■BRAZIL
Bruno keeps contract
Goalkeeper Bruno, who is under investigation over the death of a woman said to be the mother of his child, is to retain his contract at Flamengo, the club announced on Tuesday. Bruno, who is also club captain, is currently in custody, but local newspaper Extra reported Flamengo had backtracked on an initial decision to rescind his contract, fearing the player would respond with legal action. “Yes, we have decided to backtrack to avoid bigger problems,” Extra quoted club chairman Helio Ferraz as saying. The 25-year-old is suspected of involvement in the disappearance last month of Eliza Samudio, who is feared dead. Samudio, 25, had been demanding a DNA test to prove that the married Bruno was the father of her four-month-old child.
■BRAZIL
Santos reject Chelsea bid
Santos have rejected a bid from Chelsea to sign teenage striker Neymar, the club said. On its Web site the club said that the offer was made on Tuesday morning without disclosing the amount. Brazilian media says it reached 20 million euros (US$25.8 million). The club reiterated it does not intend to negotiate over the 18-year-old player. Santos reportedly have a 35 euro million buyout clause for Neymar, who is the most talked-about player in Brazilian soccer this year. Neymar has played for Brazil’s under-16 and under-17 squads but has not played for the senior national team. Fans and local media wanted him to play in the recently concluded World Cup but he was left out by coach Dunga.
■TOGO
Adebayor sues journalist
Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor has taken legal action against a Togolese sports journalist on grounds of alleged defamation, a legal source said on Tuesday. Lawyers for Adebayor issued a writ against Prosper Komi Agboklou, otherwise known as “Prosper the German,” for “broadcasting false information, defamation and impugning the honor” of the former Togo captain. The journalist is accused of claiming on a program on a private television channel that Adebayor, who retired from international soccer in April, was the cause of a rift between the players and management prior to the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Chad on July 1. The Togo players had refused to travel on the date officially set aside by their soccer federation because, Agboklou said, they decided to stay in Lome to go to a party organized by Adebayor in one of the capital’s nightclubs. The match went ahead on schedule and ended in a 2-2 draw.
■ARGENTINA
Diego to decide next week
Diego Maradona will decide whether to stay on as Argentina coach after a meeting next week, the head of the country’s soccer association said on Tuesday. Argentina’s former captain had been due to meet association (AFA) chief Julio Grondona this week, but the meeting was postponed after Maradona decided to travel to Venezuela, where he was expected to meet President Hugo Chavez. “I got in touch with Diego to arrange a meeting with him on Monday, that’s the only thing that’s true,” Grondona was quoted as telling state news agency Telam. He dismissed reports the AFA had already arranged a contract for Maradona to stay on as coach until 2014. The AFA said last week Maradona would be formally invited to carry on as coach until the World Cup in Brazil. He has kept a low profile since returning from South Africa where Argentina team were thrashed 4-0 by Germany in the World Cup quarter-finals.
‘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
Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen yesterday exited at the BWF World Tour Finals in China, losing in the semi-finals to China’s world No. 1 Shi Yuqi. Shi, who was named the BWF Men’s Singles Player of the Year, had a 9-4 record against Chou going into the match. He extended that record to 9-5 with a 21-14, 21-18 victory. Chou advanced to the men’s singles semi-finals on Friday by upsetting top-seeded Anders Antonsen of Denmark in a must-win match at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium. The 16-21, 21-18, 21-15 victory saw Chou secure his second semi-finals appearance at the tournament, despite his relatively older
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
Indian teenager Gukesh Dommaraju became the youngest chess world champion on Thursday after beating the defending champion Ding Liren of China in the final match of their series in Singapore. Dommaraju, 18, secured 7.5 points against 6.5 of his Chinese rival in the contest, surpassing the achievement of Russia’s Garry Kasparov, who won the title at the age of 22. The Indian teen prodigy has long been considered a rising star in the chess world after he became a chess grandmaster at 12. He had entered the match as the youngest-ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier
RSS