Sporting Digest: Football

COVENTRY CITY have decided against signing Chelsea's Scottish Under-21 international midfielder, Craig Burley, for whom a fee of pounds 300,000 had been agreed. 'The deal has been put on the back burner,' Bobby Gould, Coventry's manager, said.

SPARTAK MOSCOW retained the Russian League title with four matches still to play when they drew 1-1 with Okean Nakhodka last night. Spartak are the only club to have won the title since the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991.

NAGOYA GRAMPUS EIGHT, Gary Lineker's Japanese club, have signed the Brazilian international forward, Elivelton, from Sao Paulo for an undisclosed fee. The 22-year-old will make his J League debut when competition resumes after Japan's World Cup matches in Qatar this month.

FA CUP Third qualifying round: Weymouth 2 Barnstaple 1.

NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE Premier Division: Boston United 3 Hyde United 1.

NORTHERN COUNTIES EAST LEAGUE President's Cup first round: Eccleshill 1 Pontefract 2.

PONTINS LEAGUE First Division: Notts County 0 Blackburn Rovers 1. Second Division: Port Vale 3 Middlesbrough 1.

NEVILLE OVENDEN COMBINATION First Division: Oxford 2 Charlton 1.

DIADORA LEAGUE: All matches postponed.

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY (Washington DC, Wednesday): United States 1 (Jones 82) Mexico 1 (Del Olmo 62).