Deportivo La Coruna: Deportivo La Coruna appointed former Sevilla coach Joaquin Caparros as replacement for Javier Irureta yesterday. Deportivo parted company last week with long-serving Irureta, who left after leading the club to the biggest successes of its 99-year history during his seven-season spell in charge. Under Irureta, Deportivo won the league in 2000, the King's Cup in 2002 and qualified for the Champions League five times.
Dreary draw: Peru and Uruguay ground out a bad-tempered 0-0 draw in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, a result that effectively ended the home side's hopes of reaching Germany next year. Peru have 15 points from the same number of games and are level with eighth-placed Venezuela, who have played a game less, in the 10-nation South American group. The draw was also of little help to Uruguay, who are fifth in the standings on 18 points, one ahead of Colombia and Chile, who have home matches today.
South Africa: Manchester United midfielder Quinton Fortune and Charlton Athletic striker Shaun Bartlett return from injury for South Africa's World Cup African zone Group Two match against Ghana on June 18. The pair missed last weekend's 2-1 win over the Cape Verde Islands with ankle problems but were included yesterday by coach Stuart Baxter in his 20-man squad for the game. Bartlett's return will do much to negate the absence of striker Benni McCarthy, who is suspended for the qualifier in Johannesburg.
Bowyer: Newcastle midfielder Lee Bowyer will be summoned to appear in court after his brawl on the pitch with team-mate Kieron Dyer in last season's game with Aston Villa. Bowyer, who admitted a FA charge of violent conduct during Newcastle's 3-0 home defeat in April, was banned for seven games and fined £30,000 by the FA and fined a further six weeks' wages by his club. Northumbria police said Bowyer would now be summoned to appear at Newcastle magistrates court following advice from the Crown Prosecution Service.
Bianchi: Atletico Madrid have appointed former Boca Juniors chief Carlos Bianchi as their coach for the next two season. The 56-year-old Argentine, who has been out of the game since he quit Boca in July last year, takes over from Cesar Ferrando who was sacked last week after the club finished a disappointing 11th place in the standings.
¤ Jose Mourinho, who led Chelsea to their first Premier League title in 50 years, is to be honoured with Portugal's highest order, a presidential spokesman said yesterday. President Jorge Sampaio will declare Mourinho a high officer of the Order of Infante Dom Henrique in a Portugal Day ceremony tomorrow in the northern city of Guimaraes. Mourinho, a native of Setubal, Portugal, will be among about 60 people to be honoured by Sampaio on the country's national day. Before taking over Chelsea last year, Mourinho led Porto to the Champions League, the UEFA Cup and two Portuguese league titles.