September 26 2009
Sports Bites

Pardon Ron Artest if he's a bit geographically challenged and had no idea that San Diego has a big league baseball team, even though he was wearing a Padres cap. This much he's sure of - If his Los Angeles Lakers don't repeat as NBA champions, fans can point their fingers at him. "They should. That's exactly what should happen if we don't repeat," the star forward said during a visit to promote the Lakers' exhibition game against the Denver Nuggets at the San Diego Sports Arena on Oct. 23. "They won last year, and I'm the new addition. The fans expect to repeat. Everybody in L.A. expects a second ring. And if we don't then yeah, they should point it right at me, throwing tomatoes and everything."

Lawyers for both the club and player are to meet in court in the coming weeks to try to reach a settlement but club officials said Tuesday that an agreement was unlikely and the case is expected to go to court. The 28-year-old Eto'o filed the claim against the European champions demanding payment of 15 percent of his transfer deal, or about €3 million, Barcelona said. Barcelona argues that this transfer stipulation applies only to deals between Spanish clubs. In any case, Barcelona says it would be the club buying the player which should make the payment.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal could face each other in the first round of next year's Davis Cup after Spain drew Switzerland on Wednesday. Federer and Nadal, the top two players, have never met in the Davis Cup. "We have to accept how the draw is. We'll try to beat them in Spain," Switzerland captain Severin Luthi said. "For sure that's one of the toughest draws we can have." Federer has often opted to skip Davis Cup play. But he earned two points for the team over the weekend when Switzerland beat Italy 3-2 in the playoffs to remain in the top-tier World Group. "It's too early to say if Roger will play or not," Luthi said.

Sheikh Mansour has bought Thaksin Shinawatra's remaining stake in Manchester City, gaining full control of the club in the process. Through the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment, Sheikh Mansour gained control of the Eastlands outfit from disgraced former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra last summer. Shinawatra had kept a 10 per cent stake but now City have confirmed Mansour has gained control of that as well, giving him unquestioned control. "As a result of the transaction, Manchester City is now 100 per cent owned by his highness Sheikh Mansour," said a club statement.