Today's sports news: What you need to know

Latest - New Zealand's most decorated A-League football player is re-joining the Wellington Phoenix.

Four-time A-League champion Kosta Barbarouses is returning to his hometown club on a two-year deal.

32 year old Barbarouses started his professional career at the Phoenix in 2008 and has gone on to play 270 A-League matches, winning titles with Brisbane Roar, Melbourne Victory (twice) and Sydney FC.

He sits sixth on the all-time A-League goal scoring list with 80 goals.

Barbarouses has played for Sydney FC for the past three years and started for the Sky Blues in the 2020 and 2021 grand finals.

He has also amassed 52 caps for the All Whites since making his debut in 2008.

Barbarouses will assemble with the squad early next month for the start of pre-season training.

He will wear the no. 7 shirt for the Phoenix.

Tactiz confirm Dunn signing

The Tactix have confirmed the signing of Pulse goal shoot Aliyah Dunn for next year's ANZ netball Premiership.

Dunn, who has regularly delivered the best radar over the past four years and helped guide the Pulse to a record third title this month, will team up with Te Paea Selby-Rickit and Hannah Glen in the Tactix shooting circle next year.

The chance to play alongside Selby-Rickit and step outside of her comfort zone saw Dunn approach the Tactix with a move south in mind.

"I've been with the Pulse for five seasons now, so I was looking for a change of environment and I've heard nothing but good things about what the Tactix are doing down in Christchurch," she said.

It will also be a chance for Dunn to be closer to home - the last two Covid-impacted seasons meaning it has not been easy to return to her home of Invercargill to catch up with family.

"The last two years have been tough so it will be nice to be that little bit closer to family and still focus on netball."

Dunn, who comes from a basketball background, will join the Tactix for pre-season training in November.

Fairweather misses final

Young Dunedin swimmer Erika Fairweather has failed to make the final of the 200 frestyle at the World Swimming Championships in Hungary.

The 18 year old was 11th fastest in the heats with a time of 1:58:26.

She then improved her time to 1:57:43 to finish sixth in her semi-final.

However she was 11th fastest overall.

Briton Freya Anderson was top qualifier for the final, just ahead of Australians Madison Wilson and Mollie O'Callaghan.

Fairweather finished sixth in the 400 freestyle final earlier in the competition.

American Katie Ledecky dominated the women's 1,500 metres freestyle event to claim her second gold medal at the championships, while Italy's Thomas Ceccon smashed the men's 100m backstroke world record.

Ko overtaken by Australian

Lydia Ko has dropped one spot in the latest women's world golf rankings.

While Ko has been one of the most consistent players in the last year she has been overtaken for third spot by Australian Minjee Lee.

Lee has won twice this year including the recent US Open, her first major title.

South Korea's Jin Young Ko remains world number one from American Nelly Korda.

Lydia Ko finished fourth at the latest LPGA event.

The next women's major, the PGA Championship is in Maryland this week.

Eto'o avoids jail

Former Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o has been handed a 22-month suspended prison sentence by a Spanish court after admitting tax fraud of $6.3 million while he was playing for Barcelona.

Eto'o agreed to pay a fine of $3 million and the $3.6 million in tax owed from image rights between 2006 and 2009.

"I admit the facts and I am going to pay what I'm due, but let it be known that I was a just a child then and that I always did what my former agent Jose Maria Mesalles, who I considered like a father, asked me to do at that time," Eto'o, who is now 41, told the court in Barcelona.

Mesalles was given a one-year suspended jail term.

The prosecution had requested prison sentences of four years and six months each for Eto'o and Mesalles.

The sentences were suspended as neither Eto'o nor Mesalles have a criminal record and the terms are under two years.

-Reuters

Ferns to play Japan

The Football Ferns will play Japan in a friendly in Nagano in October as they continue their buildup to co-hosting next year's World Cup.

The game against the former world cup winners will be played on October 9th, during the Fifa international window.

"It's really important to secure a range of high-quality opposition in the lead up to the world cup, so we're delighted to have this game against Japan locked in," says Gareth Jennings, New Zealand Football General Manager of High Performance.

"With the draw for the World Cup confirmed for October, we're focused on preparing the team for a range of potential opposition, and we know Japan will offer a great challenge for the Ferns in that they're a very organised, technical team," he says.

The Ferns last played Japan in June 2018 at Sky Stadium in Wellington, going down 3-1, with Meikayla Moore scoring her debut goal in the first half.

Japan won the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2011, and were finalists at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2015 and Olympic silver medallists in 2012.

They are one of the 10 teams to have so far qualified for next year's FIFA Women's World Cup, and are currently 13 on FIFA's global rankings.

Indian driver to test in F1

Jehan Daruvala will drive a Formula One car for the first time when he tests last year's McLaren at Silverstone this week as part of his bid to become the third Indian to race at the pinnacle of motorsport.

The Red Bull junior driver is third in the Formula Two standings and has already qualified for a Formula One super licence.

Daruvala is the highest placed Red Bull junior in F2 but is in his third season and progressing up the ladder looks difficult for the 23-year-old.

Red Bull's main F1 team have world champion Max Verstappen and Mexican Sergio Perez on multi-year deals while sister team AlphaTauri have confirmed Frenchman Pierre Gasly for 2023.

Japan's Yuki Tsunoda, a Honda protege, is also likely to remain.

India's Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandhok raced in Formula One at a time when it was easier for those bringing sponsorship to secure a seat.

-Reuters