TEHRAN, Dec. 24--Arash Mir-Esmaeili, Iran’s top judo player, is mulling offers from two German judo clubs.
Mir-Esmaeili has already booked a place at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in October after grabbing the bronze at the world championship in Brazil, Mehr News Agency reported.
The 66-kg athlete, who was Dinamo Tbilisi’s member in the European Championship last season, will play for the unnamed German club if he reaches an agreement.
The German Judo League matches will start in January.
Mir-Esmaeili has won the world championship’s gold medals in Munich (2001) and Osaka (2003).

TEHRAN, Dec. 24-- Iran’s National Weightlifting Team will travel to China to take part in a training camp ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the Asian Weightlifting Championship in Japan.
According to IRNA, the 45-day camp will begin on December 31 in Beijing with ten Iranian weightlifters in eight categories.
They include Majid Asgari in the 56-kg category, Jaber Behrouzi and Mehdi Mohammadi in 62 kg, Kianoush Rostami in 69 kg, Mohammd Zarei and Hossein Abroun in 77 kg, Hamed Ebrahimi in 85 kg and Jamshid Barzehkar in 94 kg.
In the heavyweight category, Anoush Armak will participate in 105 kg and Rashid Sharifi in +105 kg.
The team will be headed by Bahman Zare as head coach as well as coaches Hadi Marzban and Gholamhossein Nejati.

Hossein Kaebi

LEICESTER, England,
Dec. 24--Leicester City have undertaken a massive clear-out as they have released seven players including Iranian international Hossein Kaebi.
Holloway said of the players: “I feel for them. They need to get on with their lives.
“They did not have a future here, and I wish them the best of luck.
“I have sent them away from now until the transfer window opens so that they can try to get themselves fixed up with moves or trials at other clubs.“
The 21-year-old, who had only made two starts for the club following his switch to the Foxes in the summer, was told he had no future with the Championship side, Leicester City’s website wrote.
The news comes as a surprise; two weeks ago, club boss Ian Holloway hailed the defender’s polished performance on the right wing against Ipswich Town.
“I was very pleased with little Hossein Kaebi on the right,“ Holloway told the club’s official website after the match. “He was bright and it looked like he knew what he was doing.“
Kaebi joined Leicester from Persepolis for an undisclosed fee and had signed a two-year contract after his great performances in the 2006 World Cup.
Unfortunately for him, coach Martin Allen, who was keen on the Iranian, was sacked after only three games and his successor Holloway sent the fomer Foolad and Persepolis star player with the reserves until he was called up in early December.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, Dec. 24--Legendary Argentinean soccer player Diego Maradona has dedicated an autographed T-shirt to the Iranian nation as a sign of his affection for Iran.
In a meeting with Iran’s Ambassador to Argentina Mohsen Baharavand on Saturday, Maradona presented the T-shirt which read: “With all my affection to Iranian people“, Presstv reported.
“I am with the Iranian people, from the bottom of my heart, I support them. I say it because I feel it, because I mean it,“ he said.
Maradona also said he supports the Iranian government and wants to meet President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
“I have already met (Cuban President) Fidel (Castro), (Venezuelan President) Hugo Chavez, now I want to meet your president, Ahmadinejad,“ Maradona told the ambassador.
Baharavand said the autographed T-shirt will be sent to Museum of Presents of Iran’s Foreign Ministry to be showcased publicly.

TEHRAN, Dec. 24--Iran’s National Football Team has scheduled five test matches prior to the 2010 FIFA qualifications.
Iran will face Hansa Rostock on January 9 and Qatar in the second warm-up game four days later at Azadi Stadium, Mehr News Agency said.
The Iranian team will travel to Kish Island to play against Mali and leave for Tunisia for the fourth match on January 16.
The last warm-up match is scheduled at Azadi Stadium on January 30 where Iran will face Costa Rica.

BOSTON, USA,
Dec. 24--The New England Patriots moved to within one game of a perfect regular season when they crushed the Miami Dolphins 28-7 to become the first NFL team to go 15-0 on Sunday.
Tom Brady passed for three touchdowns, two of them going to Randy Moss, in the historic win, Reuters wrote.
“It’s great to be 15-0,“ the New England quarterback, who completed 18 of 33 passes for 215 yards, told reporters.
“I thought it was a great first half and I thought we played really well. In the second half we just didn’t execute very well, certainly not the way we wanted to.“
The Patriots can join the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only NFL teams to go undefeated in the regular season if they beat the New York Giants on Saturday.
“I think that would be a great accomplishment for this team,“ Brady said.
The Dolphins were 14-0 in 1972, six years before the NFL went to a 16-game schedule.
Miami were the last team to beat New England in the regular season, shutting out the Patriots 21-0 on December 10, 2006 in Miami.
New England have since won 18 consecutive regular-season games, matching the league record of the 2003-2004 Patriots.

MADRID, Spain,
Dec. 24--Leaders Real Madrid beat their arch-rivals and closest challengers Barcelona 1-0 at the Nou Camp to take a vice-like hold on the Primera Liga title race on Sunday.
Julio Baptista’s well-taken first-half goal secured the Spanish champions only their second league victory in 24 years at Barca’s ground, ended the Catalans’ 100 percent home record this season, and sent them seven points clear at the top, Reuters reported.
Real looked sharper throughout while Barcelona appeared paralyzed with nerves and offered little once their visitors had edged ahead.
Bernd Schuster, after his first ’clasico’ as coach, goes into the mid-season break sitting pretty with 41 points. Barca are second with 34.

MEXICO CITY,
Dec. 24-- While boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao was enjoying his 29th birthday celebrations in the Philippines last week, his next opponent, Mexican champion Juan Manuel Marquez, began a grueling, three-month training regimen.
World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight champion Marquez, 34, is running 13 km a day and hitting the gym in workouts through Christmas and New Year in a long countdown to their much-anticipated rematch in Las Vegas on March 15, Reuters wrote.
Marquez’s plans include running each weekend among extinct volcanoes perched above the Otomi high-altitude training center in Mexico.
Marquez, who last defended his WBC title on November 3, by comprehensively outpointing American Rocky Juarez, already looks toned, lean and hungry.
“This is such a crucial fight for me, my family, the Mexican people and all my fans everywhere,“ Marquez said.
Marquez was limbering up and gracefully shadow boxing at the small Romanza gym in Mexico City, where photographs of greats such as Julio Cesar Chavez, Ricardo “Finito“ Lopez, Daniel Zaragoza and Humberto Chiquita Gonzalez frown, grin and leer down on to the spit buckets, sweat-smeared punchbags and ring.

Chelsea's Czech goalkeeper Petr Cech (l) is helped from the field after he was injured during their Premier League match against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park, Blackburn on Sunday.

BLACKBURN, England, Dec. 24--Chelsea face a nervous Christmas as goalkeeper Petr Cech waits to learn the extent of a hip injury sustained during Sunday’s 1-0 win over Blackburn.
According to AFP, Cech limped out of the action in the second-half following a collision with Blackburn forward Roque Santa Cruz and his injury could prove costly for Chelsea, who are also without rib injury victim Carlo Cudicini for the home clash with Aston Villa on Wednesday.
Chelsea manager Avram Grant said: “The situation with Cech is one that we will know once he has had a scan on the injury. We need to wait and see. With this kind of injury, it is better to wait.
“But I cannot lie and say that it is easy to be without players. It is very difficult to play for such a long time with so many injuries. I don’t like it, but there is nothing that I can do about it.
“It was very difficult for Hilario to come into the game in place of Petr, but he did well. Cudicini’s injury will take a few more days, so I don’t have another goalkeeper for the Aston Villa game.“
With Manchester United and Arsenal winning their games earlier in the weekend, Chelsea had no room for error as they attempted to close the gap on the leaders.
Cole’s goal ensured that they lie six points behind leaders Arsenal, but Grant is confident that the gap can be overcome.
He said: “I am very happy with the victory because this is not an easy place to play, especially after drawing with Blackburn at home. We showed a lot of fighting spirit, made two or three chances and Hilario made a very good save, so I am happy.

LONDON, Dec. 24--Manchester United’s Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo is a better player than Kaka, last week named FIFA world player of the year, according to the English Premier League club’s assistant boss Carlos Queiroz.
Ronaldo, 22, last week finished third behind winner Kaka at the FIFA awards, AFP said.
But Queiroz said in the Sunday Mirror: “During my career, I have worked with some of the world’s finest players like (Zinedine) Zidane, Ronaldo of Brazil, Raul, Luis Figo and Roberto Carlos.
“Yet, I can honestly say, I have never seen such a football creation like Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Kaka has been named European Footballer of the Year and World Player of the Year, but in my opinion Ronaldo is better.
“The only thing that Kaka has that Cristiano doesn’t is a Champions League title.“
Queiroz believes Ronaldo, last season’s footballer of the year in England, will soon bear comparison with the all-time sporting greats.
He said: “Cristiano will not only become the biggest sporting attraction in England, but also in Europe and the rest of the world.
“He will be a world star in football like Michael Jordan was in basketball.
“That is because both of these sporting greats share the same skill level in their different fields.
“They have both been blessed with a genius that has never been seen before.“

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant goes up to score against the Denver Nuggets during their NBA game in Los Angeles, November 29.

NEW YORK, Dec. 24--Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant became the youngest player in NBA history to score 20,000 career points when he had 39 points in the Lakers’ 95-90 road win over the New York Knicks on Sunday.
Now with 20,019 points, Bryant reached the milestone at age 29 years, 122 days, surpassing NBA greats Wilt Chamberlain (29 years, 134 days) and Michael Jordan (29 years, 326 days), Reuters wrote.
He reached 20,000 points on a three-pointer with 11:08 left in the third quarter of Sunday’s game at Madison Square Garden.
“It is special to do it here,“ Bryant told reporters after connecting on 14 of 28 field goal attempts, including five of 12 three-pointers. He also had 11 rebounds and eight assists.
“The culture of basketball here, it is the Mecca, it is special to play in Madison Square Garden,“ Bryant added. “This is my favorite place to play.“
Bryant is the 31st NBA player to score 20,000 points, achieving the honor in 811 games, 15th fastest. Chamberlain needed only 499 games.
Bryant was already youngest to score 10,000 through 19,000 career points. He achieved 17,000, 18,000 and 19,000 points last season.