CRICKET
Marlon Samuels banned
Former West Indies all-rounder Marlon Samuels has been banned from all cricket for six years for breaching four counts of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) anti-corruption code while playing in a limited-overs competition in the United Arab Emirates. The charges against Samuels, who has not played for the West Indies since 2018, relate to the T10 League in Abu Dhabi, the ICC said when the charges were laid in 2021. Samuels in August was found guilty of failing to disclose “the receipt of any gift, payment, hospitality or other benefit” that could bring him into disrepute, as well as the receipt of hospitality worth US$750 or more. The ICC also said that Samuels failed to cooperate with an anti-corruption official and concealed information that might have been relevant to the investigation.
RUGBY UNION
O’Mahony steps down
Ireland flanker Peter O’Mahony has stepped down as Munster captain after a decade in the role, the club said on Wednesday. The 34-year-old has been at Munster since 2010 and first captained them in 2011 on his 12th appearance for the club. He became the skipper full-time in 2013. “I can remember the day I was asked to be captain like it was yesterday,” O’Mahony said in a statement. “From that day to this it’s been an utter privilege and has never been something I’ve taken for granted. However, having given a huge amount of thought to it, I think it is the right time to step back from the role to share my experiences and give the same guidance that I received when I took on the role.”
SOCCER
Player’s release sought
South Korea coach Jurgen Klinsmann has called on the Chinese government to release World Cup midfielder Son Jun-ho in time for Christmas. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in May said that the 31-year-old had been detained “on suspicion of accepting bribes by non-state employees.” Son had been with Chinese Super League side Shandong Taishan since 2021 and played in three of his country’s four games at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar last year. “Now we have only one wish for Christmas,” Klinsmann told reporters after landing in South Korea following Tuesday’s 3-0 World Cup qualifying win away in China. “That is to get Son Jun-ho released because until today, they have not proven anything that he did wrong. So we hope that the Chinese government will release him, hopefully before Christmas, to see his family.”
SOCCER
Stephen Kenny’s time ends
Stephen Kenny’s three years as Republic of Ireland manager is over after The Football Association of Ireland bosses said that his contract would not be renewed. The 52-year-old’s departure was widely expected having failed to guide the team to the UEFA Euro 2024 tournament in Germany, winning only two of their eight games in qualifying Group B. Association chief executive officer Jonathan Hill thanked Kenny for working “tirelessly to create the right environment to support the development of our senior men’s team.” Hill added: “Stephen has also overseen an important period of transition for our senior men’s national team and has given debuts to a significant number of new and younger players.”
‘SOURCE OF PRIDE’: Newspapers rushed out special editions and the government sent their congratulations as Shohei Ohtani became the first player to enter the 50-50 club Japan reacted with incredulity and pride yesterday after Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star from Japan made history with a seventh-inning homer in a 20-4 victory over the Marlins in Miami. “We would like to congratulate him from the bottom of our heart,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters in Tokyo. “We sincerely hope Mr Ohtani, who has already accomplished feat after feat and carved out a new era, will thrive further,” he added. The landmark achievement dominated Japanese morning news
When Wang Tao ran away from home aged 17 to become a professional wrestler, he knew it would be a hard slog to succeed in China’s passionate but underdeveloped scene. Years later, he has endured family disapproval, countless side gigs and thousands of hours of brutal training to become China’s “Belt and Road Champion” — but the struggle is far from over. Despite a promising potential domestic market, the Chinese pro wrestling community has been battling for recognition and financial stability for decades. “I have done all kinds of jobs [on the side]... Because in the end, it is very
No team in the CPBL can surpass the Taipei Dome attendance record set by the CTBC Brothers, except when the Brothers team up with Taiwanese rock band Mayday. A record-high 40,000 fans turned out at the indoor baseball venue on Saturday for Brothers veteran Chou Szu-chi’s first farewell game, which was followed by a mini post-game concert featuring Mayday. This broke the previous CPBL record of 34,506 set by the Brothers in early last month, when K-pop singer Hyuna performed after the game, and the dome’s overall record of 37,890 set in early March, which featured the Brothers and the
With a quivering finger, England Subbuteo veteran Rudi Peterschinigg conceded the free-kick that sent his country’s World Cup quarter-final into extra-time before smashing his plastic goalkeeper on the floor in frustration. In the genteel southern English town of Tunbridge Wells, 300 elite players have gathered to play the game they love. “I won’t say this is the best weekend I’ve ever had in my life, but it’s certainly in the top two,” said Hughie Best, 58, who flew in from Perth, Australia, to compete and commentate at the event. Tunbridge Wells is the “spiritual home” of Subbuteo, which was invented there in 1946