■ENGLAND
Liverpool suspend Itandje
Liverpool have suspended reserve goalkeeper Charles Itandje for 14 days after he was caught on camera apparently laughing during Wednesday’s Hillsborough memorial service. The actions of the 26-year-old Frenchman enraged Liverpool fans, with complaints over his behavior flooding in on Internet message boards. Itandje was instructed by Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez not to attend training on Friday. A Liverpool spokesman said in a statement on the club’s Web site: “Charles Itandje has now been officially suspended for 14 days by the club while we investigate his conduct during the Hillsborough Memorial Service.” The memorial service, attended by players past and present and thousands of Liverpool fans, was to honor the 96 fans who died at the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest on April 15, 1989.
■GERMANY
Schalke move into sixth
Schalke 04 beat Energie Cottbus 4-0 on Friday for their third straight win to move back into contention for a place in Europe. Christian Pander and Halil Altintop scored in the first half and Jermaine Jones and Kevin Kuranyi added goals after the break to lift Schalke provisionally past Hoffenheim into sixth place. Schalke dominated the game and were never threatened by Cottbus, who have lost their last six games in Gelsenkirchen. The team from eastern Germany remain next-to-last. The game was decided early after Pander had scored on a deflected shot four minutes in and Altintop doubled the lead in the 23rd minute. Schalke cruised in the second half, with Jones netting in the 60th minute and Kuranyi completing the win in the 89th minute.
■MACEDONIA
Pobeda banned by UEFA
Macedonian club FC Pobeda were on Friday banned from UEFA competitions for eight years for match-fixing, the sport’s European governing body announced. The UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body added that club president Aleksandar Zabrcanec and player Nikolce Zdraveski had been banned for life as a result of the investigation. UEFA said Pobeda had been punished “for breaching the principles of integrity and sportsmanship under Article 5 of the UEFA disciplinary regulations by manipulating the outcome of a match.” The investigation centered on a Champions League qualifying tie between Pobeda and Armenian side Pyunik which took place in 2004.
■BOLIVIA
Physio admits Viagra use
The former physio of Bolivian side Blooming said on Friday he had administered Viagra to several players to help them conquer the effects of playing at altitude in La Paz. “We used Sildenafil, better known as Viagra. In Bolivia, the best-known brand is Segurex. We prescribed it for several players, especially those who suffered most from altitude,” Rodrigo Figueroa told La Prensa newspaper. Figueroa said he administered the product, which La Prensa said aids oxygenization, mixing it with fruit juice for matches at La Paz, which stands 3,570m above sea level. Blooming’s base at Santa Cruz, in contrast, stands at barely 400m above sea level. Figueroa, now with Bolivar, who are based in La Paz, admitted the players were unaware of what they were taking. “Eight or nine players were concerned,” he said, while stressing Sildenafil was not on the list of banned products either of the World Doping Agency or FIFA. Asked about his old side’s results using the product, Figueroa said: “At altitude you win, you draw, you lose. The best results came when the team relied on strong tactical nous.”
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and partner Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia yesterday advanced to the women’s doubles final at the Australian Open after defeating New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-3 in their semi-final. Hsieh has won nine Grand Slam doubles titles and has a shot at a 10th tomorrow, when the Latvian-Taiwanese duo are to play Taylor Townsend of the US and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic in the championship match at the A$96.5 million (US$61 million) outdoor hard court tournament at Melbourne Park. Townsend and Siniakova eliminated Russian pair Diana Shnaider and Mirra Andreeva 6-7
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
FINAL WEEK LOOMS: PSG rose to 22nd place to set up another tense challenge against 24th-placed Stuttgart, while Man City require victory against Club Brugge Manchester City are on the brink of a humiliating UEFA Champions League exit after a stunning loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, while Real Madrid is no longer at risk after routing Salzburg. Man City blew a two-goal lead in a high-stakes clash of super-wealthy underachievers that PSG won 4-2 in Paris, who could still be eliminated alongside the English champions after the final round of games next week. Only the top 24 in the 36-team standings are to advance. Man City, the 2023 champions, are in 25th place, but could squeeze into the knockout playoffs round by beating Club Brugge. “We will
Things are somewhat out of control at the Australian Open this year, and that has only a little to do with the results on the courts. Yes, there were some upsets, including Madison Keys eliminating No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the women’s singles semi-finals on Thursday. It also was the first time since 1990 that three teenagers beat top-10 men’s seeds at a Grand Slam tennis tournament. The loser of one of those matches, Daniil Medvedev, got fined US$76,000 for behaving badly. Last year’s women’s singles runner-up exited in the first round. However, the real fuss is happening elsewhere. The rowdy fans, for one
RSS