■ENGLAND
Pennant reluctant to move
Liverpool have accepted an undisclosed bid for out-of-favor Jermaine Pennant from Portsmouth, but the former Arsenal and Birmingham City winger is reluctant to move to the south coast. Pennant, who cost Liverpool £6.7 million (US$9.9 million) when he joined them from Birmingham in 2006, has also attracted interest from Real Madrid and AC Milan. But he insists that he wants to stay at Liverpool. “My preference is to stay at Liverpool and I am still hoping to do so,” Pennant said. “There has been a lot of speculation about my future, but I have always maintained my position of wanting to stay at the club. I am happy to compete for my place and hope I am given the chance to do so.”
■GERMANY
City make offer for de Jong
Manchester City have made a bid to buy Netherlands midfielder Nigel de Jong from Hamburg SV, the German club said on Friday. It did not provide any details of the offer, which German media have estimated at around 15 million euros (US$20 million). “City have had contact with us, they have expressed an interest and have submitted an offer,” Hamburg’s sports chief Dietmar Beiersdorfer told reporters at the team’s training camp in Spain’s La Manga. De Jong, whose contract with Hamburg expires next year, confirmed he had received an offer and said he still had two weeks to decide before the transfer window closes. “I have to see what’s best for me,” said De Jong, who joined the Bundesliga club in 2006 from Dutch side Ajax.
■PORTUGAL
Makukula loaned to Bolton
Portugal international Aziza Makukula of Benfica has been loaned to Bolton Wanderers until the end of the season, the top Portuguese club said on Friday, after a move to West Bromwich Albion fell through. The Benfica club added, in a statement on Portuguese financial site CMVM, that there would also be an option to buy the 27-year-old striker for 5 million euros (US$6.6 million). Benfica said: “An agreement has been agreed with Bolton for the loan of Aziza Makukula until the end of the season, an agreement which also has an option to buy for 5 million euros.” The West Brom deal did not succeed because Makukula did not want to join a club that was bottom of the Premier League.
■ENGLAND
Manucho joins the Tigers
Manchester United striker Manucho is joining Hull City on loan for the rest of the season. The 25-year-old Angola international, who spent part of last season on loan at Panathinaikos, has made one Premier League appearance for United. Hull, who have scored just three goals in their last six matches, secured a work permit for Manucho and put him in their squad for yesterday’s Premier League match against Arsenal. The Tigers also remain hopeful of completing the signing of former Liverpool right-back Steve Finnan from Espanyol.
■ENGLAND
Stanley keeper arrested
Accrington Stanley goalkeeper Ian Dunbavin has been arrested, police said on Friday, in connection with the bar brawl allegedly involving England international Steven Gerrard. Gerrard is accused of assaulting DJ Marcus McGee, who then claimed people accompanying Gerrard hit him while he was on the ground. Liverpool midfielder Gerrard is on bail having being charged with assault in a Southport bar on Dec. 29. He appears in court on Friday. Gerrard could technically face up to five years in jail for the offense.
The New Taipei Kings claimed the inaugural Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) championship on Sunday, defeating the Kaohsiung FamilyMart Aquas 108-89 in the final. Playing at home, the Kings pulled ahead with Jeremy Lin’s (林書豪) clutch three-pointers, securing their victory over the Aquas in the TPBL final. The Kings came out strong in the first quarter, dominating to build a 35-18 lead. By halftime, they had stretched their advantage to 61-38. In the third quarter, the Aquas narrowed the deficit to 12 points, but Lin stepped up, sinking several tough three- pointers to extend the lead. In the final quarter, the Kings pushed the
In an unlikely Ethiopian outpost of one the most French of pastimes, four men are leaning over their petanque balls, arguing over who is winning. Petanque, the bowling game also known as boules, is more readily associated with French village squares where locals launch metal balls at a jack while enjoying an afternoon drink, but for decades, it has also been a beloved pastime for members of a club near the iconic Meskel Square in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. It was founded in the early 20th century to cater to French railway workers, who built a line connecting Addis Ababa
Taiwanese women’s doubles star Hsieh Su-wei and Australian teenager Maya Joint on Tuesday eased into the Eastbourne Open quarter-finals in England as Hsieh prepares for the Wimbledon Championships next week. Four-time Wimbledon women’s doubles champion Hsieh and 19-year-old Joint fired two aces and converted five of eight break points to defeat Japan’s Shuko Aoyama and Poland’s Katarzyna Piter 6-3, 6-3 in 58 minutes on the grass court. Hsieh and Joint are today to face fourth seeds Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic and Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, who advanced on Monday with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Quinn Gleason of the US and
BEAT THE HEAT: A brutal heat wave in the US has made cooling breaks standard. Dortmund’s coach said the weather could shape the destiny of the tournament Chelsea on Tuesday beat Esperance of Tunisia 3-0 to set up a FIFA Club World Cup last-16 tie against SL Benfica, who earlier defeated Bayern Munich 1-0, as furnace-link heat and the threat of thunder and lightning wreak havoc at the tournament. Elsewhere, minnows Auckland City claimed a memorable draw against Boca Juniors, while Los Angeles bowed out of the tournament with a stalemate against Flamengo. In Charlotte, Andreas Schjelderup scored the only goal for Benfica in their Group C clash with Bayern in front of 33,287 fans, finishing first-time from a cutback by his fellow Norwegian Fredrik Aursnes in the 13th
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