BERN: Jamaican sprint star Asafa Powell ran 9.87sec in his last 100m outing before the Beijing world championships at a meet in the Swiss town of Bellinzona on Tuesday. Former world record holder Powell, who won the Diamond League meet in Paris earlier this month in a time of 9.81, finished comfortably ahead of his fellow countryman Nesta Carter (10.05sec). Powell’s time broke the record for the meeting, as he went below the 10-second barrier for the 90th time in his career. Powell, 32, will spend time training in Austria before moving on to Beijing for the world championships, which run from August 22-30.

Ryan in Valencia

PARIS: Australian international goalkeeper Matthew Ryan signed a six-year contract with Spanish side Valencia from Belgian outfit Bruges on Tuesday. The 23-year-old — who played for Australia at last year’s World Cup finals — has been at Bruges since 2013 but Valencia signed him because they believe he has the qualities required to play in the Champions League — they are in the play-offs having finished fourth in La Liga last term. Valencia president Layhoon Chan, who has been in charge since Amadeo Salvo stepped down on July 1, said it hadn’t been easy finding a goalkeeper who could meet the challenges of the Champions League. However, Chan said Ryan — who played 58 times for Bruges last season as they finished second in their league race — fitted the bill.

Players leave Brazil

SAO PAULO: The Brazilian football confederation says 355 players left the country in the first six months of the year, the most since 2011. The confederation said on Tuesday the transfers totaled $98.8 million, compared to $146.7 million four years ago, when 370 players left the country on loans, full transfers or after ending their contracts with Brazilian clubs. The confederation said a few factors prompted the increase in the number of players leaving the country, including the need for local teams to begin abiding by financial fair play rules to avoid punishment for not paying players’ salaries on time. Last year, 327 players left the country to play abroad, totaling $122.7 million in transfers. The transfer window for Brazilian clubs to sign players from foreign teams ended on Tuesday.

Football fans arrested

SALZBURG: Police in Salzburg say 25 people were arrested and seven injured, including two police officers, in the Austrian town of Eugendorf following fan violence at a friendly game between Eintracht Frankfurt and Leeds. Police say about 50 Frankfurt fans stormed the stadium entrance and injured security staff on Tuesday night, while fans from both clubs fought on the field after the match, which Frankfurt won 2-1. They later continued their clashes in the village center. Police used pepper spray to separate the rival groups. It says all arrested fans were sent home while criminal investigations go on but it has given no update on the extent of the injuries. Local authorities say the game was attended by 1,100 spectators, including 300 Frankfurt and 450 Leeds fans.