■ Germany
Clubs fined over racism
German soccer authorities recommended on Friday that fines be increased for two Bundesliga clubs whose fans used racist chants -- the second incident in the country within a month. A German soccer federation committee wants 75,000 euros (US$90,000) from Alemannia Aachen and 25,000 euros (US$34,000) from Borussia Moenchengladbach. Both clubs plan to protest the fine. Moenchengladbach's Brazilian striker, Kahe, was taunted with "asylum seeker" until the referee threatened to end the Bundesliga game last Saturday.
■ Germany
Moenchengladbach go top
Kahe's 39th-minute goal lifted Borussia Moenchengladbach over Dortmund 1-0 and atop the Bundesliga on Friday. Moenchengladbach's provisional lead was its first since 1998. Brazilian forward Kahe scored for the fourth time in as many matches. Dortmund wasted numerous chances before the break, with Alexander Frei failing twice to beat goalkeeper Kasey Keller while unmarked in front of the goal. "That's upsetting -- we lost the match in the first half," Dortmund coach Bert van Marwijk said. Nine teams have a chance to vault past Moenchengladbach into first over the weekend.
■ Hungary
Puskas to stay in ICU
Soccer great Ferenc Puskas, who has been hospitalized for years, will remain in the intensive care unit (ICU) he was transferred to last week. The 79-year-old Puskas has been living in Budapest's Kutvolgyi Hospital with Alzheimer's disease since 2000. Last Monday, doctors said Puskas' improving condition could see him out of the ICU by the weekend. But on Friday, Zsolt Ivanyi, acting director of the hospital's ICU, said Puskas still was not well enough to be moved back to his longtime quarters. "His condition has not improved to the degree which would allow him to leave the ICU," Ivanyi told MTI news wire.
■ Australia
Socceroos to help Mariners
English-based Socceroos Lucas Neill and Tim Cahill have discussed investment opportunities with Australian A-League club Central Coast Mariners, the club said yesterday. The A-League's smallest club, just north of Sydney, is struggling at the bottom of the eight-team league this campaign after losing to Sydney FC in last season's inaugural grand final and is looking for financial backers. Club executive chairman Lyall Gorman said he has met Southeast Asian investors and has had initial talks with Blackburn Rovers' Neill and Everton's Cahill, both members of Australia's World Cup squad this year in Germany. "I read what they said about investing in the A-League, so we had a meeting while they were out here in late July, and we're exploring their interest to see where it might take us," Gorman told the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday.
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but