■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.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting
RSS