London - Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo emerged unscathed after his Ferrari was involved in an accident on Thursday.

The Portugal international crashed into a barrier as he was driving through a tunnel beneath the runways of Manchester airport.

Ronaldo gave a negative breath test to officers at the scene of the crash, the police said, and Manchester United said he was training as normal.

"He was involved in an incident this morning. No other cars were involved," a United spokesman said.

Perth, Australia - Hospital scans have revealed that German Nicolas Kiefer suffered ligament damage during a match injury on Thursday at the Hopman Cup but could still pull up fit for the Australian Open beginning January 19.

Doctors who treated the 31-year-old expressed cautious optimism that the former number four might just be able to make it to the first Grand Slam date of the 2009 season from January 19.

Munich - Cologne have moved closer to meeting Bayern Munich's transfer fee demands for unsettled striker Lukas Podolski, Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is reported as saying Thursday.

"Everything is looking good. I am confident it will work out," Rummenigge is quoted as saying in the daily tz newspaper.

Bayern want a fee of 10 million euros (13.5 million dollars) for Podolski who would like to return to his former club after failing to establish a first-team place at the German champions.

Auckland - Top seed Elena Dementieva accomplished what around 20 protestors could not as she sent Israeli Shahar Peer out in the quarter-finals of the ASB Classic on Thursday.

Peer, who underwent Israeli military training which took time away from her tennis in recent season, had been the target of protests against her country's current invasion of Gaza in the Middle East, but had insisted that the political situation had nothing to do with her tennis.

But she didn't have long to ponder the situation as she lost in a straightforward 6-3, 6-1 to Olympic champion Dementieva, ranked fourth in the world.

Lahore, Jan. 8 : Controversy doesn't seems to leave Shoaib Akhtar; just when it seemed that he was on his way back to the playing arena, another one is in the making after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) gave him a central contract despite a court case against him being still pending, and his long standing involvement in indiscipline and fitness issues.

Former players and cricket officials have openly criticized the PCB for giving Akhtar a contract in the `A' category.

Sydney, Jan. 8 : Forgotten Australian opener Phil Jaques has declared that he is available to return for next month''s tour of South Africa.

With Hayden showing no signs of retirement, Jaques, 29, declared his availability for the crunch tour as he tries to return from back surgery on a bulging disc.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the left-hander thinks he has the runs on the board after scoring 108 in his last Test against the West Indies in Barbados last year.

He will play club cricket next week and then return to the first-class scene when NSW play Tasmania in Newcastle on January 30.

If his back shows no signs of more problems, Jaques appears a must-have selection for South Africa after averaging 47 in his 11 Tests.