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Armstrong passes up Paris for Iowa

DES MOINES, June 27 (UPI) -- Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong is skipping Paris to ride in this summer's Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, the Des Moines Register said.

Armstrong and former teammate Tyler Hamilton both have denied recent doping accusations in European media that they had used performance enhancing or other banned substances during their years of competition.

Former Tour winner Greg Lemond told France's L'Equipe he testified against Armstrong earlier this year concerning allegations about the 2004 Tour de France.

Armstrong told ESPN on Monday that the doctor who treated him for cancer in 1996 had released an affidavit that Armstrong had never admitted using illegal substances as claimed by Betsy Andreu, wife of Armstrong's former U.S. Postal teammate Frankie Andreu. Armstrong called Lemond's claim that he threatened his life, his wife and his business "ridiculous."

Avoiding controversy in Europe, Armstrong plans to stay closer to home and ride at least one day next month's annual Great Bicycle Race, Barry Jackson, spokesman for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, told the Register.

The race begins July 23 and wraps up July 29 in Muscatine, Iowa.

Wizards star Arenas sought by police

MIAMI, June 27 (UPI) -- Miami police Tuesday issued an arrest warrant for Washington Wizards star Gilbert Arenas after he and his lawyer missed a morning court appearance.

After Arenas missed his arraignment, a circuit court judge issued a bench warrant and set bond at $2,000, WFOR-TV, Miami, reported.

Arenas, the Wizards' top scorer, had been released $1,000 bond on a disorderly conduct charge following an altercation with officers during the Memorial Day weekend.

Police said Arenas refused to get back in a vehicle after teammate Awvee Storey was arrested for failing to obey a police order to leave a street and return to a sidewalk in Miami Beach.

U. California QB Levy arrested, suspended

SAN FRANCISCO, June 27 (UPI) -- University of California, Berkeley quarterback Steve Levy has been suspended after being arrested and charged following a weekend bar fight in San Francisco.

Levy, 22, reportedly got into an argument with a man early Sunday morning, and was asked to leave the bar by the bouncer. However, a glass was thrown, cutting the bouncer's forehead.

Levy left the premises but was detained by a group of people until his arrest, the Oakland (Calif.) Tribune reported Tuesday.

San Francisco police Sgt. Neville Gittens said Levy was booked Sunday morning at San Francisco County Jail on charges of assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm and was free Monday on $40,000 bail.

UC Berkeley football coach Jeff Tedford said Levy has been suspended indefinitely while school athletic officials investigate the circumstances of his arrest.

WORLD CUP: Brazil 3, Ghana 0

DORTMUND, Germany, June 27 (UPI) -- Ronaldo became the all-time leading World Cup goal scorer with an early score Tuesday that sent Brazil off to a 3-0 elimination victory over Ghana.

The victory boosts Brazil, the defending World Cup champion, into a quarterfinal game Saturday against the winner of a Round-of-16 game Tuesday between France and Spain. Ghana was eliminated from the World Cup.

Ronaldo, who had a pair of goals in Brazil's previous game, scored Tuesday in the fifth minute, slipping a defensive trap and then facing Ghana goalkeeper Richard Kingson one-on-one. He faked past Kingson and was left with an easy shot from 10 yards.

The goal gave Ronaldo 15 World Cup scores, moving him past West Germany's Gerd Muller, who totaled 14 goals in the 1970 and '74 World Cups. Ronaldo was the tournament's leading scorer in 2002.

Brazil doubled its lead in first-half stoppage time as Kaka and Cafu keyed a counterattack and found Adriano just two yards in front of the goal for an easy score.

The score went to 3-0 in the 84th minute when Ze Roberto was able to get behind the Ghana defense and then past Kingson. That goal came right after Ghana's Asamoah Gyan was given a red card.

Ghana was the aggressor much of the first half and kept Brazil goalkeeper Dida busy, but he was still able to notch his third shutout of the tournament. Brazil has allowed just one goal in this year's World Cup.

WORLD CUP: France 3, Spain 1

HANOVER, Germany, June 27 (UPI) -- Patrick Vieira and Zinedine Zidane each scored a goal and set up another Tuesday, lifting France to a 3-1 World Cup elimination victory over Spain.

The win moves France into a quarterfinal match with Brazil, which stopped Ghana 3-0 in its Round-of-16 game, Saturday. Spain was sent home.

Frank Ribery and Vieira did a give-and-go, with Ribery working free and past Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas for a shot that tied the score 1-1 early in first-half stoppage time.

The score remained tied until the 83rd minute when Vieira got his second goal of the tournament when Zidane sent a free kick that deflected off a defender and right to Vieira near the goal, from where he was able to give France the lead. The free kick came on Spain's first yellow card of the game, despite being whistled for some two dozen fouls.

France sealed the victory in stoppage time, with Spain on the offensive trying to tie the score, Zidane broke away and got past a defender in the box from where he was able to shove a low shot past Casillas.

Spain took the lead in the 28th minute when David Villa converted a penalty kick. France goaltender Fabien Barthez guessed right on direction, but Villa's shot to the lower-left corner still eluded him.