■SOCCER
Stadiums may add cells
Italian soccer bosses are mooting plans to install holding cells inside stadiums in a bid to combat crowd-trouble and hooliganism. Italian Football League boss Antonio Matarrese revealed the plans on Thursday as the government announced an anti-soccer violence publicity campaign. Matarrese said the drastic measure of incarceration within stadiums was a viable option. “If there are hooligans we can put them quickly behind bars and then transfer them to prison,” he said. “Either we have to be strong or it’s better to surrender. We will not surrender.”
■RUGBY UNION
Players say ‘No To Racism’
Players in this weekend’s Currie Cup matches in South Africa will wear jerseys with the slogan ‘No To Racism’ on them, in response to a racist attack on a black fan during the Springboks’ final Tri-Nations Test against Australia in Johannesburg on Aug. 30. “It’s important for South Africa Rugby to make a strong statement in the wake of the racist attack on the Springbok fan here and I’m pleased that all our local players and Springboks and the provincial unions and their sponsors have supported this,” South African Rugby Union (SARU) president Oregan Hoskins said on Thursday. SARU has offered a reward of 10,000 rand (US$1,297) to help find the three white men responsible for the attack on the female fan.
■SOCCER
‘Reggae Boyz’ ditch Simoes
Rene Simoes was fired as coach of Jamaica on Thursday, only nine months into a three-year contract. In recent World Cup qualifying games Jamaica drew Canada 1-1, lost to Mexico 3-0, and lost to Honduras 2-0. Simoes said before the Honduras match that the “Reggae Boyz “needed to win or they would have little hope of advancing. They are last in their four-team group. Simoes led Jamaica when they qualified for the World Cup, in 1998, but he resigned in 2000 after six years as technical director.
■SOCCER
Dopey Dodo banned
Former Brazil striker Dodo was suspended for two years on Thursday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over a failed doping test. The 34-year-old tested positive for fenproporex after his club, Botafogo, beat Vasco 4-0 in a Brazilian league match in June last year. He was initially suspended for 30 days and, after passing two other doping tests, was exonerated by Brazil’s highest sports court. World governing body FIFA and the World Anti-Doping Agency both filed appeals in September last year requesting a ban. CAS ruled in their favor Thursday, saying Dodo had failed to demonstrate that he bore “no significant fault or negligence” for the presence of the banned substance in his urine samples.
■ATHLETICS
Bolt joins Real Madrid
Olympic sprint champion Usain Bolt has agreed to train with Spanish soccer giants Real Madrid, the Jamaican revealed on Thursday. Bolt, who picked up three golds medals and world records in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay at the Bejing Games, said he was particularly looking forward to meeting Real’s former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. “Raul and Van Nistelrooy, I think they’re some of the best goalscorers ever,” Bolt said. “I’ve watched van Nistelrooy from when he was with Manchester United, so I know he’s a great, great guy so I look forward to meeting these guys.”
■BASKETBALL
Garrity to retire
Orlando Magic forward Pat Garrity announced his retirement from the NBA on Thursday. “As a professional athlete, I have always been aware that the time would come for me to begin another chapter in my life,” Garrity said on the NBA’s Web site. “That time has come and I look forward to the exciting challenges that lie ahead.” A first round pick (19th overall) by Milwaukee in the 1998 NBA draft, Garrity was traded to Orlando from the Phoenix Suns the following year and spent the rest of his career in Florida. In his 10 years in the NBA Garrity played in 552 regular season games averaging 7.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.
■SUMO
Expelled Russian sues
An expelled Russian wrestler has taken the unprecedented step of suing Japan’s sumo authority, demanding he return to the ancient sport after being thrown out for marijuana possession. Soslan Gagloev, a 20-year-old who had risen quickly through the ranks under the ring name of Wakanoho, told reporters late on Thursday he had filed a suit against the Japan Sumo Association. “I don’t want to sue but this is the only way to return to sumo,” he said with a weary face. “Everyone makes mistakes when you’re young. I thought I did the wrong thing. I could accept a suspension but expelling me is a bit too harsh. I want to play sumo at any cost.” But the sumo association’s new chief Musashigawa — whose predecessor quit over the drug scandal — said he would not allow Wakanoho to return to the sport, Kyodo News reported. Wakanoho, who had been a professional sumo wrestler since 2005, was arrested last month for allegedly possessing a joint with 0.368 grams of marijuana inside. He admitted wrongdoing and apologized to the sumo association and fans. Tokyo prosecutors yesterday decided not to press charges against him as it was his first offense and the amount was small, reports said.
■FOOTBALL
Colts waive Johnson
The Indianapolis Colts have waived starting defensive tackle Ed Johnson following his arrest this week for possession of marijuana, the team said on Thursday. Johnson, 24, was arrested on Wednesday in Hamilton County, Indiana, between midnight and 1am and charged with speeding and possession of marijuana. “We consider every violation of a team rule or NFL policy on an individual case-by-case basis,” the team said in a statement. “If club discipline is appropriate, we consider the past record of the individual involved and the extent to which team rules were violated when imposing penalties. In this particular case, Ed was well aware that his past history required him to be in complete compliance with club rules.”
■BOXING
Laila Ali has baby boy
Laila Ali, daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali and a champion fighter in her own right, has welcomed her first child with husband Curtis Conway, she announced on Thursday on her Web site. Curtis Muhammad Conway was born on Aug. 26 and weighed in at 3.1kg. “Mama and baby are resting!” said Ali, who owns a ring record of 24-0 with 21 knockouts. The 30-year-old has also become a television celebrity, as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars and host of American Gladiator. Ali married Conway, a retired NFL player who is seven years her senior, in July last year. Her 66-year-old father, perhaps the best known athlete in the world, was banished from boxing for refusing induction into the US Army to fight in Vietnam.
BUMRAH WATCH: Captain Jasprit Bumrah left the SCG for scans for back spasms and although he returned to the ground, there was no word on if he would play Rishabh Pant’s blistering counterattack yesterday capped a chaotic second day of the fifth and final Test between Australia and India, with 15 wickets falling and the star bowler of the series leaving the Sydney Cricket Ground with an ambulance escort. Yet the Border-Gavaskar trophy still remains very much in the balance as India reached 141-6, holding a 145-run lead over Australia with three days remaining. “Low-scoring games like this, it just heightens the pressure within it, so long way still to go,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said. “There’s gonna be plenty of cricket, so we’ll see what happens.” Australia were bowled out for
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
Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek yesterday beat Elena Rybakina in straight sets to take Poland into the final of the mixed-teams United Cup with victory over Kazakhstan. Last year’s runners-up face the US today for the title in Sydney after they beat the Czech Republic in the other semi-final. “This win makes me really proud,” Swiatek said after seeing off Rybakina 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to give Poland an unassailable 2-0 lead in the tie. It was a statement of intent from the world number two with the first major of the year to start on Jan. 12. “It is perfect preparation for the
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