Briefs 2-FIFA lifts ban on Albanian FA

LONDON, April 29 (Reuters) - Sports news in brief from around the world:

Soccer - FIFA has lifted a ban it imposed on the Albanian football association last month, world soccer's governing body said in a statement on Tuesday.

FIFA, which imposed the suspension because of government interference in association affairs, said it had lifted the ban after Albania's sports minister Ylli Pango signed the FA's new statutes and dropped legal action he had started.

Soccer-The one-match ban Torino defender Marco Pisano would have received for his yellow card in Sunday's 4-1 Serie A defeat at AS Roma has been transferred to team mate Pablo Dellafiore after the referee admitted booking the wrong player, the Italian Soccer League said on its Web site (www.lega-calcio.it).

Dellafiore had already been booked and would have been sent off if he had received the yellow card Pisano was shown.

Cricket-The Pakistan Cricket Board said on Tuesday that the unconditional apology made by fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar for his indiscipline did not guarantee his five-year ban would be removed or reduced by the appeals tribunal hearing his case.

"The main thing is he has not withdrawn his appeal from the tribunal. The apology was his own act which he came forward with, basically accepting everything," said Tafazzul Rizvi, the lawyer representing the board in the case.