■ Soccer
Rooney accused of spitting
Everton and England striker Wayne Rooney has been accused of spitting in a woman's face at a Manchester nightclub, British media reported yesterday. The Sun newspaper reported the 18-year-old faced a police probe over the alleged incident which took place in the early hours of Sunday. Greater Manchester Police refused to confirm the names of those involved, and said an investigation into the incident was underway. "It is claimed that an 18-year-old man spat in the woman's face in a Manchester nightclub at around 3am on Sunday Feb. 8," a police spokesman said, adding the complaint was lodged by a 23-year-old woman. The player's agent Paul Stretford was quoted as saying by British media that a woman had spat at Rooney.
■ Soccer
Inter blasts ref
Inter Milan took aim at referee Emilio Pellegrino after their Italian Cup semifinal defeat on penalties by Juventus on Thursday. Juve, Inter's historic rivals, won 5-4 on penalties after the second leg ended 2-2 after extra-time. The first leg had also finished in a 2-2 draw. Inter had Colombian defender Ivan Cordoba sent off in the 67th minute for a crude late challenge on Juve's European Player of the Year Pavel Nedved and moments later were up in arms after a penalty claim was waved away by Pellegrino. "The refereeing tonight was unacceptable and after all we did in those two games we are out of the Cup," Inter president Giacinto Facchetti told reporters. "But I want to congratulate the referee for helping us find our spirit and determination after he left us to play with 10 men." Asked whether Inter would make a formal complaint about the officiating, Facchetti said: "There are institutions that need to control certain things."
■ Olympics
Kim indicted for corruption
International Olympic Committee vice president Kim Un-yong has been indicted on charges of taking bribes and embezzling funds from South Korean sports organizations, a prosecution official confirmed yesterday. Kim was indicted Thursday, according to prosecution spokesman Kook Min-soo, who could not provide details of the charges against the 72-year-old sports administrator, who was arrested on Jan. 28. South Korea's Yonhap news agency said Kim is charged with embezzling 3.84 billion won (US$3.28 million) in funds from the World Taekwondo Federation, the World Taekwondo Headquarters -- which issues taekwondo credentials -- as well as other sports organizations. Kim is also accused of receiving bribes of 810 million won (US$692,000) from businesses and a sports official in return for favors, Yonhap said.
■ Basketball
Yao signs burger deal
NBA star Yao Ming will be friends with Ronald McDonald after the Houston Rockets center signed a multiyear sponsorship deal with McDonald's. The contract was announced at a McDonald's outlet inside the Los Angeles Convention Center on Thursday. Yao was in town to play in tomorrow's NBA All-Star game at Staples Center. "I have always been a big fan of McDonald's ever since the first restaurant opened in China 10 years ago," Yao said. Yao replaces Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, whose three-year deal with the fast-food company expired on Dec. 31 and was not renewed. Bryant has lost other sponsors while his sexual assault case proceeds in Colorado. "His contract expired and we mutually determined under the circumstances it was best to not renew," said Larry Light, McDonald's global chief marketing officer.
Taiwan’s men’s table tennis team won bronze on Saturday at this year’s International Table Tennis Federation World Team Table Tennis Championships in London, matching the country’s best-ever finish at the regular tournament. Consisting of Lin Yun-ju, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7, Feng Yi-hsin, Kuo Guan-hong, Hong Jing-kai and Hsu Hsien-chia, the team won bronze after losing 0-3 to Japan in the semifinals. In the opening match, 24-year-old Lin played the first game against world No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto 11-5, but ultimately lost the next three closely contested games 9-11, 10-12 and 10-12. Feng then faced world No. 8 Sora Matsushima in
Taiwanese fire dancer Yang Li-wei advanced to the final of Britain’s Got Talent this weekend after receiving a Golden Buzzer during her live semi-final performance. Yang, a member of Taiwan’s Coming True Fire Group, awed judges and audiences with a high-intensity fire performance featuring flaming umbrellas, fire swallowing and spinning metal structures balanced with her legs. Judge Simon Cowell praised Yang as a star, while guest judge KSI reacted with amazement before pressing the Golden Buzzer, sending her to the finals. The dance group wrote on social media that the Golden Buzzer was “the highest honor” on the talent show, adding: “Twenty-three years
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has died, the NBA team said in a statement on Tuesday, while the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in a major US pro sports league, announced the former Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets player had died after a battle with brain cancer. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement posted on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” The statement did not provide
As Super Rugby fast approaches its playoff season it finds itself racing toward a reckoning with many issues that threaten the southern hemisphere tournament. A group of stakeholders met in the New Zealand city of Christchurch late last month to address problems that are making the future of the 31-year-old competition increasingly tenuous. The discussion was made more urgent by the decision by the owners of Moana Pasifika to fold the Auckland-based club for financial reasons. That followed the closure of the Melbourne Rebels at the end of the 2024 season, likewise because of financial difficulties. Problems addressed included player retention as more
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