■ Soccer
Guadeloupe cock-a-hoop
Guadeloupe beat St Vincent and the Grenadines 1-0 on Thursday to reach the Caribbean Cup semifinals for only the second time, where they were joined by Cuba, who drew 0-0 with Guyana. The result also earned Guadeloupe its first trip to the CONCACAF Gold Cup in June in the US, while Cuba claimed their fourth straight trip. Guadeloupe's win left them on top of their group with six points setting up a clash with Haiti today. Cuba, who edged out Guyana on goal difference for second place in the group, will take on eight-time champions Trinidad in the other semifinal.
■ Basketball
Barclays agrees name deal
The planned arena in New York City's borough of Brooklyn that will house the New Jersey Nets has a new name: The Barclays Center. The British bank, hoping to expand its profile in the US, signed a 20-year deal to slap its name on the new 18,000-seat facility when it opens late this decade, the bank and the project's developer announced on Thursday. The company and Forest City Ratner, the builder of the arena for the current New Jersey Nets, would not immediately disclose the price for the naming rights. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Barclays would be investing more than US$300 million in the marketing partnership over the next 20 years.
■ Football
Brain damage led to suicide
Brain damage caused by football ultimately led to the suicide of former NFL defensive back Andre Waters, according to a forensic pathologist who studied Waters' brain tissue. Bennet Omalu of the University of Pittsburgh told the New York Times that Waters' brain tissue resembled that of an 85-year-old man and that there were characteristics of early stage Alzheimer's. Omalu told the newspaper he believed the damage was related to multiple concussions Waters sustained during his 12-year NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals. He was 44 when he died in November.
■ Football
Vick may face charges
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick reluctantly surrendered a water bottle to security at Miami International Airport that smelled like marijuana and contained a substance in a hidden compartment. Police said on Thursday it could be weeks before a decision is made on whether to file charges. "We'll do an analysis and see what it is. There's no sense of urgency to it," Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said. The bottle was found to have a compartment that contained "a small amount of dark particulate and a pungent aroma closely associated with marijuana," the police report said. Vick's initial reluctance to turn over the bottle aroused suspicion among airport security screeners, a police report said.
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