MOTORCYCLING
Jorge Martin crashes
MotoGP world champion Jorge Martin was taken to hospital yesterday after crashing on the opening day of pre-season testing in Malaysia. The 27-year-old, who made the move to Aprilia after winning last season’s championship for Pramac Ducati, reported pain in his left foot and right hand after being thrown off at turn two of Sepang track, his second crash of the session. Martin had completed 13 laps when he lost control of his new bike and was flipped high into the air. The Spaniard landed hard on his left foot before his head banged onto the asphalt, bringing out the red flag to halt the opening-day session. He had walked away unscathed from his first crash early in the session. Trackhouse team rider Raul Fernandez of Spain also crashed on an eventful first day of testing and was ruled out of the remaining two days with hand and foot fractures.
Photo: EPA-EFE
SOCCER
Premier League eyes tech
The Premier League could introduce semi-automated offside technology before the end of this season following “significant” progress in testing, chief football officer Tony Scholes said. Last year, Premier League clubs unanimously agreed to introduce the technology at a shareholders’ meeting. It was expected to be implemented before Christmas, but met with problems in testing. “The progress made over the last four to six weeks has been significant. So, we believe we’re going to be adopting the best system and the most accurate system,” Scholes told British media on Tuesday. “The EFL [English Football League] has introduced it into the League Cup this year. We will monitor it... Clearly, if we’re not confident until the last two or three match rounds, I think you then arrive at a pragmatic place where you just say, it wouldn’t make sense to introduce it now, but if we’re able to introduce it in advance of that, then it’s something that we’re actively considering.”
SOCCER
Milan sign Joao Felix
AC Milan have signed Portuguese forward Joao Felix from Chelsea on loan for the rest of the season, while Chelsea have brought in French midfielder Mathis Amougou from AS Saint-Etienne on an eight-year contract, the Premier League club said on Tuesday. British media reports said that Amougou, 19, joined Chelsea for a fee of about ￡12 million (US$14.98 million). “It’s an honor for me to sign for such a big club like Chelsea. They believe in young players and the process they have in place to develop us is fantastic,” Amougou said in a statement. Felix joined Chelsea from Atletico Madrid in August last year on a seven-year deal for a reported fee of ￡46 million, but the 25-year-old has struggled for game time in his second spell with the Premier League club.
Inter on Sunday were given a letoff when they snatched a late 1-1 derby draw with AC Milan, while league leaders SSC Napoli were held by a late goal at AS Roma. Reigning champions Inter remain three points behind Napoli, who looked to be heading five clear as they led in Rome until Angelino volleyed in a stunning leveler in the first minute of stoppage-time. Angelino’s strike gave even more significance to Stefan de Vrij’s last-gasp equalizer at the San Siro. The defender forced home Nicola Zalewski’s knockdown just as it looked like Tijjani Reijnders’ opener would be enough for Milan. “I can
The Washington Capitals and Winnipeg Jets on Saturday did not disappoint in a thrilling midseason matchup in front of a fired-up sellout crowd of more than 18,500 fans. The top two teams in the NHL delivered with a combined nine goals, including the 877th of Alex Ovechkin’s career to put him 18 back of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record. That tied the score, the Jets pulled it out in overtime and just about everyone involved got their money’s worth out of the 5-4 game. “We knew how we were both sitting in the standings and both having real good years,” Winnipeg coach Scott
BACK-TO-BACK: The League One club, which is owned by stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, is sparing no expense to clinch promotion to the Championship Hollywood endings are pricey, even in England’s third division. In pursuit of their third straight promotion, Wrexham AFC splashed some cash at League One rival Reading to secure the services of striker Sam Smith. The Welsh club owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney confirmed the signing of the 26-year-old Smith on Friday. He is one of the top scorers in the third division. The transfer fee was not disclosed, but British media widely reported it to be about ￡2 million (US$2.48 million) — not extravagant, but a hefty price at this level and it would be about the same figure that
Less than a week after splashing out a world-record fee for Naomi Girma, Chelsea has spent big again to bring England midfielder Keira Walsh back to the English Women’s Super League. Walsh left European champions Barcelona after more than two years to join Chelsea for a reported ￡400,000 (US$496,000) on Friday. Walsh was the world’s most expensive player for two years after moving to Barcelona from Manchester City for a reported ￡400,000 in 2022. That status now belongs to Girma, the US defender who cost Chelsea a reported ￡900,000 to sign from the San Diego Wave. Still, it means 27-year-old Walsh — a technically
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