■WORLD CUP
Lodeiro ruled out by injury
Uruguay’s creative midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro has been ruled out of the World Cup with a broken foot, while captain Diego Lugano is having tests on a knee injury, the team said in a statement on Saturday. Lodeiro fractured a bone in his right foot during Friday’s quarter-final victory over Ghana, the team said ahead of their semi-final against the Netherlands in Cape Town tomorrow. The 21-year-old, who has been used mostly as a substitute, replaced Alvaro Fernandez at halftime against Ghana. The team is already without suspended striker Luis Suarez after he was sent off. Defender Lugano, who limped off just before halftime, is having tests after damaging the ligaments in his right knee. The goods news for coach Oscar Tabarez is that defender Diego Godin, who was ruled out of the Ghana match with a thigh injury, has returned to training, the statement added.
■WORLD CUP
FFA cleared of corruption
The Australian government has cleared Football Federation Australia (FFA) of corruption allegations surrounding the bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cups, the FFA said yesterday. FFA chief executive Ben Buckley said the government’s Football World Cup Bid task force had cleared the federation of allegations it attempted to mislead the government by creating dual accounts to hide spending. The Fairfax newspaper group reported last week that the FFA bid team had sought to hide the true use of millions of dollars of government funding. Fairfax claimed to have balance sheets showing one set of accounts prepared for the government and another internal set revealing secret expenditure. The money allegedly was for multimillion-dollar lobbyist fees and gifts to FIFA executives and their wives. Buckley said in a statement yesterday that the task force had written to the FFA to confirm that an inspection of the federation’s books had found no evidence to support the allegations.
■MOTOGP
Lorenzo sets the pace
Championship leader Jorge Lorenzo continued to set the pace at Montmelo, taking pole position for the Catalan MotoGP in soaring temperatures on Saturday. The Spaniard, who was quickest in practice on Friday, is on course for a hat-trick of wins and will start from the front after setting the quickest time of 1 minute, 42.046 seconds on his penultimate lap. Australian Casey Stoner, on a Ducati, was pushed into second, 0.364 seconds behind Lorenzo. Frenchman Randy de Puniet, on a Honda, completed the front row. “The track is like an ice rink. There is a big problem with the tires — we don’t have any grip,” Lorenzo told reporters after another sweltering day in which the air temperature hit 35ºC and the ground temperature peaked at 53ºC.
■CRICKET
India skipper gets engaged
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has become engaged to his girlfriend, newspapers reported yesterday. Dhoni, previously described as India’s most eligible bachelor, exchanged rings with his girlfriend, Sakshi Singh Rawat, at a ceremony in Dehra Dun in the northern state of Uttarakhand. The Indian Express said Dhoni’s teammates Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina were among those present at the private event. “It has been on the cards for a long time now and both families thought the time was right to formalize the relationship,” an unnamed relative told the Express. Some TV channels reported that the engagement would be followed within days by a full Hindu wedding ceremony.
■CHILDREN’S GAMES
Taipei team takes 23 medals
A Taipei City team performed well at the International Children’s Games in Manama, Bahrain, held from June 28 to Saturday, taking seven gold, nine silver and seven bronze medals. The Taipei City team of 21 athletes won the medals in the track and field, swimming, table tennis and taekwondo categories at the games that brought together athletes from 68 cities in 31 countries. The Taipei City athletes performed particularly well in swimming, winning three gold, five silver and five bronze medals in various divisions. The other four gold medals were clinched in the men’s 400m relay, shot put, taekwondo men’s over 55kg and women’s 51kg to 55kg. The other four silvers were won in the men’s high jump, men’s 100m sprint, taekwondo men’s 47kg to 51kg and women’s 47kg 51kg.
■BASKETBALL
Cavs pitch LeBron James
The Cleveland Cavaliers finally had their chance to meet with free agent LeBron James and make their pitch to retain the services of the NBA’s reigning MVP. After two days of waiting as James met with the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers, the Cavaliers spent 90 minutes with him at their Cleveland office. The Cavs were represented by newly hired coach Byron Scott, general manager Chris Grant, assistant general manager Lance Blanks and owner Dan Gilbert. James then met with the Chicago Bulls’ top brass, the final stop in his free agency tour, where he was wooed with a presentation that lasted less than three hours.
■BASKETBALL
Nowitzki to stay with Mavs
Dirk Nowitzki will stay with the Dallas Mavericks, ending speculation about his future amid the NBA’s free agency negotiations. Nowitzki’s adviser, Holger Geschwindner, told reporters late on Saturday that Nowitzki and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban have agreed “to get it done.” “Dirk agreed with Mark, one-on-one,” Geschwindner said. “We’re pumped.” Teams and free agents can strike deals at any time, but can’t sign them until Thursday. According to a person familiar with negotiations, the deal is for more than US$80 million over four years, with a no-trade clause.
■BASEBALL
Ramirez on disabled list
The Los Angeles Dodgers have placed slugger Manny Ramirez on the 15-day disabled list to allow his right hamstring to recover. Ramirez strained the hamstring on Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants and his placement on the disabled list is retroactive to Wednesday. He will be eligible to return to the lineup after the All-Star break. “To me, there’s no reason to gamble,” Dodgers manager Joe Torre told reporters.
■SUMO
Authority fires stablemaster
Japan’s sumo authority yesterday fired a stable master and a high-ranking wrestler mired in an illegal gambling scandal that exposed the ancient sport’s ties to organized crime, reports said yesterday. An executive meeting of the Japan Sumo Association in the central city of Nagoya formalized its decision to fire stablemaster Otake, 42, and wrestler Kotomitsuki, 34, according to local media. Kotomitsuki, ranked second only to the yokozuna grand champions, became the first senior wrestler to be dismissed by the association. Dismissal is an effective expulsion as it prevents Otake and Kotomitsuki from ever returning to the sport. The two were dismissed for taking part in illegal gambling on baseball, an alleged funding source for yakuza crime syndicates.
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
When Wang Tao ran away from home aged 17 to become a professional wrestler, he knew it would be a hard slog to succeed in China’s passionate but underdeveloped scene. Years later, he has endured family disapproval, countless side gigs and thousands of hours of brutal training to become China’s “Belt and Road Champion” — but the struggle is far from over. Despite a promising potential domestic market, the Chinese pro wrestling community has been battling for recognition and financial stability for decades. “I have done all kinds of jobs [on the side]... Because in the end, it is very
No team in the CPBL can surpass the Taipei Dome attendance record set by the CTBC Brothers, except when the Brothers team up with Taiwanese rock band Mayday. A record-high 40,000 fans turned out at the indoor baseball venue on Saturday for Brothers veteran Chou Szu-chi’s first farewell game, which was followed by a mini post-game concert featuring Mayday. This broke the previous CPBL record of 34,506 set by the Brothers in early last month, when K-pop singer Hyuna performed after the game, and the dome’s overall record of 37,890 set in early March, which featured the Brothers and the
With a quivering finger, England Subbuteo veteran Rudi Peterschinigg conceded the free-kick that sent his country’s World Cup quarter-final into extra-time before smashing his plastic goalkeeper on the floor in frustration. In the genteel southern English town of Tunbridge Wells, 300 elite players have gathered to play the game they love. “I won’t say this is the best weekend I’ve ever had in my life, but it’s certainly in the top two,” said Hughie Best, 58, who flew in from Perth, Australia, to compete and commentate at the event. Tunbridge Wells is the “spiritual home” of Subbuteo, which was invented there in 1946