■SOCCER
Mob fixer gets jail sentence
A mob fixer who intervened to stop another gangster harassing star England player Steven Gerrard was sentenced on Thursday to more than 14 years in prison for his role in a robbery. John Kinsella, 43, went on the run earlier this week, however, and was not at Lincoln Crown Court in east central England for his sentencing. He was convicted of stealing £41,000 (US$82,000) worth of Easter eggs, crisps and detergent after tying up a security guard. Kinsella was sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment for the March 2006 theft, a further year for dangerous driving leaving the scene of the crime and three months for breaking his bail conditions. During the trial, the jury heard from Paul Gerrard, the Liverpool captain’s father. In a letter to the court, he said that Kinsella had stopped George Bromley Junior, a gangster known as “The Psycho,” from terrorizing his son and that he had “total respect” for the defendant.
■SWIMMING
D’Arcy dropped by Aussies
An Olympic swimmer charged with assaulting a man in a nightclub incident after the Australian trials was kicked off the Beijing-bound team yesterday for bringing the sport into disrepute. Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) president John Coates said 20-year-old butterfly swimmer Nick D’Arcy would not be allowed to remain on the team. He won the 200m butterfly at the trials held in Sydney at the end of last month. D’Arcy had been the subject of an AOC investigation after being involved in an altercation with former Commonwealth swim champion Simon Cowley, which left Cowley with multiple facial fractures.
■CRICKET
Bangladesh receive fine
Bangladesh’s misery at slumping to their fourth defeat in four one-day internationals against Pakistan was compounded on Thursday when they were fined for a slow over rate and then saw opener Shahriar Nafees reprimanded for breaching the Code of Conduct. Both incidents arose from the third game of the five-match series played in Lahore on April 13. Match referee Mike Procter imposed the fine after Mohammad Ashraful’s side was ruled to be one over short of its target. Ashraful was fined 10 percent of his match fee, while each of his players received 5 percent fines. In a separate incident, Shahriar was found to have breached clause 1.2 of the Code of Conduct which relates to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings.” The incident took place in the 21st over of Pakistan’s innings when, after mis-fielding, Shahriar kicked and damaged an advertising hoarding.
■SOCCER
Slavia to take on Oxford
Czech league club Slavia Prague will take a step back into history to celebrate a new 21,000 seat stadium by playing a team of students from Oxford University AFC, the club announced on Thursday. Oxford University was the first English club to take on Slavia in 1899, winning 3-0 in front of a record crowd of 4,000. Slavia got their revenge 37 years later with an 8-2 win. Slavia will play Oxford on May 7.
■RUGBY UNION
France’s De Villiers retires
French international prop Pieter De Villiers on Thursday announced his retirement from the sport. “I’m officially stopping playing rugby,” the South African-born 35-year-old told his Stade Francais club Web site. De Villiers made 69 international appearances for France while, in a 13-year club career at Stade, he lifted five French league titles.
Poles win gold star in Miami
The Polish team of Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Dominik Zycki won the Star World Championship in Miami, Florida, on Thursday, beating Italy’s Diego Negri and Luigi Viale by nine points in the six-race event. “Our dreams came true,” Zycki said “We get to put the coveted gold star on our sails.” Kusznierewicz and Zycki finished fifth in Thursday’s race, while Negri and Viale were sixth. Ireland’s Patrick O’Leary and Stephen Milne won the race. Flavio Marazzi and Enrico De Maria finished second on Thursday and qualified Switzerland for one of the four remaining Olympic slots in the Star Class event. Croatia, Ireland and Austria also qualified.
■BOXING
Calzaghe in Vegas clash
Unbeaten Welshman Joe Calzaghe will fight for the first time on US soil today, with Bernard Hopkins aiming to make Calzaghe wish he’d stayed home. “Calzaghe is probably a god in Europe, but he is not a Ricky Hatton,” said Hopkins, who is to take on Calzaghe in a 12-round light heavyweight bout at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. Calzaghe, who says he would have crossed the Pond years ago if the right fight had been made, says he is more concerned with extending his unbeaten record, becoming a two-weight world champion and cementing his ring legacy to worry about Vegas hoopla. Calzaghe, who owns a record of 44-0 with 32 knockouts, is the longest-reigning world champion in boxing. He has defended his various titles 21 times.
■FOOTBALL
Ravens’ McNair retires
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Steve McNair is retiring from the NFL after a 13-year career in which he was named co-MVP and led the Tennessee Titans to the Super Bowl. McNair told teammates of his decision in an emotional meeting in Owings Mills, Maryland, on Thursday before the launch of coach John Harbaugh’s first minicamp. The 35-year-old McNair guided the Ravens to a 13-3 record in 2006, his first season in Baltimore after 11 years in Tennessee. But he injured his groin during the season opener last season and never regained the form that enabled him to earn a berth in four Pro Bowls. McNair developed back and shoulder injuries and played in only six games last year.
■BASKETBALL
Bucks fire Krystkowiak
The Milwaukee Bucks have fired Larry Krystkowiak after his first full season as an NBA head coach. “Larry and I met this morning, and came to the decision that he would not return,” new Bucks manager John Hammond said on Thursday. The move has been expected since Larry Harris was dismissed as general manager last month. Bucks owner and US Senator Herb Kohl hired Hammond to replace Harris, and Hammond had promised to quickly deal with the coaching situation and make it a top priority. The Bucks finished last in the Central Division with a 26-56 record.
■BASEKTBALL
Bulls fire interim coach
The Chicago Bulls fired interim coach Jim Boylan on Thursday, likely the first of several changes after a disappointing season. General manager John Paxson said Boylan was let go during a morning meeting at the Bulls’ practice facility. Boylan left without commenting. The firing was the first move of what figures to be a busy offseason for a team that finished 11th in the Eastern Conference just one season after reaching the second round of the playoffs.
Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan yesterday dumped defending champions Germany out of the United Cup with world No. 2 Alexander Zverev sidelined by an arm injury barely a week away from the Australian Open. The upset in Perth sent the Kazakhs into the semi-finals of the 18-nation tournament. In Sydney, women’s world No. 2 Iga Swiatek led Poland into the last eight by winning a rematch of her 2023 French Open final against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic. Britain also progressed to the quarter-finals with Katie Boulter’s dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory over Australia’s Olivia Gadecki enough to guarantee they won their group. The US and
HAT-TRICK PREP: World No. 1 Sabalenka clinched her first win of the season, as she aims to become the first woman in 20 years to win three Australian Opens in succession Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Taylor Fritz yesterday all clocked impressive wins as tennis powerhouses Italy and the US surged into the quarter-finals of the mixed-team United Cup. World No. 3 Gauff swept past Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-2 to avenge a loss at the Paris Olympics, while Fritz took care of Borna Coric 6-3, 6-2 in searing Perth heat. That was enough to put the Americans — last year’s winners — into a last-eight clash with China today, while Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan today are to meet defending champions Germany, led by Alexander Zverev, in the other Perth quarter-final. In Sydney, the in-form
Taiwanese e-sports team Ban Mei Gaming (BMG) claimed second place at this year’s Arena of Valor International Championship (AIC 2024) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, after losing to the Thai team Bacon Time (BAC) in the finals on Sunday In the final match, BMG faced BAC, who finished top in the winners’ bracket, but lost 0-4. However, BMG still walked away with US$100,000 in prize money for finishing runners-up. The AIC 2024 began with 16 teams competing in the Swiss Stage, where teams played up to five rounds. Those securing three wins advanced to the Knockout Stage, while teams
Japan’s national high-school soccer tournament is thriving after more than 100 years, attracting huge crowds, millions watching on TV and breeding future stars, despite professional clubs trying to attract young talent. The annual tournament kicked off on Saturday and is still regarded as the pinnacle of amateur soccer with young players dreaming of playing in the final in front of tens of thousands at the National Stadium in Tokyo. Matches are a massive occasion for the whole school as student cheering squads wave flags, bang drums and roar on their teams in a spectacle of noise and color. “All the
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