■ ENGLAND
Ashley denies Binladin link
Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley admits he is desperate for new investors to pump cash into his Premier League club, but even he draws the line at suggestions of a deal with the family of terrorist Osama bin Laden. Ashley wants to bring in a partner who can help share the burden of supplying the substantial funds needed to turn Newcastle into Premier League title contenders. But the billionaire businessman was shocked to hear reports that the Saudi Binladin Group had been approached to invest in Newcastle. Although the group, run by Osama’s half-brother Bakr bin Laden, distanced themselves from the al-Qaeda founder some years ago, Ashley was sufficiently outraged to issue a firm denial. “I would say that I am keen to have partners in Newcastle. That’s a very expensive seat I sit in,” he told the Evening Standard. “But I think I’ll start with people from Newcastle, not in some cave in Afghanistan.” Ashley spoke out as his Sports Direct empire, which was floated in March last year, reported that profits for the year to April had halved after a drop in sales, fueling talk he may cash in on Newcastle. But he is confident of getting the ship back on course in the coming months. “I think last year, we were on the Titanic and still dancing with the band. This year will be different,” he said.
■ GERMANY
Clubs told to release players
FIFA closed the door on Thursday on two German clubs’ hopes of stopping their Brazilian players going to the Olympics. After the Brazil squad for Beijing was announced on Tuesday, Werder Bremen said they would not release 23-year-old midfielder Diego, and Schalke 04 resisted giving up 22-year-old defender Rafinha. World soccer’s governing body responded by restating its rule obliging clubs to release players aged 23 or under. “The release of players younger than 23 has always been mandatory for all clubs,” FIFA said in a statement.
■ HONG KONG
Many arrests for gambling
Police in Hong Kong said yesterday that 87 people had been arrested as part of an Asian-wide crackdown on illegal soccer gambling on the Euro 2008 tournament led by Interpol. Betting slips worth nearly US$13 million were seized in a series of raids across the city of 6.9 million in May and last month during the Euro 2008 tournament, as well as during final games of major international leagues. The arrests were part of an Interpol-led operation that saw a total of 1,300 people arrested and 1,088 gambling dens busted in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Macau, Vietnam and China, police said.
■ BOSNIA
Blazevic appointed coach
Miroslav Blazevic, who took Croatia to third place at the 1998 World Cup, was on Thursday named as Bosnia’s new national coach. “Miroslav ‘Ciro’ Blazevic was elected new coach” for the next two-year period, Bosnia soccer association spokeswoman Slavica Pecikoza told journalists. The 73-year-old Blazevic is replacing Meho Kodro who was sacked in May after he had refused to lead the national team for a friendly with Iran.
■ ITALY
Mancini heading to Inter
Roma’s Brazilian midfielder Mancini is expected to switch to Italian champions Inter in a deal reported to be worth around 13 million euros (US$20.5 million). “The two parties are satisfied,” Inter official Gabriele Oriali told Sky television. Italian media claimed that the 27-year-old would be paid around 3.5 million euros a season.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
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