■ El Salvador
Maradona to play friendly
Argentine World Cup hero Diego Maradona is scheduled to play in friendly matches next week in Honduras and El Salvador at events known as "Showbol," a seven-a-side, small-field exhibition, organizers said on Friday. Maradona's plans to participate were confirmed via telephone by Alejandro Mancuso, the Argentine's agent. Maradona was to have arrived on Friday in San Salvador, but his plane was delayed by weather, and his match in the country was rescheduled for Oct. 28, said Erick Acuna, one of the event's organizers. Maradona is also scheduled to play in the city of San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on Wednesday.
■ Germany
Dortmund held by Bochum
Borussia Dortmund failed for a fourth time to move atop the Bundesliga this season, held to a 1-1 draw at home by last-place VfL Bochum. A 30th-minute goal by Theofanis Gekas gave Bochum the lead, while Dortmund was jeered by the crowd of 75,100 at Westfalenstadion after only 20 minutes. Polish forward Ebi Smolarek equalized in the 35th minute for Dortmund, which remained a point behind a lead trio topped by Werder Bremen. "It's unbelievable -- I'd really like to be able to explain it," Dortmund coach Bert van Marwijk said. "We just got more and more nervous." Dortmund was left in fifth with 12 points. Bochum welcomed the draw being routed 6-0 by Bremen last week.
■ Germany
Mooning fan to be quizzed
A Bayer Leverkusen fan who goaded rival supporters by flashing his bum repeatedly during his team's UEFA Cup tie at Club Bruges on Thursday faces court action, a Belgian public prosecutor said. The fan, who has not been named and was not arrested on the night of the match, will be questioned by German police and will receive a summons from a court in Bruges, prosecutor Yves Segaert said on Friday. If convicted, the German man faces a fine and a ban from the stadium. "He pulled his trousers down several times during the match and showed his butt to the Bruges fans," Segaert said. "He did this to annoy some hard core fans and provoke them."
■ China
Dujkovic new Olympic coach
The protracted search for a coach for their 2008 Beijing Olympics team came to an end when Ratomir Dujkovic was put in charge yesterday. The 60-year-old Serbian, who led Ghana to the second round of the World Cup finals earlier this year and has also coached Venezuela, Myanmar and Rwanda, signed a contract which will take him through until the end of the Olympics. The Chinese Football Association has spent much of the year searching for a coach, with media reports linking Frenchmen Jacques Santini and Philippe Troussier, England's Howard Wilkinson and German Berti Vogts with the job. Dujkovic faces a tough task getting a competitive team together in less than two years given the parlous state of Chinese soccer, which has been beset by match-fixing scandals and declining interest from the public.
■ Basketball
Diaw extends Suns contract
Versatile Boris Diaw, who won the NBA's Most Improved Player award last season, signed a five-year contract extension on Friday with the Phoenix Suns. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the extension is believed to be worth about US$8 million per season. Diaw, 24, is scheduled to make US$1.79 million this season. Had he not been given an extension by Oct. 31, he would have become a restricted free agent next summer, with the Suns holding the right to match any offer he received from another team.
■ Basketball
Spanish team nets award
Spain's national basketball team received the prestigious Prince of Asturias sports award on Friday in recognition of the World Championship title it won in Japan. The team beat 29 other candidates for the award, including French Open tennis champion Rafael Nadal, retiring eight-time Grand Slam event winner Andre Agassi and this year's World Cup chief Franz Beckenbauer. "To receive a first like this is a completely different emotion than in playing a game," World Championship most valuable player Pau Gasol said.
■ Baseball
Francona to lead MLB stars
Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona has accepted an offer to manage a team of players from US Major League Baseball on an exhibition tour of Japan next month. Ken Macha had been scheduled to manage the team but the former Oakland skipper was fired two days after the American League West Division champions were swept out of the MLB playoffs by Detroit. "Unfortunately, Ken Macha was not able to represent a major league team," Francona said on Friday. Francona said he spoke to Macha before deciding to take the post. There are no Red Sox players on the team. Carlos Beltran of the New York Mets and Jermaine Dye of the Chicago White Sox are among the players scheduled to play.
■ Rugby
Wannenburg to miss tour
Loose forward Pedrie Wannenburg was ruled out of South Africa's tour of Ireland and England on Friday because of a wrist injury. The 25-year-old has been a fringe player all season and team management said in a statement that there were no immediate plans to replace him for next month's four-game tour. Wannenburg, who has played in 16 tests, was hurt in last week's Currie Cup final and will undergo surgery tomorrow. His Blue Bulls side shared the trophy with the Free State Cheetahs after a 28-28 draw. Springboks coach Jake White will have five other loose forwards on the tour.
■ Cricket
Clarke plays down banter
Australian batsman Michael Clarke played down an incident with West Indies' Chris Gayle, saying it was only a bit of banter. Gayle was fined 30 percent of his match fee for his part in the incident after West Indies scored a 10-run victory over Australia on Wednesday. "There was definitely some banter, but it certainly wasn't personal ... Chris and I spoke after the match, so we're fine," said Clarke. "We give as good as we get, but we certainly cop some back, don't worry about that," the New South Wales batsman sai on Friday. "I remember after an over, Chris walked the whole way down to where Gilly and I were talking in the middle. He was right on my shoulder the whole time. I could imagine how that would look on TV. But for me personally, it was nothing but banter."
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
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