■ Formula One
Trulli extends Toyota deal
Jarno Trulli has extended his contract with Toyota and will drive for the Formula One team for three more years. "I am 100 percent sure of Toyota's potential and of its chances of challenging for the Formula One world championship," the Italian driver said. "I am therefore more than happy to continue my excellent relationship with the team into the longer term and to try to achieve our common goals." Continuity among drivers was important in trying to win the championship, Toyota team chief Tsutomu Tomita said. Toyota still hasn't won a Grand Prix since coming into Formula One in 2002. Trulli has one career victory, when he was still with Renault.
■ Soccer
McCarthy signs for Rovers
Blackburn signed FC Porto striker Benni McCarthy yesterday on a four-year contract. Terms of the deal were not released, but the transfer fee is believed to be about £2.5 million (US$4.65 million). "We tried to sign Benni 12 months ago and we have been tracking the situation since then," Blackburn chief executive John Williams said. "We are delighted that we have managed to bring him to Rovers." The South Africa international will fill the hole left by the departure of forward Craig Bellamy, who signed a four-year contract with Liverpool in June.
■ Athletics
IAAF recognizes Montenegro
Montenegro and Serbia were formally recognized as independent athletic federations yesterday by the sport's world governing body. The approval by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) means athletes from Montenegro will be able to compete in the European Championships and World Junior Championships next month. Montenegro's membership is provisional and will be confirmed at an IAAF Congress meeting in Osaka in August next year. Montenegro declared independence from its union with Serbia on June 3 after its voters supported the separation in a referendum.
■ Formula One
Oz back in pole position
The Australian Grand Prix will be restored next year as the opening Formula One race of the season. The FIA, F1's sanctioning body, gave Melbourne organizers the provisional date of March 18 early yesterday. Melbourne hosted the opening races of the F1 series from 1996 until last year, but was shuffled back to the third race for this season because the southern Australian city was hosting the Commonwealth Games in the regular March slot for the auto racing event. Next year's Australian GP is expected to clash with the swimming world championships, scheduled for March 17-April 1 adjacent to the F1 circuit at Albert Park. "All logistical issues will be resolved and there's no city in the world that can handle two major events back to back except Melbourne," said Victoria state Tourism Minister John Pandazopoulos.
■ Portugal
Fonseca joins Benfica
Mexican international striker Francisco Fonseca has joined Benfica from Cruz Azul for four years, the Portuguese club said on Thursday. "I am going to try to help the club be the champion of every tournament it takes part in," the 26-year-old told a Lisbon news conference. The club gave no financial details but sports daily A Bola reported the deal was worth some 2 million euros (US$2.5 million). Fonseca scored 20 goals in 33 appearances for Mexico, including one during his side's 2-1 loss to Portugal during the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He is the fourth member of Mexico's squad to move to Europe since the World Cup finals.
■ United Kingdom
Cottagers net Queudrue
French defender Franck Queudrue joined Fulham from English Premiership rivals Middlesbrough on a four-year contract on Thursday. The details of the fee for the 27-year-old were not revealed. Queudrue told the club's Web site fulhamfc.com: "I really enjoyed my time at Boro, but decided that it was time for a new challenge. I met with [manager] Chris Coleman and was impressed with his ambition for the future at the club." Queudrue's deal will keep him at Craven Cottage until 2010. "Franck is a quality defender and one that I have admired for some time," said Coleman.
■ United Kingdom
Carrick signs for Red Devils
Manchester United have finally reached a deal to sign England midfielder Michael Carrick from Tottenham Hotspur, British newspapers reported yesterday. The transfer will cost the English Premiership runners-up around £15 million (US$28 million). United boss Alex Ferguson has been chasing the defensive-minded midfielder ever since the end of last season and has seen previous bids for him knocked back. Carrick, who turned 25 yesterday, has yet to agree personal terms at Old Trafford but will double his wages by penning a £50,000 a week deal, the Sun reported. Carrick was a trainee at West Ham United and moved to Spurs in a £2.75 million deal in August 2004.
■ France
Zidane inspires hit record
A song called Head Butt written the day after the World Cup final is set to become the smash hit of the summer in France less than three weeks after its release. The track, inspired by France's star player Zinedine Zidane, who was sent off in the final for head-butting Italy's Marco Materazzi, was written in 30 minutes by three despondent French fans. Head Butt is the most downloaded track in France over the last two-and-a-half weeks with 80,000 downloads. Distributor Warner Music said on Thursday it would be the highest selling in France this week judging by mid-week sales figures from supermarkets.
■ Italy
Juve appeal to CONI
Juventus, who on Tuesday were stripped of the Serie A titles they won this year and last and relegated to the second division with a 17-point penalty for match-fixing, are to lodge a further appeal against their punishment with the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI). The disgraced Turin club will present their case to CONI, the governing body of Italian sport which oversees the activities of all the various federations, including the FIGC, by today. Juventus will also appeal to CONI against the sentences handed down to former general manager Luciano Moggi and chief executive Antonio Giraudo, who were both banned from taking up a role in sport for five years.
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
HSIEH MAKES QUARTERS: Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens of Belgium won in the women’s doubles and face Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin of the US Top-ranked Iga Swiatek and US Open champion Coco Gauff were knocked out of the women’s singles at the Miami Open on Monday, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced in the women’s doubles. Swiatek lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2, hours after third seed Gauff fell in three sets to No. 23 Caroline Garcia 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. Alexandrova beat a top-ranked player for the first time and advanced to face Jessica Pegula, a 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 winner over Emma Navarro, in the quarter-finals. Alexandrova recorded her second win over Swiatek, following a 2021 victory in Melbourne. Swiatek had won their three matches since. “We played quite