■ GERMANY
Mag says Brazil match fixed
The German weekly magazine Der Spiegel reports in today’s edition that the 2006 World Cup knock-out stage match between Brazil and Ghana was influenced by an Asian betting syndicate. The magazine reports large sums of money had been bet on Brazil winning by at least two goals and a former Ghana international acted as an intermediary. Ghana lost the match 3-0 in Dortmund on June 27, 2006, which put Brazil into the quarter-finals where they lost to France. The information in Der Spiegel comes from Canadian investigative journalist Declan Hill, whose book about betting on sport around the world is published in German tomorrow.
■ENGLAND
Spurs sign Pavlyuchenko
Tottenham Hotspur have reached an agreement to sign Russia striker Roman Pavlyuchenko from Spartak Moscow. Pavlyuchenko arrived in England on Friday for a medical and negotiations over personal terms and the deal was sealed on Saturday. “We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with Spartak Moscow for the transfer of Roman Pavlyuchenko to the club,” a statement on Tottenham’s Web site confirmed. The fee paid by Tottenham has not been disclosed, but it is understood to be around £14 million (US$25.5 million) and the move could pave the way for Dimitar Berbatov to leave Spurs for Manchester United.
■SPAIN
Robinho stays put: Calderon
Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon insisted on Saturday that Brazilian winger Robinho would be staying with the Spanish side, despite the player saying he is still in talks with English club Chelsea. “He’s going to stay here, I’m saying that,” Calderon told the daily ABC, adding that the Brazilian was “a good boy, badly advised” by his entourage. Robinho said in an interview with Brazilian television Globoesporte on Friday that he wanted to leave, adding that “negotiations were ongoing” for his eventual transfer to the English club. He was not called up as expected by German coach Bernd Schuster for Real’s first match of the season at Deportivo La Coruna yesterday. Schuster said that it would be better to wait until the situation regarding the player had been clarified. “I made the decision. He’s under pressure from his entourage and not fit to play,” Schuster said.
■SPAIN
Smolarek loaned to Trotters
Racing Santander have agreed to loan Polish international striker Euzebiusz “Ebi” Smolarek to Bolton Wanderers for the season, the first division Spanish side said on Saturday. Bolton will have the option to buy the 27-year-old at the end of the loan period, the club added in a statement posted on its Web site. Ebi joined Racing Santander last year from German club Dortmund, having previously spent time at Feyenoord. He scored four times in 34 appearances for Racing last season in La Liga. Ebi has 34 caps for Poland, having scored 13 times.
■GERMANY
Hamburg snap up Neves
Bundesliga side Hamburg confirmed yesterday the arrival of attacking midfielder Thiago Neves from Brazilian club Fluminense. The 23-year-old is set to sign a five-year contract in Hamburg, providing he passes a medical, for an undisclosed fee. Neves will step into the midfield role vacated by Dutchman Rafael van der Vaart who quit Hamburg in the summer to play for Real Madrid. “It is a dream for me to play in Europe, I want to really boost my career here,” the Brazilian said.
South Korean giants T1, led by “Faker,” won their fifth League of Legends (LoL) world championship crown in London on Saturday, beating China’s Bilibili Gaming (BLG) in a thrilling final. The teams were locked at 2-2 at a packed O2 arena, but T1 clinched game five to make it back-to-back titles after nearly four hours of tense action. China’s BLG started strongly, taking the first game before T1 struck back to level. The Chinese team pulled ahead again at 2-1 only for their opponents to hit back again and go on to take the decider. Faker, who won the Most
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Belgian partner Elise Mertens on Monday notched up their first win in the doubles group stage of the WTA Finals in Riyadh to keep their semi-final hopes alive, while Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russian partner Veronika Kudermetova were aiming to record their first victory after press time last night. Third seeds Hsieh and Mertens came back from a disheartening opening-day loss to Australia’s Ellen Perez and Nicole Melichar-Martinez to defeat top seeds Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok and Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, the women’s doubles world No. 3 and 4 respectively. The 6-1, 6-3 victory at King Saud University Indoor Arena
Amber Glenn overcame a fall and her own doubts to win a maiden Grand Prix figure skating title on Saturday at the Grand Prix de France. The American skater had the lead from Friday’s short program. That and the support of the crowd got her through a tough free skate in which she fell on a triple flip and put a hand onto the ice to steady herself on two other jumps. “I didn’t feel that great out there today, but I really tried, and the audience really got me through that last half when I was doubting myself,” Glenn
WORLD SERIES: ‘The individuals that were involved in that last night was a very small segment of the east Los Angeles community,’ the Los Angeles county sheriff said Rowdy crowds took to the streets of Los Angeles after the LA Dodgers won the Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series, setting a city bus on fire, breaking into stores and lighting fireworks. A dozen arrests were reported by police on Thursday, but officials said that most fans celebrated peacefully. Video showed revelers throwing objects at police in downtown LA as sirens blared and officers told them to leave the area on Wednesday night after the Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the MLB World Series at Giants Stadium in New York. Another video showed someone standing atop
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