With disgruntled NBA players pondering decertification of their union, Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan is heading a group of a dozen owners opposing any big concessions in labor talks.

The NBA owners and players union representatives plan to resume collective bargaining talks Saturday and the owners have scheduled a meeting prior to the main bargaining session. Jordan's group is expected to lobby hard against making any more major concessions in the next round of talks, The New York Times reported Friday.

Swimming great Ian Thorpe failed to qualify for Singapore's World Cup short-course 100m butterfly final Saturday as his keenly awaited comeback from a five-year retirement ended in disappointment.

The five-time Olympic champion, who finished second-last in the 100m individual medley final on Friday, was third in his butterfly heat in 54.09 seconds but 11th overall, denying him his only remaining chance of a medal.

Australian swimming great Ian Thorpe made a disappointing return to action Friday as he finished second-last in his first race since ending a five-year retirement.

Thorpe, 29, swimming the unaccustomed 100m individual medley at a World Cup short-course event in Singapore, was already off the pace after the first 25m and he ended seventh, more than three seconds adrift of winner Chad le Clos.

Fabio Capello has assured a remorseful Wayne Rooney he will be selected for next year's Euro 2012 despite the three-match ban that has ruled the striker out of the group stage, it was reported Friday.

Several newspaper reports said Capello met Rooney at Manchester United's training ground on Thursday to confirm his selection while informing the forward he would not be picked for upcoming friendlies against Spain and Sweden.

Rising women's stars will take center-stage at Grand Prix figure-skating's Cup of China this week with Japanese teen Kanako Murakami expected to shine.

Murakami, Carolina Kostner and Russian hope Adelina Sotnikova, 15, will face off in the ladies competition while Chinese skaters look set to dominate the pairs event as the six-stop series comes to Shanghai for the first time.

Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez is now Germany's highest goalscorer in Champions League history, but the hot-shot admits he will miss injured Bastian Schweinsteiger's silky passes.

Bayern are four points clear at the top of the German league and on Sunday in the Bundesliga take on Bavarian neighbors Augsburg, who are second from bottom, but Munich will be without playmaker Schweinsteiger.

Tottenham failed to provide their absent manager Harry Redknapp with a Europa League win after his heart operation on Thursday as elsewhere on the fourth batch of group matches five teams ensured safe passage to the round of 32.

The quintet joining already qualified Sporting Lisbon were Dutch duo PSV Eindhoven and FC Twente, Belgian giants Anderlecht, Polish outfit Legia Warszawa and Spain's Athletic Bilbao.

Talk about a backdoor cut.

The announcement Thursday that negotiations to end the NBA lockout would resume were followed by reports that some players are investigating the possibility of decertifying the union.

AC Milan says forward Antonio Cassano has undergone a successful minor heart surgery.

The club says in a statement that the procedure to close a small opening in the Italy international's heart was carried out by Dr. Mario Carminati and that Milan physician Rodolfo Tavana was also present.

Shaquille O'Neal is suing a former information technology employee the former NBA great claims invaded his privacy by selling personal emails that damaged his reputation.

The lawsuit was filed against Shawn Darling in Miami-Dade Circuit Court.