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Newcastle midfielder Barton banned for 12 matches

Midfielder Joey Barton was banned for 12 matches (with six suspended) for his training ground assault on former teammate Ousmane Dabo. The Football Association said Barton will only serve the additional six-match ban if he is found guilty of a similar offense or is sent off for violent conduct before the end of next season. Barton, who was also fined 25,000 pounds has 14 days to appeal the punishment imposed by a FA disciplinary panel.

Barton has already been sentenced to four months imprisonment, suspended for two years, over the 2007 assault on Dabo while they were at Manchester City. The sentence was imposed in July while Barton was serving a 74-day jail term for an alcohol-fueled attack on two men last December.

Mamadou Sakho out for six weeks

PSG centre-back Mamadou Sakho, 18, will be sidelined for six weeks after having two groin operations. The 18-year-old had started all four of PSG's Ligue 1 fixtures this season but strained his groin in the last of those, the 1-0 win at Caen last Saturday. "There has been no particular complication but we had to operate on the left side first and then the right," said club doctor Eric Rolland, who confirmed that Sakho faces six weeks out. Mali defender Sammy Traoré is expected to deputise against the Turkish side.

Just wait for January, say Manchester City

Chelsea's mistake of putting Robinho's jersey on sale before he was signed was largely responsible for Real Madrid stopping the deal from going through. This accident angered the Spanish champions and made the deal all but impossible, the Brazil striker said. Robinho, who ended up moving to Manchester City, also said Real Madrid never intended to keep him and even tried to use him to sign Cristiano Ronaldo earlier this year.

Manchester City's fans should expect some big signings in January, the team's executive chairman Garry Cook said Thursday. Abu Dhabi United Group, the United Arab Emirates investment group headed by Sulaiman Al-Fahim, is set to take control of the team from former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and Cook said City manager Mark Hughes will have significant funds in the next transfer window.

Keegan resigns as Newcastle manager

Kevin Keegan has resigned as manager of Newcastle United, less than eight months after taking charge of the Premier League club for the second time. The 57-year-old, previously in charge between 1992 and 1997, is believed to have been disappointed by club's summer transfer policy, losing James Milner to Aston Villa and failing to secure several other targets. Following media speculation and after a week of talks with the club's board, Keegan released a statement saying he had "been left with no choice but to leave."

Svensson, Wilhelmsson to miss World Cup qualifiers

Midfielders Anders Svensson and Christian Wilhelmsson will miss Sweden's opening World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Hungary because of injury. Wilhelmsson, who joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal this season, seemed to have ruptured a muscle in his right thigh after falling down on the field in training Wednesday. Svensson, who plays for Elfsborg in the Swedish league, also limped off after jogging for 30 minutes and tests showed he had ruptured a thigh muscle. Basel's Behrang Safari has been called up as a replacement.

Torres, Gerrard could be fit for Man United match

Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard have resumed light training and could be fit for Liverpool's match with Manchester United next week. Manager Rafa Benitez said the duo could be back in 10 days, putting them in contention for the September 13 Premier League clash. Torres tore a hamstring Sunday, while Gerrard is recovering from a minor groin operation last week.

Phelan comes in as Ferguson's assistant

Manchester United striker Manucho has been granted a British work permit, nine months after he was first given a contract by the Premier League club. The Angola international, who joined United from Petro Athletico in December 2007, spent the second half of last campaign on loan at Greek side Panathinaikos.

Meanwhile, manager Sir Alex Ferguson has appointed Mike Phelan as his new assistant replacing Carlos Queiroz, who became Portugal coach in the close season. The 45-year-old Phelan, who played 102 league games for the club between 1989 and 1994, has been working at United's centre of excellence since 2001, and more recently was first-team coach.

Curbishley quits West Ham helm

Alan Curbishley has resigned as manager of West Ham United after less than two years in charge. The 50-year-old led the team to two wins out of three Premier League games this season but decided to end his tenure at the London club, saying that West Ham had sold players against his wishes. Curbishley had already made it known he was upset about the sale of Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney to Sunderland. First-team coach Kevin Keen has been named as caretaker manager until a long-term replacement for Curbishley was appointed.

Jaguars' Porter to miss opener at Tennessee

Receiver Jerry Porter missed portions of practice Thursday and Friday because of a hamstring injury. He will not play at Sunday's season opener against Tennessee. Porter had surgery to repair a torn hamstring a week before training camp. He missed all of camp and the preseason, but returned to practice Monday and had hoped to be back for the opener.

Packers A.J. Hawk returns to practice

Linebacker A.J. Hawk and pass rush specialist Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila returned to practice Thursday, boosting hopes that the team will get back two key defensive players for Monday night's season-opener against Minnesota. Hawk has sat out since spraining a chest muscle in the Packers' first preseason game, and Gbaja-Biamila has done very little in training camp because of nagging soreness in his knee. According to the report, Gbaja-Biamila fully participated in practice while Hawk's participation was limited.

Westbrook undergoes hip surgery

Cleveland Indians starter Jake Westbrook underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right hip and will be on crutches for four weeks. Westbrook went 1-2 with a 3.12 ERA in five starts this season. He was sidelined early in the season for about a month with a strained oblique muscle, then felt pain in his elbow after his first start back in May.

Carlos Quentin breaks wrist - surgery on Monday

Carlos Quentin has a broken right wrist stemming from his own temper, and he will have surgery Monday that could sideline him for the rest of the season. Quentin was injured Monday night in Cleveland. After fouling off a pitch while batting against Cliff Lee, Quentin hit his right hand on the bat as he was holding it with his left. During the surgery, a screw will be inserted into the wrist, and he will be re-evaluated in two to three weeks. Quentin is batting .288 with 36 homers and a team-high 100 RBIs.