ITALY
Inter deny Capello interest
Fabio Capello will not become the new coach at Inter, club president Massimo Moratti said. Capello walked out as England manager on Wednesday leading to rumors in the Italian press that he will be hired by the Nerazzurri. Inter were interested in Capello when Jose Mourinho left the job after winning the Champions League in May 2010, but England held firm then and kept Capello, whose side went on to crumble embarrassingly at the World Cup later that year in a 4-1 second-round thumping by archrivals Germany. “Press reports regarding a possible change of coach now or at the end of the season are lacking in any form of foundation,” Moratti said on Inter’s Web site. When their overtures to Capello were rebuked, Inter hired Rafael Benitez, only to fire him after less than six months in charge. Brazilian Leonardo took over for half a season, but then walked away. Inter turned to Gian Piero Gasperini, but sacked him after just four disastrous winless games. Claudio Ranieri then took over and dragged the team up the Serie A table to the edge of the Champions League positions.
CZECH REPUBLIC
Bystron banned for two years
Viktoria Plzen’s Czech defender David Bystron will not be able to compete even if selected in Euro 2012 after being banned for two years by UEFA for failing a drugs test. The 30-year-old failed the doping control after his side’s Champions League tie against Belarussian side BATE Borisov, his club announced on Thursday. His suspension will expire on Jan. 3, 2014. “We know what substance it is, but leave it up to the player to reveal its name because of the sensitive nature of this information,” Plzen manager Adolf Sadek said. According to press reports, Bystron consumed a methamphetamine in a nightclub a few days before the match at Borisov.
UNITED STATES
FedEx Field to host Brazil
The national team’s friendly against five-time World Cup champions Brazil on May 30 will be held at FedEx Field, the home of the Washington Redskins NFL team, US Soccer said on Thursday. The May 30 fixture had been announced last month as part of Brazil’s three-match friendly tour of the US, but the venue had not been named. Brazil will face Argentina in a battle of the South American giants on June 9 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the 80,000-seater stadium that is home to Super Bowl champions the New York Giants and the New York Jets. That friendly comes a week after Argentina confront Ecuador in the fifth round of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. Brazil are also scheduled to play Mexico in the US in June.
SOUTH KOREA
Coach picks ‘crisis’ squad
The new coach of the national team spoke of a “crisis” as he announced an experienced 26-man squad yesterday for the crucial World Cup qualifying match against Kuwait later this month. Arsenal striker Park Chu-young is expected to lead the line for the clash in Seoul on Feb. 29, despite barely featuring for the English Premier League side. He is one of three overseas-based players in the squad. South Korea and Lebanon are level on 10 points at the top of Asian qualifying Group B, with Kuwait in third on eight points ahead of the last round of games. With the top two in the group going into the final qualifying round, South Korea’s World Cup dream would be over if they lose to Kuwait and Lebanon draw or win away at the United Arab Emirates. “We need experienced, veteran players to come through this crisis,” coach Choi Kang-hee said.
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
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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