Sporting briefs

Obertan: Manchester United have completed the signing of Frenchman Gabriel Obertan on a four-year contract. The 20-year-old, who can play in a number of different attacking positions, has joined United from French club Bordeaux.

Southampton: The future of former FA Cup winners Southampton was secured yesterday when administrators confirmed the club had been sold to Swiss tycoon Markus Liebherr, a member of one of Europe's top business dynasties. The amount paid for the ailing south-coast club was not disclosed.

Fabiano: Sevilla's Brazil striker Luis Fabiano is Milan's only remaining transfer target but the clubs are some way apart on valuation, the Italian team's chief executive Adriano Galliani said yesterday. A move for Porto's Aly Cissokho collapsed after he failed a medical while Wolfsburg refused to sell striker Edin Dzeko and interest in Real Madrid forward Klaas Huntelaar has cooled.

Pernia: Atletico Madrid defender Mariano Pernia is recovering from injuries after a car accident in Argentina. The former Spain international was in a stable condition having fractured bones in his shoulder and back, and punctured a lung, when his car left the road on Tuesday.

Pato marries: Brazil and Milan teenage striker Alexandre Pato married 22-year-old television actress Sthefany Brito in a lavish ceremony attended by soccer and show business celebrities. The couple were married at the Sao Francisco de Paula church in central Rio de Janeiro before receiving guests at a party in the glamorous Copacabana Palace hotel on Tuesday night.

Zokora: Sevilla have signed Ivory Coast midfielder Didier Zokora from Tottenham on a four-year contract. The 28-year-old international will compete in the Champions League next season after Sevilla qualified with a third-place finish in the league.

Rugby Union: The Rugby Union Players Association (RUPA) has launched an investigation into the sacking of Australia winger Lote Tuqiri after his team-mates expressed concern about the case. Leading players, including Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock, wanted the case to be investigated after the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) refused to disclose their reasons for sacking Tuqiri. Tuqiri was one of Australia's most experienced and highest-paid players until his contract was torn up last week.

Basketball: Houston Rockets centre Yao Ming is negotiating the possible purchase of his former club Shanghai Sharks, who are facing an uncertain future after running into financial difficulties. Yao's management team were currently conducting talks with the Shanghai Sports Bureau. Yao started playing for the Sharks in 1997 and lead the team to the title in 2002 before he was selected by the Rockets as number one pick in that year's NBA Draft.

Horse racing: Japanese horses have again been banned from competing in this year's Melbourne Cup in Australia because of quarantine concerns. The Japanese-trained Delta Blues won the Melbourne Cup in 2006 ahead of his stablemate Pop Rock but their horses have been banned ever since following an outbreak of equine influenza in Australia that was traced back to Japan. The Australian quarantine department is preparing new protocols for Japanese horses but said they would not be ready when the Melbourne Cup is run in November.

Athletics: Usain Bolt clocked the fourth fastest 200m time ever to win the Lausanne Grand Prix in 19.59 in torrential rain late on Tuesday. The Jamaican looked relaxed before the start and dominated the race from the gun. Bolt accelerated off the bend to leave his rivals trailing in his wake and crossed the line a massive 0.82 seconds ahead of American LaShawn Merrit.