Followers of Enrique Omar Sivori bade tearful farewell on Friday to the Argentina soccer great who led River Plate and Juventus of Italy to glory in his heyday half a century ago.
Sivori, who had been struggling with pancreatic cancer, died Thursday and was laid to rest Friday at a cemetery in his native San Nicolas, about 230km north of the capital of Buenos Aires. He was 69.
Prominent newspaper La Nacion called Sivori the soccer "ace without borders" in reference to his Argentine-Italian dual citizenship and his starring roles on fields both in South America and Europe.
Others hailed the "soccer genius" who dominated the field for both River Plate and Juventus beginning in the 1950s.
Sivori, honored as the best European soccer player of 1961, played on both the Argentine and Italian national squads and was a memorable onfield presence throughout the 1950s and most of the 1960s.
Known for his flowing hair and a powerful left foot, he starred at forward with the kind of mastery that would be likened later to the ball-handling wizardry of Diego Maradona.
"He was amazing ... a first-class dribbler who had speed and the ability to surprise at any moment," said Humberto Maschio, a former teammate on the Argentine national team.
Sivori led Argentina to the 1957 South American championship, winning the title on a team that included Omar Corbatta, Osvaldo Cruz and Humberto Maschio and remembered for its offensive prowess.
En route to the title, the team scored 21 goals in four games, including a 8-0 rout of Colombia.
As part of River Plate's lineup, Sivori also led the Buenos Aires club to league titles in 1955, 1956 and 1957. Sivori went on to Juventus of Italy where he won a huge following as he helped that squad to three league titles -- in 1958, 1960 and 1961 and to two Italian Cup victories -- in 1959 and 1960.
He remains revered among Juventus fans who still recall his 135 goals in 215 games.
Sivori closed out his career at Napoli in 1968, lifting the team to a 2nd-place finish in one season.
Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev was the only athlete to “beat” a world record on Sunday at the Enhanced Games, winning the men’s 50m freestyle at the divisive competition where athletes were free to take performance-enhancing substances. His time of 20.81 seconds — which is not considered official — came in the final event of the night in Las Vegas, sparing the blushes of organizers who made claims that multiple world records would be surpassed due to a sophisticated doping regime. Gkolomeev, who was wearing a synthetic “supersuit” long banned at events such as the Olympics, outpaced Australia’s Cameron McEvoy’s 20.88 set in
Fred Kerley is competing unaugmented against drug-fuelled athletes at this weekend’s Enhanced Games and still hopes to race in the 2028 Olympics, the suspended former 100m world champion said on Friday. Arguably the biggest name at the divisive event in Las Vegas, where doping is permitted, the US sprinter said he had chosen not to take any of the banned substances including testosterone and steroids that his competitors have been using. “I don’t need it. God gave me fast feet for a reason. And I’m here to showcase my talent,” Kerley said. Kerley last September became the first US competitor and first track
The manager of the Yomiuri Giants, one of Japan’s most popular baseball teams, resigned yesterday after he was arrested for allegedly physically attacking his teenage daughter. Shinnosuke Abe allegedly grabbed the 18-year-old and forced her to the floor at their home in central Tokyo on Monday evening, reported national broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News, citing unnamed police sources. “Leaving like this really means I’m causing you a lot of trouble, and I feel truly sorry about that,” Abe told a hastily arranged news conference, his eyes red with tears. The former star catcher, who is among baseball-obsessed Japan’s most recognized sports figures,
VICTORY ABROAD: The team took home a fistful of medals and secured spots for the autumn’s Asian Games, scheduled for September in Nagoya Taiwan’s women’s team captured the overall title at the Asian Taekwondo Championships in Mongolia on Sunday, finishing with two golds, one silver and one bronze medal. The strong showing, led by gold medalists Wang Chieh-ling and Chang Jui-en secured the full quota of available spots for Taiwan at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, in September. Wang opened Taiwan’s medal run by winning gold in the women’s under-46kg class on Thursday, the first day of competition. Liu Yu-yun later earned a silver in the under-49kg class. On the final day on Sunday, Chang won Taiwan’s second gold medal in the under-62kg event, and
RSS