■ Costa Rica
Coach quits over threats
Costa Rica's World Cup coach Alexandre Guimaraes quit his post on Monday after receiving phone threats at his home, he told a press conference. Guimaraes had a contract with Costa Rica until 2010, but said it was not worth continuing in the job under the threat of violence against him and his family. "If I had not been under police protection I don't know if I would have been here today [Monday] for this press conference," Guimaraes said. The Brazilian, a naturalized Costa Rican, said that since his return he had endured the wrath of supporters who blamed him for his country's first round exit in Group A.
■ Brazil
Roberto Carlos steps down
Brazilian Roberto Carlos has quit international soccer. After 10 years and 128 caps, the Real Madrid defender is stepping down to allow young talent to come through, he said on his official Web site on Monday. "On the Selecao [Brazilian national squad] my story has ended," Carlos said. "I want to open space for new blood. I hope I can give this number six jersey to someone who might carry on this victorious history," he said.
■ PUNTERS
Kissinger tips France to win
Henry Kissinger, the aging statesman who constructed the pioneering US opening to China in the 1970s, says experience will count most in the final rounds of the World Cup. That's why he has tipped France to win. "If the French can play three games in a row with this aging team, as they did against Brazil, I think they have a good chance," he said. Kissinger gave an interview to the German ambassador to the US, Klaus Scharioth, that was published on Monday on the embassy's Internet Web site.
■ Brazil
Carlos denies sock shocker
Brazil left-back Roberto Carlos has denied he was pulling up his socks when Thierry Henry scored France's winning goal in the World Cup quarter-final match despite video evidence appearing to show the opposite. Carlos was seen on television to be fixing his left stocking when France's Zinedine Zidane took the free kick which led directly to Henry's goal and the world champion's elimination from the tournament. The Arsenal player was left alone at the back post, a position which Roberto Carlos would be expected to mark. "I wasn't pulling up my sock. I was waiting for the referee to ask Zidane to take the kick when it happened," the left-back told the Brazilian television program Panico.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB