SPORTS BRIEFS

Shaq joins 28,000 club

CLEVELAND (AP):

Cleveland Cavaliers centre Shaquille O'Neal has become the fifth player in NBA history to score 28,000 points. With his first basket on Tuesday, a lay-up in the lane in the opening minute against Toronto, O'Neal joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387), Karl Malone (36,928), Michael Jordan (32,292) and Wilt Chamberlain (31,419) as the only players to reach the milestone.

O'Neal, who is in his first season with Cleveland, was saluted by the crowd during a time-out in the first quarter. Cleveland won 108-100.

Kournikova's mom charged

PALM BEACH, Florida (AP):

Tennis star Anna Kournikova's mother has been arrested in Florida and charged with child neglect. A Palm Beach police report says 46-year-old Alla Kournikova left her five-year-old son home alone while she ran errands Tuesday. Someone passing by the home found the boy and called police. The boy told police he jumped out a second-storey window, but was not seriously injured.

Police said Alla Kournikova locked the home with a deadbolt and officers had to get inside through a second-storey window. She was released from the Palm Beach County Jail after posting a $3,000 bond.

Campbell sues

LONDON (AP):

Sol Campbell is suing Portsmouth over outstanding fees and bonuses, adding to his former club's financial turmoil. Campbell, who has now returned to Arsenal on a six-month deal, is suing Portsmouth for £1.7 million (US$2.8 million) he says he is owed in image rights and bonus payments. Portsmouth said yesterday that "the matter is being dealt with by our lawyers".

FA probe Neville

LONDON (AP):

Manchester United captain Gary Neville is being investigated by England's Football Association over his one-fingered gesture directed at former teammate Carlos Tevez during the League Cup loss at Manchester City. Neville was warming up on the sideline as Tevez celebrated equalising with a first-half penalty in the first leg of the semi-final that City eventually won 2-1 on Tuesday.

Tevez appeared to gesticulate toward Neville as if to say you talk too much, seemingly in reponse to the defender's comments that United manager Alex Ferguson was correct to let the Argentina striker leave in the off-season.

Higuita testimonial

BOGOTA (AP):

Colombia will be saying goodbye this weekend to René Higuita, the colourful goalkeeper known as 'El Loco' in a two-decade career. Colombia President Alvaro Uribe, Diego Maradona and Brazilian stars Ronaldo and Ronaldinho have been invited to Sunday's testimonial match between a team of Colombia all-stars and top players from the 1990s of the Colombian club Atletico Nacional. Higuita, 43, last played in 2008 for the Colombian team Deportivo Pereira.

Haitian pulls out

MIAMI, Florida (CMC):

Distraught Haitian world boxing champion André Berto has pulled out his scheduled January 30 title defence against American Shane Mosley, following the catastrophic earthquake in his Caribbean country. Miami-based Berto, holder of the World Boxing Council welterweight title, announced in a press release Tuesday that he is "physically and emotionally unable to prepare" for his weekend clash with Mosley and has withdrawn from the bout.