Sporting Briefs

Vieira: Manchester City midfielder Patrick Vieira was charged with violent conduct by the English FA on Wednesday for a challenge on Stoke City's Glenn Whelan that went unpunished during Tuesday's Premier League match. Vieira, 33, left Whelan in a heap after a shuddering challenge in the first half of the 1-1 draw.

Cabanas: Paraguay striker Salvador Cabanas was set to leave intensive care yesterday three weeks after being shot in the head in a Mexico City bar. The 29-year-old forward of Mexican club America, who still has the bullet lodged in his brain, has been able to move more parts of his body, one of his doctors said. Police are still looking for a suspect in the shooting.

Curbishley: West Ham have settled the compensation claim by the Premier League club's former manager Alan Curbishley, the League Managers Association (LMA) said. Curbishley resigned in September 2009, claiming the sale of Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney breached his contract. Curbishley, who began his career as a player at West Ham, has been out of the game since leaving Upton Park.

Early kick-off: Rubin Kazan's Europa League last 32 first-leg tie against Israel's Hapoel Tel Aviv today has been brought forward by four hours to combat worsening weather conditions. "After consultations with both clubs, the UEFA commission has decided to shift the kick off from 19.00 to 15.00 (Malta time) because of possible bad weather," the Russian champions said.

Ameobi: Newcastle have confirmed Shola Ameobi faces a couple of weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. The striker scored eight goals in nine starts earlier in the season before undergoing surgery on his foot in September.

Friendly: The United States will host Turkey on May 29 in the Americans' last tune-up before departing for the World Cup in South Africa. The match will be held at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles and one of the sites included in the US bid for the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.

Basketball: Louis Borg Cup SFs (men) - Depiro vs Siġġiewi 59-73; Luxol vs Loyola 80-65.

Athletics: Kenyan Florence Kiplagat will not defend her world cross country title in Poland on March 28. Kiplagat, 23, has been out of action after sustaining a hamstring injury at last year's World Championships in Berlin. Kiplagat ended Kenya's drought in the senior women's cross country competition when she beat world 10,000m champion Linet Masai last year.

Rugby Union: Scotland international back Thom Evans will undergo a second operation on his injured neck, Scotland team doctor James Robson said. Evans, 24, had surgery in Cardiff on Saturday after suffering the injury in the 31-24 loss to Wales in the Six Nations. Robson said that Evans will not be able to play again this season, but that his career is not necessarily under threat.

Winter Games: A photographer caused a delay during a crucial moment of the women's luge competition on Tuesday when he accidentally knelt on a switch that sent water spurting on to the track. Germany's bronze medallist Natalie Geisenberger was just about to push off for her fourth run down the Whistler course when a red warning light flashed at the starting gate causing a two-minute delay. Geisenberger, who did not make a fuss over the incident, missed silver by a fraction of a second.

Basket, NBA: Kevin Durant extended his impressive scoring streak with another 25-point haul as the Oklahoma City Thunder won for the seventh time in a row, a 99-86 triumph over Dallas Mavericks. Durant racked up 25 points for a 26th straight game, the longest such run since Allen Iverson completed the feat for 27 successive games in the 2000-01 season.