■RUGBY UNION
Fourie, Cooper suspended
South Africa center Jaque Fourie was suspended for four weeks yesterday after being cited for a dangerous tackle during the Tri-Nations Test match between Australia and South Africa. Earlier yesterday, Australia playmaker Quade Cooper was banned for two matches for a spear tackle in the same match won 30-13 by Australia on Saturday. Fourie was the third Springbok in three weeks to be suspended and added to a miserable three-game trip for South Africa, who previously lost twice in New Zealand. Lock Bakkies Botha was banned for nine weeks for headbutting New Zealand halfback Jimmy Cowan, ruling him out of the remainder of rugby’s Tri-Nations tournament, while winger Jean de Villiers was suspended for two weeks for a dangerous tackle on Rene Ranger. Fourie’s ban, which will end on Aug. 22, will include two domestic Currie Cup matches plus a Tri-Nations Test against New Zealand on Aug. 21 in Johannesburg. Fourie was suspended last year for a similar offense. Cooper will miss Saturday’s match against New Zealand in Melbourne and the Aug. 7 Bledisloe Cup Test in Christchurch.
■TENNIS
Murray made top seed in LA
British world No. 4 Andy Murray has been made the top seed for next week’s Los Angeles Open after the late withdrawal of second-ranked Novak Djokovic. Serbian Djokovic pulled out of the ATP Tour event late on Friday night, citing personal reasons, organizers said. Czech Radek Stepanek, the 2007 champion, also withdrew on Friday because of a knee injury. “It’s certainly disappointing to lose players like Novak and Radek,” tournament director Bob Kramer said in a statement. “We were looking forward to Novak making his debut in LA, but we’re very fortunate that Andy Murray, another top-five player, will be able to join us.” Murray, who has been given a wild-card entry, will be making his first appearance at the event held at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. Big-serving Sam Querrey of the US, who won last year’s title, has been seeded second, with Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis third and Spaniard Feliciano Lopez fourth.
■BASEBALL
Sheets strains right elbow
The Oakland Athletics placed starting pitcher Ben Sheets on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday with a strained right elbow. Sheets missed the entire season last year after having surgery on his right elbow. “Its been up and down, but for the past two games its been telling me something and its swelled up pretty good both times,” Sheets told reporters. Sheets, who had lasted six or more innings in his past 14 starts, was 4-9 with a 4.53 ERA in 20 starts this season. Oakland recalled left-handed reliever Cedrick Bowers to take his spot on the roster.
■SOFTBALL
US thrash Japan 8-0
Jessica Mendoza doubled twice and drove in four runs as the US beat Japan 8-0 on Saturday in the World Cup of Softball. Monica Abbott threw a one-hitter for the US, who are yet to allow a run or even an extra-base hit in four straight victories at the World Cup, yielding only nine singles in 26 innings. Kaitlin Cochran homered for the third time in as many days to end the game after six innings because of the mercy rule. Japan (2-2) have been the US’ top rivals in recent years, beating the US in the final at the 2008 Olympics.
■ENGLAND
Surgery sidelines Drogba
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is set to be sidelined for three weeks after surgery on a groin injury. Drogba, 32, had struggled with the groin problem for much of last season and Friday’s surgery was needed to ensure his injury doesn’t linger in the new campaign. The Ivory Coast star is unlikely to recover in time for the Community Shield clash against Manchester United at Wembley on Aug. 8 and could miss the start of Chelsea’s Premier League title defense as well. Drogba, who hit 37 goals last season to fire Chelsea to the double, was hindered by an arm injury at the World Cup and scored just once in three matches as his country crashed out at the group stage.
■BRAZIL
Menezes named Brazil coach
Mano Menezes was on Saturday named as Brazil’s new coach, succeeding Dunga, who was axed after the team were knocked out of the World Cup at the quarter-final stage. The Brazilian Football Confederation had said earlier on Saturday that they had offered Corinthians coach Menezes the chance to lead Brazil to the 2014 World Cup, which is being playing on home soil. “I have the honor to inform you that I was approached by the Brazilian Football Confederation to take over the post of national team coach,” 48-year-old Menezes told a news conference in Sao Paulo. “I have come here to officially confirm that I have accepted the offer.” Menezes moved into the frame on Friday after Fluminense refused to release top choice Muricy Ramalho from his contract which runs until December. “I don’t give a damn that I wasn’t No. 1 on the list,” Menezes said. “We have 30, 40, 50 great coaches in Brazil. If I am the No. 2, that’s fine with me.”
■ENGLAND
City snap up Kolarov
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini continued his pre-season spending spree by signing Serbia defender Aleksandar Kolarov from Lazio on Saturday. Mancini had been keen on Kolarov for several months and completed a deal for the highly-rated left-back after Lazio accepted an offer of around £19 million (US$29 million). Kolarov, 24, had already been granted a work permit and put pen to paper on a five-year contract after passing a medical. “I’m very excited to be at a great club like Manchester City. Even the training ground is fantastic, better than Lazio’s,” the Serbian told the club’s official Web site. “I’m coming back early next week to train with the players who aren’t touring America. I want to start as soon as I can, and I can’t wait to meet all the other guys.”
■ENGLAND
Pompey tour ends in farce
With scarcely any sleep, in sweltering heat and after losing their kit, Portsmouth ended a North American pre-season tour on Saturday with a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Major League Soccer’s DC United. Relegated from the Premiership, in administration and placed under a transfer embargo by England’s soccer authorities, Portsmouth could scarcely field a team during their week-long tour of the US and Canada, relying heavily on youngsters with little or no first-team experience. But if anyone thought things could not get any worse they were wrong. Stranded in Chicago by a lightning storm en route from their last game in Edmonton, the players had just four hours’ sleep the night before Saturday’s game with DC United and with no time to train for three days. As if that wasn’t bad enough, 14 bags went missing en route, including the one containing their kit, meaning they had to play Saturday’s game in a strip borrowed from their hosts.
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
Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday poured in 35 points as the Thunder grabbed a bounce-back 118-108 victory in Portland to push their NBA-best record to 37-8. The Thunder, surprised by the short-handed Dallas Mavericks on Thursday, fended off a late surge from the Trail Blazers to snap their four-game winning streak. Jalen Williams scored 24 points and Isaiah Joe added 16 off the bench. Center Isaiah Hartenstein, back after a five-game absence with a calf injury, added 14 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and a big block. The Western Conference leaders were under pressure late as Portland, trailing by 15 heading
Sumo is walking a “tightrope” as it prepares to stage events outside Japan for the first time in 20 years while also trying to preserve its ancient traditions, experts say. The sport is to hold exhibition tournaments in London in October and in Paris in June next year, the first time the Japan Sumo Association has been abroad since Las Vegas in 2005. Sports such as soccer, baseball and football play domestic games overseas in a bid to gain new fans in emerging markets. John Gunning, a former amateur sumo wrestler who commentates on the sport in English on Japanese television, says its
Cole Perfetti on Friday scored three goals for his first NHL hat-trick as the Winnipeg Jets beat the Utah Hockey Club 5-2. Nikolaj Ehlers had a goal and two assists to reach 500 points for his career, while David Gustafsson also scored for Winnipeg. Connor Hellebuyck had 17 saves. Barrett Hayton and Nick Schmaltz scored for Utah, while Connor Ingram stopped 25 shots. Perfetti gave Winnipeg a 3-2 lead when he lifted the puck over a fallen Ingram on a pass from Vladislav Namestnikov 5 minutes, 51 seconds into the third period. Ehlers stole the puck at his own blue line and raced down
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