Messi shock for Barcelona

Madrid: Barcelona forward Lionel Messi will miss both legs of the Champions League semi-final against AC Milan and will return home to Argentina for treatment on his thigh muscle injury. The club said the 18-year-old international will fly home next Tuesday and will be treated by club medical staff. Messi has been out of action since the beginning of March when he tore a thigh muscle during the second leg of a 3-2 aggregate victory over Chelsea in the first knockout round.

?He needs more time,? Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard said. ?It might be good for him to have a change of scenery and recover completely. He will return when he has recovered.?

Ronaldinho rested

Madrid: Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard has rested Ronaldinho for the second successive match ahead of Tuesday?s Champions League first leg semi-final against AC Milan.

Rijkaard left Ronaldinho out of the squad for Friday?s league match against Villarreal because he is suffering from muscle pains in right thigh. The Brazilian also missed last week?s 2-2 draw against Racing Santander. Barcelona will also be without midfielder Thiago Motta.

Owner may sell Inter

Milan: Inter Milan owner Massimo Moratti says he is prepared to sell the Serie A club if the right buyer comes forward. Moratti, who took control in 1995, has been frustrated by Inter?s lack of success in recent years and the failure to win the Italian league title, last claimed by the club 17 years ago. ?If there is someone who can do better than I have and has the desire to commit themselves why should I be opposed?? an Italian newspaper quoted Moratti as saying on Thursday.

?I am trying to be pragmatic. As I didn?t take over Inter with the intention of being in charge eternally it is right that I should contemplate the possibility of selling the club.?

Rangers fined over $15000

London: Rangers were fined 13,000 euros ($15,800) for crowd incidents during their Champions League first knockout round tie against Villarreal. The window of the Villarreal team bus was smashed at the second leg in Spain last month. Uefa said in a statement on Wednesday that its disciplinary body found Rangers fans not guilty of ?discriminatory chants? at both legs of the tie, won by Villarreal on the away goals rule.

Knight to retire

London: Former England batsman Nick Knight, who quit international cricket in 2003, has decided to retire from first-class cricket as well at the end of the season. Knight hit five one-day centuries and 25 half-centuries for England before quitting his international career after the 2003 World Cup. He also played 17 Tests and 100 one-day Internationals and captained Warwickshire to the title in 2004.

?I feel very lucky to have played this game for so long at both county level, with Essex and Warwickshire, and internationally with England.

?I feel the end of the season is the right time to move on and look to the future,? he said.

Hewitt out

Sydney: Australian Lleyton Hewitt has pulled out of next week?s Monte Carlo Masters to stay fresh for next month?s French Open.

The former world No.1, who led Australia into the Davis Cup semi-finals with victory over Belarus last weekend, has decided that rest is more important than playing in another tournament.

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