SOCCER
Roma fire De Rossi
AS Roma yesterday fired coach Daniele de Rossi in a move that was surprising despite the Giallorossi going winless in their opening four Serie A matches. De Rossi, a former Roma captain, was hired in January to replace the fired Jose Mourinho and impressed so much during the second half of last season that he was given a contract extension in June. “The club’s decision is made in the best interests of the team, to get back on the desired path as soon as possible at a time when the season is still in its early stages,” Roma said. “A heartfelt thank you to Daniele, who will always be at home at the Giallorossi club, for the work done in recent months with passion and dedication.”
RUGBY UNION
Easterby to coach Ireland
Simon Easterby is to take over as interim Ireland head coach from December, the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) announced on Tuesday. Easterby would take charge of the side while head coach Andy Farrell leads the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia next year. “Today’s announcement ensures a smooth transition and continuity as Ireland looks forward to an exciting few months,” IRFU director David Humphreys said in a statement. “Over the past decade, Simon has moved from being a forwards coach to a defense coach and has played a key role in Ireland’s success during that time.”
SPONSORS
Energy spending revealed
Oil and gas companies have spent US$5.6 billion on sports sponsorship through about 205 accords, said a study by research group New Weather Institute released yesterday that describes the outlays as “sportswashing.” The report, entitled Dirty Money — How Fossil Fuel Sponsors are Polluting Sport, said that soccer, motor sports, rugby union and golf are the sports most sponsored by energy firms. The biggest spenders in the industry include Aramco (US$1.3 billion), Ineos (US$777 million), Shell (US$470 million) and TotalEnergies (US$340 million). The study identified 205 still-active agreements signed by firms linked to fossil fuels, of which only 41 revealed financial details. To fill the data gap, the authors made estimates based on similar agreements whose amounts were disclosed. “Air pollution from fossil fuels and the extreme weather of a warming world threaten the very future of athletes, fans and events ranging from the Winter Olympics to [FIFA] World Cups,” New Weather Institute codirector Andrew Simms said. “If sport is to have a future, it needs to clean itself of dirty money from big polluters and stop promoting its own destruction.”
BASEBALL
Player donates to hospital
Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon and his wife, Natalie, on Tuesday said that they were donating US$1 million to the Children’s Hospital of Colorado. McMahon, whose six-year, US$70 million contract runs through 2027, said that he and his wife, who recently became parents, liked the idea of helping children in need. “I’ve always loved being around kids,” McMahon said. “I think they’re the purest form of human. They’re not messing up like the rest of us.” Part of the donation would go to a hospital endowment that dispenses funds to help families make ends meet as they care for ailing children.
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
‘SETTING THE TONE’: Donovan Mitchell said that their determination to dominate had nothing to do with past results, but was about a potential post-season clash The Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday boosted their NBA-best record with a 142-105 romp past the New York Knicks, tightening their grip on the Eastern Conference lead with an all-around dominant display. Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points to lead six Cavs players to score in double figures, connecting on five of seven three-pointers as Cleveland drilled 19 from beyond the arc. “I think the biggest thing was just try to set the tone early,” Mitchell said, adding that the determination to dominate had nothing to do with the Knicks’ first-round playoff win over the Cavs two seasons ago and everything to do with
BELGIANS ADVANCE: Club Brugge gave Atalanta a lesson in efficiency, as Gian Piero Gasperini’s team had 29 efforts at goal, compared with seven from the visitors Seldom has a player’s sending off had such an influence on a game. AC Milan was to left rue Theo Hernandez’s second yellow card — for diving — as Feyenoord advanced to the UEFA Champions League last 16 at the former European champion’s expense with a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their playoff on Tuesday, giving the Dutch team a 2-1 win on aggregate. Bayern Munich, Club Brugge and Benfica also won their playoffs, eliminating Celtic, UEFA Europa League winner Atalanta BC and French team AS Monaco respectively. “In soccer everything changes in a second,” said Milan forward
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