■SOCCER
Rovers sign Robinson
Blackburn Rovers on Friday signed Tottenham Hotspur’s England goalkeeper Paul Robinson for £3.5 million (US$7 million), the Lancashire club announced. With the deal sealed, it is expected that Rovers’ long-serving keeper Brad Friedel will complete his £2 million move to fellow English Premier League side Aston Villa. The 28-year-old Robinson will be hoping for a fresh start at Ewood Park after a remarkable fall from grace at White Hart Lane that started when he was dropped as England’s No.1 and ended with his first-team spot under Juande Ramos threatened by Radek Cerny and summer signing Heurelho Gomes.
■CRICKET
Steyn ruled out of Test
South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn will miss the third Test against England after suffering a fractured thumb. X-rays showed Steyn has injured the base of his left thumb and the 24-year-old is likely to be in a plaster cast for two to three weeks. South Africa team manager Mohammed Moosajee confirmed Steyn will miss the Edgbaston Test, which starts on Wednesday, after having the plaster cast fitted at a hospital in Worcester, where his side are currently playing a tour match against Bangladesh A.
SOCCER
Mexes’ daughter stolen
AS Roma’s French defender Philippe Mexes suffered a terrifying ordeal when thieves stole his car, with his two-year-old daughter inside. Police sources said the robbers abandoned the vehicle just a quarter-of-an-hour later having discovered baby Eva inside the car. Italian police claimed Mexes was present at the time of the theft, which occurred on Thursday night, a version that was denied by Mexes’ agent Olivier Jouanneaux. “Thursday night, Philippe Mexes was at training at Roma’s training ground at Trigoria,” said Jouanneaux, claiming that Mexes’ wife Carla had been alone with their two children, Eva and four-year-old Enzo. “She took her son into the house and the two men came in behind her and stole the keys. She saw them leaving with the car, with her young daughter still inside.”
■CRICKET
Laxman move falls through
India batsman V.V.S. Laxman’s planned move to Nottinghamshire has fallen through after the deal was vetoed by the India Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI), the English county said. The 33-year-old had been expected to arrive at Trent Bridge next month after Nottinghamshire had received a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the BCCI two weeks ago. However, the BCCI have subsequently withdrawn the NOC by e-mail and Nottinghamshire director of cricket Mick Newell said the county would now search for a replacement player. “We followed correct procedures to complete the deal with the approval of the BCCI and it is extremely disappointing that they have reversed their stance,” Newell said. “We were very surprised to learn about the possibility of the deal collapsing in the media in the first instance.”
■SOCCER
Porto sign the ‘Hulk’
Portuguese champions FC Porto on Friday signed Brazilian striker Givanildo Vieira de Souza, nicknamed the “Hulk” for his muscular physique, for 5.5 million euros (US$8.6 million) from Tokyo Verdy in Japan. “The contract runs until June 30, 2012,” a Porto statement said. The 21-year-old began his career with Corinthians in the Brazilian top flight, before moving to Tokyo Verdy in 2005.
■BASEBALL
Olympics to use tie-breaker
The Olympic baseball tournament will institute a new tie-breaking procedure in Beijing, beginning each inning from the 11th with runners on first and second bases. Teams may also start the 11th at any point in their batting order under format changes announced on Friday by the International Baseball Federation and adopted in time for next month’s Beijing Games. For example, a team that opts to lead off with its No. 3 hitter would begin with its No. 1 batter on second base and its No. 2 hitter on first with no outs.
■BASKETBALL
Lakers acquire Vujacic
Slovenian guard Sasha Vujacic has agreed to a three-year, US$15 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers after emerging last season as a key member of the NBA’s Western Conference champions. “We felt Sasha made great progress in this past year, and our coach showed great confidence in playing him the second half of the season,” Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said on Friday in confirming the agreement, first reported by the Riverside Press-Enterprise. The 24-year-old Vujacic, whose contract had expired, averaged a career-high 8.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1 assist in 72 games this season.
■BASEBALL
Yanks trade for Nady, Marte
The New York Yankees acquired outfielder Xavier Nady and southpaw reliever Damaso Marte from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for four minor leaguers on Friday. The trade is pending medicals. With injuries to outfielders Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui along with catcher Jorge Posada, the Yankees were looking to add offensive depth for their late-season push. Nady, 29, gives New York another experienced right-handed bat in a lineup that has struggled to produce runs. Entering Friday’s game, Nady was batting .330 with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs. Marte will provide the Yankees with a left-hander out of the bullpen. He is 4-0 with a 3.47 ERA in 46-and-two-third innings this season. Pittsburgh will receive right-field prospect Jose Tabata and pitchers Ross Ohlendorf, George Kontos and Phil Coke.
■FOOTBALL
Packers in talks with Jets
The Green Bay Packers have been in touch with the New York Jets, reportedly to give the Jets the go-ahead to pursue quarterback Brett Favre. Jets quarterback Chad Pennington on Friday said he was told by general manager Mike Tannenbaum that the Packers have been in contact with the Jets. With Pennington and Kellen Clemens expected to vie for the starting Jets job, any quarterback controversy at the Jets could be magnified by the arrival of Favre.
■BASKETBALL
Shock snub Lieberman
Nancy Lieberman, who made history on Thursday night by playing in a Women’s National Basketball Association game at age 50, was waived by the Detroit Shock on Friday. The guard was axed one day after signing a seven-day deal with the club and breaking her own mark as the oldest player in the history of the US women’s elite league. Lieberman missed her only shot and added two assists with turnovers in nine minutes on the court in a 79-61 Detroit loss to the Houston Comets on Thursday. The Shock were in need of players after five players were suspended for their roles in a brawl on Tuesday against Los Angeles. Lieberman was a rookie 11 years ago in the WNBA’s debut season when she set what had been the mark for the oldest WNBA player.
Arminia Bielefeld on Tuesday pulled off a major upset in the DFB-Pokal by defeating defending champions Bayer 04 Leverkusen 2-1 in their semi-final. The third-division team came from behind after Jonathan Tah gave the visitors a 17th-minute lead. Marius Worl replied three minutes later and Maximilian Groser scored Bielefeld’s second goal just before the break. The home team looked more likely to add to that tally as the Leverkusen players looked jaded. “I’m just proud of this team,” Bielefeld coach Mitch Kniat said as most of the fans the small stadium sang around him. “No one will sleep in the city tonight.” Patrik Schick went
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have shown the team do not need star power to win trophies and with the French Ligue 1 title won with six games to spare, the French champions would look to finish the season without losing, manager Luis Enrique said on Saturday. A 1-0 victory over Angers SCO at the Parc des Princes helped PSG win their fourth straight Ligue 1 title and a record-extending 13th overall. PSG can still break Nantes’ 30-year-old record of 32 games unbeaten. Although Nantes lost one game en route to the title, no French club has ever gone an entire league
THREES KINGS: The Celtics claimed a piece of league history by setting a new record for the number of threes in a season, ending their game with 1,370 Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun on Friday combined for 65 points as the Houston Rockets halted Oklahoma City’s 11-game winning streak with a statement 125-111 victory. In a potential Western Conference finals preview, the Rockets produced a dominant all-round performance to jolt the top-seeded Thunder’s all-conquering preparations for the post-season. Green finished with 34 points from 11-of-24 shooting, while Turkish big man Sengun made 31 points as second-placed Houston improved to 51-27. Oklahoma City grabbed the lead in the opening minutes of the first quarter, but Houston soon knocked the Thunder out of their stride with a physical approach to move into the
RECORD WINNERS: The Catalan club, who are still in contention for a historic quadruple this season, are to face rivals Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final Barcelona are to face rivals Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final after Ferran Torres secured them a 1-0 win at Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, progressing 5-4 on aggregate from the semi-final tie. Record 31-time winners Barca had the better of the clash at the Metropolitano after the wild 4-4 first-leg draw. The defeat leaves Diego Simeone’s Atletico with little to play for in the rest of the season. By contrast, the Catalans are on the hunt for a potential quadruple and are unbeaten this year, stretching their run to 21 games without defeat. Atletico were the last team to triumph