Briefs

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Final fight

AHLI's handball team beat arch-rivals Zamalek 23-19 to win the league championship in a fight-filled final.

Both clubs were culprits. With only minutes to go, Ahli played with just four players after the rest were shown red cards.

After the whistle blew, Zamalek's supporters broke chairs and started fighting with security officials and the home fans.

The game, in Ahli's indoor hall, ended with Ahli leading 11-8 at half time.

Soon in the pool

IAN THORPE hopes to be swimming again soon despite missing the Commonwealth Games because of illness. Thorpe, 23, who is in Melbourne to follow his Australian team-mates, says he is on the mend. Thorpe has not raced internationally since deciding to take a year off after winning his fifth Olympic gold in Athens in 2004. "I think the Australians are performing as well as expected. But British swimmers are also doing much better than we thought, especially the Scots," he said. Thorpe is planning to make his comeback at next year's World Championships in Melbourne as part of his preparations for Beijing in 2008.

Still in Arsenal

ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger has denied Thierry Henry has already decided to quit the London club for Barcelona in the summer. It was claimed that a deal had been done between the Frenchman and the Catalan giants. Wenger remains confident Henry will stay but admitted that "I do not know where his attention really is." Henry's contract with the Gunners expires at the end of next season and he has so far refused to commit to extending his stay in London.

Final farewell

THOUSANDS of mourners turned out to pay their last respects to football Scottish legend Jimmy Johnstone. He died last week after a long battle with motor neurone disease.

Racism penalties

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has announced that new anti-racism measures will come into immediate effect. Match suspensions, points deductions and disqualification from competitions are to deployed by FIFA as possible punishments against acts of racism. Blatter, who proposed the amendments to FIFA's disciplinary code, said national associations would be receiving details of the new measures. The new measures will also apply to this year's World Cup.