World Cup Digest: Day 6

A round-up of World Cup news in brief

Italy unsure when Buffon will returnITALY do not know when goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon will be able to return from a sciatic nerve problem.Buffon (32) was substituted by Federico Marchetti at half-time in Monday's 1-1 draw with Paraguay in their Group F opener in Cape Town having suffered the injury in the warm-up.

Italy play New Zealand in their second Group F game next Sunday.

Another goalkeeper in the wars is French reserve Cedric Carrasso, who has a thigh injury.

The Bordeaux stopper pulled a muscle in his left thigh with reports suggesting it is unlikely the Bordeaux player will be able to play any part in South Africa.

France team doctors are more optimistic about William Gallas, insisting the Arsenal defender, who missed the last few weeks of the season after tearing a calf muscle, only has a minor muscular problem.

Armed raid on journalists

ARMED raiders smashed into a Nelspruit hotel early yesterday and stole laptops, cellphones and cash from a group of four Chinese journalists, police said.

The robbery comes a week after journalists from Portugal and Spain were held up at gunpoint at a lodge north of Johannesburg. The equipment was later recovered and the two gunmen were sentenced to 15 years in jail for the crime at the weekend.

Police said the robbers were armed with a handgun, but that no one was hurt in the incident.

United sell Tosic to CSKA Moscow

SERBIAN international Zoran Tosic has left Manchester United for CSKA Moscow for an undisclosed fee. The winger arrived at United for €8.5 million from Partizan Belgrade in January 2009.

He made just five first-team appearances before being loaned to Bundesliga side FC Cologne for the second half of last season.

TV-watching fans killed in Somali

SOMALI Islamist militants killed two people and arrested dozens of others for breaking a ban on watching the World Cup on television.

Residents said the masked fighters from the Hizbul Islam group raided houses on Sunday and Monday in the Afgoi district, 30km south of the capital Mogadishu, after hardline Islamist groups banned Somalis from watching the tournament.

Police take over stadium security

SOUTH AFRICAN police said yesterday they were taking over security at Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg because of the dispute between the guards and their employers, a local security firm, starting with last night’s match between Brazil and North Korea at Ellis Park.

Police chief Bheki Cele said the arrangements would not interfere with the force’s overall task of protecting teams and fans during the tournament..