■AUSTRALIA
Under-17 coach Crook dies
Officials expressed shock yesterday after under-17 coach and former national goalkeeper Martyn Crook died suddenly during a tour to the US. Football Federation Australia (FFA) said Crook, 52, passed away on Friday in Los Angeles, where the team was preparing for three matches against Brazil and the US. Media reports said he died of a heart attack. “We are deeply saddened and shocked by this news,” FFA chief executive Ben Buckley said in a statement, adding that Crook was “highly respected by the players and his professional colleagues alike.” “Martyn will be remembered by many people in the [Australian] football community, because he was a long-time contributor to the game in many capacities,” Buckley said. England-born Crook migrated to Australia as a child with his family, settling in Adelaide. Crook played 192 games as a goalkeeper with West Adelaide from 1977 to 1986 and made 14 appearances for the national team from 1979 to 1983. He was appointed assistant coach with the national under-17 team from 2001, before becoming head coach last year.
■ITALY
Vieira maybe out until 2009
Inter coach Jose Mourinho, announcing that Patrick Vieira’s Achilles tendon injury would rule him out for the next two games, added it was unlikely the French midfielder would be back playing before next year. “In two weeks, 2008 is over,” Mourinho said. “There’s a risk that you won’t see Vieira make his return until next year.” Vieira suffered the injury in training two days after Inter’s 1-0 win over Juventus on Nov. 22.
■CARIBBEAN
Trinidad, Jamaica both win
Errol McFarlane converted two second-half penalties for Trinidad and Tobago as they beat Barbados 2-1 in Caribbean Cup action at Trelawny Stadium on Friday. Gregory Goodridge gave Barbados a 13th-minute lead and McFarlane leveled two minutes after half-time. When Barbados goalkeeper John Michael Williams was penalized and sent off in the 70th minute, McFarlane slotted home the penalty for the win. In the late match, hosts Jamaica thrashed Grenada 4-0 to virtually assure them of a semi-final berth. Forward Eric Vernon opened the scoring after just six minutes and Luton Shelton of Norwegan club Valerenga found the net in the 17th minute. Real Salt Lake midfielder Andy Williams extended the lead in the 53rd minute, before Demar Phillips of English club Stoke City rounded out the scoring in the 77th minute.
■ENGLAND
Five Palace fans jailed
Five Crystal Palace fans were jailed for up to four years on Friday for attacking Charlton Athletic supporters on a train. Prosecutors told a London court that more than 30 Palace fans trapped the Charlton followers on the train in a pre-planned attack before the game between the two neighbors in September last year, chanting “kill them” and “get off our manor”. Clive Taylor, 35, and Ashley White, 21, were jailed for four years, while 40-year-old Carl Thomas received a 38-month sentence and Darren Bush, 39, was sentenced to three years. Andrew Spicer, 38, admitted the charge and was jailed for two-and-a-half years.
■ENGLAND
Dutch friendly announced
England and Holland will begin their respective countdowns to the 2010 World Cup with a friendly in Amsterdam at the start of the 2009-2010 season. The Aug. 12 match was announced on Friday by the Football Association.
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38
Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju and Kao Cheng-jui were defeated by their Chinese counterparts 3-0 on Saturday in the men’s doubles final at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash. Lin and Kao received their silver medals after being defeated by third-seeded duo Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin of China 2-11, 4-11, 11-13. The Taiwan pair were left playing catch-up early in the match after the Chinese duo proved unstoppable in the first and second game. Although Lin and Kao picked up their pace in the third game and at one point took a 10-8 lead, they were crucially unable to take
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