Random tests in big league

London: Players competing in next season?s Champions League will be subject to random dope tests outside the competition as well as after matches, Uefa said on Wednesday. More than 950 players from the 32 teams contesting the group stages of the competition could be tested. Previously, Uefa only carried out random post-match tests.

?We are further tightening up our existing controls and sending out a clear and strong deterrent message to anyone considering the use of illegal substances to enhance their performance,? Uefa chief executive Lars-Christer Olsson said in a statement. Under new Uefa anti-doping rules, effective from June 1, the doping controls may include blood and urine samples.

Teenager?s deal

Madrid: Barcelona have agreed to an improved contract for young Argentine striker Lionel Messi, the Primera Liga champions said on Tuesday. ?Messi has opted for Barcelona and we have a lot of confidence in this player. We are convinced his participation in the first team will be very important from now on,? sports director Txiki Begiristain told the club?s website.

The 18-year-old, who has drawn praise from Diego Maradona after his recent performances with Argentina?s under-20 team, has signed a contract with Barcelona till 2010.

Zola retires

Milan: Italian forward Gianfranco Zola announced his retirement Wednesday bringing to an end a 21-year glittering career that graced the English Premier League and Serie A. ?I think this is the right thing to do,? local news agencies quoted the 38-year-old as saying. ?Some time has passed since the end of the (Serie A) championship but I needed to reflect a bit.

?Now that my career is finished I can say that I am happy with what I have achieved. Not everyone can say that they set themselves an objective and reached it ? I did that and it is very satisfying,? said Zola who ended his career with Cagliari on the island of Sardinia where he was born.

Kezman for Atletico

Madrid: Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman has signed a three-year contract with Atletico Madrid, the Spanish club said on Wednesday. The Serbia & Montenegro international, who struggled to earn a regular first-team spot at Chelsea, has moved in a deal reported to be worth $10.85 million. Kezman, 26, is expected to form a partnership with Spain striker Fernando Torres.

Amir Khan?s Cuban tryst

Havana: Cuba could give retired two-time Olympic champion Mario Kindelan permission to help train Amir Khan at the start of the Briton?s professional career. ?I wouldn?t be surprised if the request were made and it was granted. We could consider it,? Humberto Rodriguez, president of Cuba?s National Institute for Sport, Physical Education and Leisure, said on Tuesday. Communist-run Cuba is against professional sport and likes its sportsmen and women to adhere to a strict amateur code.

Denise to quit

London: Former Olympic heptathlon champion Denise Lewis is retiring from athletics. The 32-year-old, who won gold in the multi-discipline event at the 2000 Sydney Games, said on Wednesday: ?My body has had enough, it has been through the mill.?

Lewis said she made the decision after missing three weeks of training with a tonsil infection which meant she would be unable to qualify for August?s world meet in Helsinki.

US trials

Raleigh: Temporary pools in an indoor arena in Omaha (Nebraska) will be the venue for the 2008 US Olympic trials, USA Swimming said on Tuesday. The American team for the Beijing Olympics will be selected during the June 30-July 7, 2008 competition.

?Some might raise their eyebrows at the awarding of our most important event of the Olympic quadrennial to Omaha, but we are confident this is going to be an extraordinary partnership,? USA Swimming executive director Chuck Wielgus said in a statement.

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