■GERMANY
Hoffenheim held at Cologne
Third-placed TSG 1899 Hoffenheim missed a chance to close in on the Bundesliga leaders after having to settle for a 1-1 draw at Cologne on Friday. Cologne captain Lukas Podolski fired the hosts into the lead with a left-footed drive as Hoffenheim failed to create any meaningful chances in the first half. Hoffenheim coach Ralf Rangnick then switched to a risky second-half formation, leaving just two defenders at the back, and the move paid off almost instantly. Demba Ba stunned Cologne goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon with a shot from the edge of the area to equalize in the 54th minute. However, apart from a Vedad Ibisevic chance a few minutes later, the visitors’ attacks quickly fizzled out and Cologne, who had hit the post in the first half, looked more likely winners. Cologne’s Martin Lanig wasted their best chance to clinch all three points 12 minutes from time, firing at well-placed goalkeeper Tom Starke from close range.
■TOGO
Two officials detained
Two members of Togo’s interim soccer federation have been detained on suspicion of being involved with the fake national team that played an unsanctioned match against Bahrain this month, a security official said on Friday. Meanwhile, former Togo coach Tchanile Bana — who was banned for his role as the organizer behind the scandal — is now “on the run,” said Colonel Damehane Yark, commander of the Togolese National Paramilitary Gendarmerie. Yark said federation officials Antoine Folly and Doucoure Mamadou had been held for questioning on Friday following a dawn raid. Folly was a member of the disciplinary commission investigating the Sept. 7 game and Mamadou is a special assistant to the federation’s president. The pair are suspected of being behind fake documents sent to the Bahrain Football Association to set up the match, Yark said.
■ENGLAND
Spurs set to sign Khumalo
Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp said on Friday that the English Premier League side were hopeful of concluding a £1.5 million (US$2.4 million) deal for South Africa’s World Cup defender Bongani Khumalo. The 23-year-old had a trial at White Hart Lane and is expected to move from South African league side Supersports when the transfer window opens in January. “We’re in the process of doing a deal for him. He’s not expensive. We had him over on trial and we like him. He’s got potential and we’ve got a tie up with the club Supersports, so we’ve taken him on,” Redknapp said. Khumalo, who was born in Swaziland, scored during this summer’s World Cup win over France. His arrival will be a significant boost to Redknapp, who has seen Michael Dawson join fellow centerback Jonathan Woodgate on the long-term injury list.
■ENGLAND
Best’s awards up for auction
George Best’s 1968 European Cup winners’ medal will go under the auctioneer’s hammer along with a collection of the Manchester United and Northern Ireland midfielder’s other awards next month. Bonhams, who will auction the collection on Oct. 20 under instruction from the executors of Best’s estate, said the guide price for the medal would be between £90,000 and £120,000. Best, who died aged 59 in 2005 after a long battle with drink and its associated health problems, was part of the United team that became the first English side to win the European Cup with a 4-1 win over Benfica. The total amount expected to be raised is estimated at about £270,000.
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
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
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
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
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