Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012

Sidelined: Chelsea captain John Terry leaves Stamford Bridge on crutches after suffering an injury to his right knee in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Liverpool. AP

LONDON — Chelsea captain John Terry will be sidelined for "weeks not months" after a scan Monday found knee ligament damage is not as bad as feared when he was injured during the match against Liverpool.

The defender was carried off on Sunday following an incident in which Liverpool's Luis Suarez landed awkwardly on Terry's right knee during the 1-1 draw in the Premier League.

Terry left Stamford Bridge on crutches and went to a hospital for further examination Monday.

"MRI scans on John Terry's right knee thankfully show no significant damage to the cruciate ligaments," Chelsea said. "Chelsea Football Club's medical team will conduct further tests over the next two or three days once the swelling has subsided to determine how long John will be out, but it will be a matter of weeks not months."

Returning after a four-game domestic ban for racial abuse, Terry scored his 50th goal for the club before being forced off.

Shevchenko gets offer

KIEV — Ukraine's soccer federation has offered the national team coaching job to Andriy Shevchenko, who retired from playing this summer after a stellar career.

The offer by chief Anatoliy Konkov was announced on the federation's website on Monday. Shevchenko could not be reached for comment.

In 18 years as a top pro, Shevchenko played for Dynamo Kiev, AC Milan and Chelsea.

He was integral in winning the 2002-03 Champions League trophy for Milan, and also captured domestic titles in Ukraine, Italy and England. He also captained Ukraine to the World Cup quarterfinals in 2006.

He retired from playing after this summer's European Championship, which was cohosted by Ukraine. He announced he was entering politics, but failed to win a seat in national parliament elections last month.

Fans try to save Oviedo

BARCELONA, Spain — Faced with impending bankruptcy and extinction, the debt-ridden Spanish soccer club Real Oviedo has discovered a precious asset that may yet save it from doom: the loyalty of its fans.

Oviedo needs to raise nearly $2.5 million by Nov. 17 to stave off legal writs that would force its dissolution after 86 years.

But thanks to a novel fund-raising effort — selling shares in the club at cut-rate prices — and a rampant social-media campaign, the third-tier club is halfway toward reaching its target.

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