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.
‘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