■ BRAZIL
Ronaldo back in training
Ronaldo trained for the first time with Corinthians on Friday, a fortnight after signing a one-year contract with Brazil’s most popular club. The 32-year-old Ronaldo, trying to come back from a major knee injury this year, did not take to the field with the other players. Instead, he worked out for several hours inside the team’s gym — out of sight from the nearly 500 fans who hoped to see him practice outside. The three-time world player of the year showed up at the gym without the team’s kit, but when he saw the army of photographers awaiting him, he retreated back into the dressing room to re-emerge minutes later, wearing the kit. Ronaldo ruptured a tendon in his left knee while playing for AC Milan in February, the third major knee injury of his career. This month he signed a one-year deal with Corinthians with a one-year option and an opt-out clause for any time. Corinthians’ first game of the new season is not until Jan. 21 at home against Barueri.
■ENGLAND
Forest fire Calderwood
Nottingham Forest fired manager Colin Calderwood on Friday after a 4-2 loss against Doncaster Rovers left the former European champions in the relegation zone of the second-tier League Championship. Forest are 22nd in the 24-team league after winning just four games since being promoted from the third-tier League One. “We’re in a results business and it’s imperative that the club stays in the Championship,” chief executive Mark Arthur said. “We need to give ourselves every opportunity to do that.” Forest hired Calderwood, a former Scotland defender, in May 2006 after he guided Northampton out of League Two. Brian Clough led Forest to European Cup triumphs in 1979 and 1980.
■BRAZIL
FIFA agree to more venues
FIFA has agreed to increase from 10 to 12 the number of Brazilian cities that will host the 2014 World Cup, a spokesman for the Brazilian Football Confederation said on Friday. The confederation convinced the executive committee of soccer’s world governing body to increase the number because Brazil is such a big country, the spokesman said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter with the media. The O Globo newspaper reported that five of the 18 potential host cities will definitely stage World Cup games — Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia and Porto Alegre. The northeastern cities of Fortaleza, Recife, Salvador and Curitiba in the south are “almost certain” sites, the newspaper said, adding that the remaining three cities will be chosen from Manaus, Belem, Cuiaba, Goiania, Campo Grande and Florianpolis.
■SPAIN
Real to appeal to UEFA
Real Madrid will appeal to UEFA against its rule that means only one of the team’s new signings — France midfielder Lassana Diarra and Netherlands striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar — is eligible to play in the Champions League. UEFA rules state that teams can sign three new players up until Feb. 1, but that only one who has played European soccer that season can play in the Champions League for his new club. Diarra and Huntelaar played in this season’s UEFA Cup for Portsmouth and Ajax, respectively. Madrid said in a statement on Friday that it had “another interpretation” of the rules, claiming they were designed to stop players changing teams within a competition and that they don’t apply in this case because Diarra and Huntelaar played in the UEFA Cup.
New Taipei Kings guard Jeremy Lin on Friday was named the Taiwan Professional Basketball League’s (TPBL) Player of the Month, the first domestic player to win the award, while the Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers are to welcome their third head coach in less than a year. Lin averaged 22 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists over five games in October and last month, helping the Kings to second in the standings with a 4-2 record as of Friday. The Kings last night defeated the Lioneers 96-78 to move level with the top-of-the-table Formosa Dreamers (5-2), while in the night game, the New Taipei
‘REMARKABLE’: Gaelic football is a traditional Irish sport that blends the skills of soccer and rugby, and hurling is an ancient sport played with a wooden stick and ‘sliotar’ The Taiwan Celts Gaelic Football Club marked a milestone achievement at the Asian Gaelic Games in Bangkok on Nov. 23 and 24, with two sides advancing to the knockout stages and competing at hurling for the first time. The event brought together 68 teams from 16 clubs across Asia, with more than 800 players in men’s and women’s tournaments. Gaelic football is a traditional Irish team sport that blends the skills of soccer, rugby union and basketball. Hurling is an ancient Irish sport played with a wooden stick, called a hurley, and a small ball, or sliotar. The Taiwan Celts’ women’s team reached
LIVERPOOL WIN: The 50th Champions League goal by Mohamed Salah helped the leaders of the Premier League to keep their perfect record intact Real Madrid’s big stars on Tuesday turned on the style to revive the Spanish giant’s faltering UEFA Champions League title defense. Galacticos Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all scored in a thrilling 3-2 win against Serie A leaders Atalanta BC. However, Madrid still had to ride their luck as Mateo Retegui fired over from in front of goal in stoppage-time when handed a golden chance to level the game. It was only Madrid’s third win in the competition’s revamped league phase and leaves the 15-time champions in the unseeded playoff positions in 18th place. “It’s a very important win. Not everyone wins
TO NO AVAIL: The Denver Nuggets’ Serbian center Nikola Jokic surpassed his 53-point performance in the 2023 Western Conference semi-finals against Phoenix The Washington Wizards withstood a 56-point explosion from Denver star Nikola Jokic to beat the Nuggets 122-113 on Saturday and snap their 16-game NBA losing streak. Jokic, who won his third NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award last season, posted a career scoring high — surpassing a 53-point performance in game four of the 2023 Western Conference semi-finals against Phoenix and a 50-point regular-season best against Sacramento in 2021. The Serbian big man added 16 rebounds and eight assists, but it was all to no avail as Washington, buoyed by 39 points from Jordan Poole, won for the first time
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