■ ENGLAND
Cardiff cause FA rule review
Cardiff cannot presently qualify for Europe if they win the FA Cup but that could all change after the Football Association announced they would look again at their rulebook. As things stand Cardiff, who face fellow Championship side Barnsley in a Wembley semi-final next month, would not qualify for the UEFA Cup if they won the FA Cup because Welsh clubs are only eligible to qualify through their own competitions. UEFA president Michel Platini has promised to intervene to help Cardiff should they continue a season of Cup shocks by lifting the trophy and the FA are now reviewing their own rule. "In light of Cardiff City's success in reaching the FA Cup semi-finals, the Football Association is considering its position on European qualification for the winners of the FA Cup," an FA spokesman said on Thursday.
■ PERU
Players robbed by gang
The players of leading Peruvian side Cienciano were held up and robbed by armed men as they were collecting their wages, a police official said on Thursday. The victims, who were forced to lie on the floor during the raid, included Peru internationals Juan Carlos Bazalar and forward William Chiroque. The robbers were reported to have made off with US$85,000 in cash as well as the players' wallets and mobile phones. The incident occurred at the club's headquarters in the Andean city of Cusco on Wednesday, the day after Cienciano had beaten fellow Peruvians Coronel Bolognesi 1-0 in a South American Libertadores Cup match. "At the moment that the players were receiving their wages, four men entered and surrounded the cashier," said Cusco police official Juan Auccahuaqui.
■ ENGLAND
Fans in train riot sent to jail
Soccer fans who charged through train carriages and attacked rivals in a pre-planned riot have been jailed and banned from games for up to 10 years. The violence happened before a game between neighbors Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic in September and police arrested fans whose ages ranged from 16 to 44. Prosecutors told Judge Stephen Robbins on Thursday that some 30 Palace followers trapped Charlton supporters on the train, punching, kicking and head-butting them. A father and his two grown-up sons were repeatedly punched, one of the sons left with blood pouring down his face and was later taken to hospital with a suspected fractured nose. "This was sickening behavior, thuggery, organized violence on a train on members of the public," Robbins said at Southwark Crown Court. He jailed two fans, Dominic Goodridge and Harvey Neenan, each for three years and four months. Three more were sentenced to two-and-a-half years and two to two years.
■ BRAZIL
Lightning strikes midfielder
A soccer match in Brazil was suspended after lightning struck one of the players. The lightning struck midfielder Gilvan near midfield in the 63rd minute of the match between Novo Horizonte and Atletico Goianiense in the Goias state championship on Wednesday. Gilvan immediately collapsed and was taken unconscious to hospital, where he was treated and released. "I woke up in the hospital," the Novo Horizonte player said. "The pain was too strong. I'm relieved to have survived this." The injury prompted the referee to suspend the match, which was finished on Thursday and won by Atletico 4-2. The game was even at 2-2 when it was interrupted.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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