Soccer-Roundup2-Richards out for six weeks after surgery

LONDON Feb 28 (Reuters) - Soccer news in brief from around the world:

* England full back Micah Richards will be out for six weeks following an operation on damaged cartilage in his right knee, Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson said.

Richards, 19, who travelled to London for the surgery, will definitely miss England's friendly with France on March 26 but should be back for his club, who are challenging for a Champions League place, before the end of the season.

* India coach Bob Houghton has called for a ban on the import of foreign strikers by the country's premier clubs, saying it was affecting the national team's progress.

"Apart from Baichung (Bhutia) and Sunil Chettri, Indian strikers are not regulars in their own clubs. How do you expect that there would be a flurry of quality strikers in the national side?," the Briton told reporters in Kolkata.

* Ireland will meet Colombia in a friendly at Fulham's Craven Cottage ground in London on May 29, the Ireland FA said.

The match will be Giovanni Trapattoni's second game in charge of Ireland after a fixture at Croke Park on May 24 when the Irish take on Serbia.

* Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has been arrested and cautioned by police for common assault. The former England international, 30, was questioned about an argument with a man near his home, the BBC reported.

The assault was reported to police by a witness to the incident. Common assault is the least serious form of assault and can include spitting or pushing.

* Italian Soccer Federation chief Giancarlo Abete has written to Juventus defending referees and the integrity of the championship after the Turin club lambasted officials following a controversial 2-1 defeat to Reggina last weekend.

"There can be no doubts about the regularity of the championship and the seriousness and preparedness of our referees," he wrote in the letter, reprinted on the federation Web site (www.figc.it).

* Juventus and Italy winger Raffaele Palladino has extended his contract by a year with the new deal running out in June 2011, the club said in a statement.

* Juventus winger Pavel Nedved has been banned for two games after being sent off in stoppage time of Tuesday's 0-0 draw with Torino after pulling Gianluca Comotto's hair during an altercation, the league said in a statement. (Editing by Justin Palmer)