SOCCER
Man City duo honored
Manchester City duo Phil Foden and Khadija Shaw on Tuesday were voted the men’s and women’s player of the year in English soccer for last season at the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) awards. The 24-year-old Foden helped City win a fourth consecutive Premier League title, scoring 19 times and providing eight assists. Shaw was the top scorer in the Women’s Super League (WSL) as the Jamaican forward netted 21 goals, although City lost the title on goal difference to Chelsea. Foden and Shaw also won the equivalent award from the Football Writers’ Association, which is voted on by journalists. The PFA winners are selected by professional players. Chelsea attacking midfielder Cole Palmer was voted the men’s PFA young player of the year, with Manchester United midfielder Grace Clinton winning the women’s prize after her performances on loan at Tottenham Hotspur last season. Palmer was second only to City’s Erling Haaland in the Premier League scoring charts with 22 goals and also had more assists than any other Chelsea player, with 11. Haaland won the men’s player of the year award last year. Clinton contributed four goals and four assists in 20 WSL appearances.
Photo: AP
SOCCER
Villarreal sign ’keeper
Villarreal have signed Brazilian goalkeeper Luiz Junior from Portuguese club Famalicao on a six-year deal, the La Liga side announced on Tuesday. The clubs did not disclose the transfer fee, but Spanish media reported that Villarreal paid about 12 million euros (US$13 million) for the 23-year-old. “At an impressive 1.93 meters, he is quick between the posts, he is able to dominate aerial duels and has excellent reflexes — all of which make him a very talented goalkeeper with a big future,” Villarreal said in a statement. Luiz Junior made 140 appearances for Famalicao since joining their academy at the age of 18. He is to replace Filip Jorgensen at Villareal, who joined Chelsea last month on a seven-year contract.
CRICKET
BCB names new president
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) yesterday named former captain Faruque Ahmed as president after the resignation of Nazmul Hassan, a close ally of ousted Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Nazmul, who also served as Bangladeshi minister of sports during Hasina’s 15 years in office, wrote to the BCB to resign, board chief executive officer Nizam Uddin Chowdhury told reporters. “His wish was granted,” he said. Chowdhury said that Faruque was elected by the board’s directors and “took charge immediately.” Nazmul had been BCB president since 2012, serving multiple terms, with his last tenure scheduled to end next year. Faruque briefly captained Bangladesh in the 1994 ICC Trophy in Kenya and played seven one-day internationals. He retired from the national team after the Cricket World Cup in 1999. He also held the position of national chief selector from 2005 to 2014.
‘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