Bayer Leverkusen beat Wolfsburg 2-0 behind second-half goals from Tranquillo Barnetta and Stefan Kiessling for its fourth straight win and regained the provisional lead in the Bundesliga on Friday.

After a fairly even first half, Leverkusen stepped up the pressure after the break and Barnetta drove in a left-foot shot from the edge of the penalty area to put the home side ahead. Kiessling rose above the Wolfsburg defense to head in off a corner in the 65th.

Leverkusen has 24 points but Hoffenheim, at 22, can vault past if it beats Karlsruhe in Saturday’s matches.

Diego Maradona will become Argentina’s soccer coach next week, leaving the team in the hands of a national icon whose achievements on the field have been undercut by a long history of erratic behavior and drug abuse.

The Argentine Football Association said on its Web site the appointment will be made Tuesday. He will be assisted by Carlos Bilardo, the former Argentina coach who will be the manager.

“We’re holding meetings trying to lay out the coaching team. I’m anxious for it to become official,” Maradona said Wednesday while leaving his house on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.

Maradona is to replace Alfio Basile, who resigned following poor performances in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. Argentina was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the last World Cup.

Maradona led Argentina to a World Cup title in 1986 and to the championship game in 1990, and many in the soccer-mad nation fear the sport’s golden days are gone. He will try to recapture the glory with a new generation of young stars that includes Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Javier Mascherano.”We have what it takes to make sure Argentina smiles while watching the national team play,” Maradona said.

New York Giants receiver Plaxico Burress was fined $45,000 by the NFL for verbally abusing an official and tossing a ball into the stands during last weekend’s game against San Francisco.

Burress was fined $20,000 for comments to head linesman Phil McKinnely after the official called him for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the second quarter, and $20,000 for inappropriate comments after the game on the officiating.

McKinnely had called Burress for offensive pass interference against cornerback Nate Clements on the previous play. After the next play, Burress drew the unsportsmanlike penalty for some choice remarks to the officials.

Burress was assessed another $5,000 fine for throwing a ball into the stands after catching a touchdown in the third quarter.

Burress was suspended by the Giants for one game earlier this season for missing a team meeting on Sept. 22, a decision that cost him $117,500. He has admitted to being fined 20 to 30 times by the team for violating team rules since joining them in 2005.

The nine-year veteran returned to practice Friday after missing two days of work with a sore shoulder and stiff neck. He said he would be ready to play against the Steelers this weekend in his return to Pittsburgh.

“I had a full day of practice, no limitations, so I am ready to go,” Burress said. “I have 48 hours to get ready for the game and I should be back to close to 100 percent.”

Burress spoke before the league disclosed his fine.

Burress, who was hurt in last weekend’s 29-17 win over San Francisco, has been listed as probable for his first game against the Steelers, who drafted him in the first round in 2000. He signed with the Giants as a free agent after the ‘04 season.

In the two games since his suspension, Burress has caught seven passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns. He blamed the lack of production on a combination of things, noting that Steve Smith and Domenik Hixon have benefited from the attention he is getting.

“Teams are not just going to let me line up on the backside and play one on one and say, `Try to go out and stop me,’ ” he said.

Burress also downplayed his return to Pittsburgh.

“I just want to go in and be as good as I can on Sunday, make some plays, hopefully score a few, and get the win,” Burress said. “For myself, I am four years removed from that place and I have moved on and they have, too. We have been able to win a championship and they have, too, so it is going to be a tough game for us.”

The biggest concern for the Giants and Burress might be the condition of Heinz Field. Rutgers and Pittsburgh are scheduled to play there Saturday with rain in the forecast.

“I don’t expect the field to be good at all,” Burress said. “They have maybe a couple high school games and a college game on Saturday and us on Sunday. I told some of the guys just play at a speed where you are under control, but try to be as fast as you can, but under control. It is one of those things where you have to kind of stay off your toes.”

India 330 for 8 (Sehwag 89, Gambhir 62, Yuvraj 55) beat Pakistan 190 (Malik 53, Praveen 4-53, Chawla 4-40) by 140 runs

India showed how the hectic pace of Twenty20 cricket could be replicated in the one-day game, pounding 330 on a sluggish pitch and rounding off a thumping win in their opening match of the Kitply Cup. Pakistan, coming off 12 successive wins against weak opposition, crashed to their worst defeat against India and their coach Geoff Lawson, who had hoped for a 150-run win, would have been embarrassed to see the shoe on the other foot. Read the full story

Inter Milan sealed a third consecutive Serie A title with a 2-0 win over relegated Parma on the final day.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, returning from injury, came off the bench to score twice to ensure Inter finished three points ahead of second-placed AS Roma.

Roma could only draw 1-1 at Catania, who stayed up at the expense of Empoli.

Fiorentina beat Torino 1-0 to secure the fourth and final Champions League spot, with AC Milan, who defeated Udinese 4-1, missing out in fifth.

Milan will play in the Uefa Cup next season, along with Sampdoria and Udinese.

Juventus finished third in the table, with striker Alessandro Del Piero finishing as Serie A’s top scorer for the first time with 21, while Livorno were also relegated alongside Parma.

Juventus striker Alessandro Del Piero was Serie A top scorer in a season for the first time after his double in Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Sampdoria took his tally to 21.

Inter had an 11-point lead at one stage and could have clinched the title a fortnight ago.

But their advantage was reduced following a loss to city rivals Milan and then a home draw with Siena.

A three-day trip to the prestigious annual Herculis track and field meeting, one of the 25 fixtures of the IAAF World Athletics Tour 2008, is the motivational reward which is on offer to those children lucky enough to be picked from a draw of winning national youth athletes submitted by IAAF Member Federations that are participating in the 2008 IAAF World Athletics Day.
The IAAF’s annual worldwide festival of youth, which was inaugurated in 1996, has always been held on a designated weekend each year. However, while the coming weekend of Saturday 17 & Sunday 18 May is the preferred time for the IAAF’s Member Federations to celebrate the IAAF World Athletics Day, in an effort to aid the greatest possible number of the participants this year Federations have been given the option of holding their celebration at any time in the month of May if it suits their arrangements better.
In total, 147 of the 213 IAAF Member Federations have informed the sport’s world governing body that they will be taking part in this year’s project which involves Youth Age Group children from Clubs who were born in 1991-1992 (16-17 years old).
For the third year in accordance with the goal of the IAAF Athletics’ World Plan to make Athletics the number one sport in schools, the World Athletics Day is being organised in close cooperation with the relevant national ministry which is in charge of School Sport in each country.
The result of this initiative has again been very successful, with 133 of those IAAF Member Federations who have signed-up for the general World Athletics Day also committing themselves to the School element of the project which involves the ‘Minimes’ age group: Boys and Girls born in 1993-1994-1995 (13-15 years old).
This year as part of the new IAAF educational initiative there is also the possibility to stage competitions for teams as well as those for individuals in this ‘Minimes’ age group.
As in the past, once all competition results have been received by the IAAF there will be a draw of national winners for the Youth Age Group and the “Minimes” School Children sometime in the month of June.
The World Athletics Day 2008 Draw will determine the winners as follows:
12 Youth Age Group children (1 Boy and 1 Girl by Area) from the winners of Club competitions, and 6 youngsters (13-15 years old, 1 per Area) from the winners of School Individual competitions.
These 18 ‘lucky winners’ will be invited to the Herculis Meeting in Monaco, which will be held on 29 July 2008, with their travel and full board accommodation costs for three days covered by the IAAF.
In addition, 6 Teams (13-15 years old, 1 per Area) from the winners of School Team competitions will be drawn and each shall receive one “Kids’ Athletics” Kit for their school.
Yet it is not just these selected athletes who gain from the experience, as thousands of gifts such as T-Shirts, posters and pins are distributed to each competing Member Federation, with an IAAF World Athletics Day Diploma presented to all participants, helping to encourage enthusiasm for Athletics, the world’s most international sport.
The IAAF has also asked as many of its Member Federations to seize the opportunity of the World Athletics Day 2008 to organise an exhibition of “Kids’ Athletics” in clubs and/or schools in an effort to involve even younger children (7-12 year olds) in this project too.