp outside Paris tomorrow to see the doctor but it is very unlikely that he will play the matches against Switzerland and Cyprus. His Monaco club said Givet would be unavailable for at least 10 days because of a sore right thigh muscle.

Refereeing Scandal: Brazilian refereeing chief Armando Marques quit on Friday, almost a week after the country was stunned by an alleged match-fixing scandal involving two referees. Edilson Pereira de Carvalho, an international referee, and Paulo Jose Danelon were suspended by the CBF over allegations they took money from an illegal gambling ring to manipulate results. Danelon confessed to police he had fixed three matches in the Paulista (Sao Paulo state) championship in exchange for around $4,400 per game, his lawyer said.

UEFA U-17 Mini-Tournament: Played yesterday - Lithuania vs Malta 2-0.