■ Horse racing
Crooked jockeys suspended
Four jockeys were suspended for between one and three years on Friday after being found guilty of involvement in a betting scam. Robbie Fitzpatrick and Luke Fletcher received three-year suspensions, Fran Ferris two years and Robert Winston, the most successful and best known of the four, a 12-month disqualification by Britain's Horseracing Regulatory Authority. The charges related to 37 races between June 16, 2003 and Feb. 29, 2004 and included providing inside information for financial reward, aiding and abetting a corrupt practice and misleading investigators. All four denied the allegations. The charges related to 21 horses ridden by Winston, 11 ridden by Fletcher, four by Ferris and two by Fitzpatrick.
■ Soccer
Blues sign Belgian striker
English Premiership strugglers Manchester City boosted their ailing attack with the signing of veteran Belgian international striker Emile Mpenza until the end of the season on Friday. The 28-year-old, who has finished his contract with Qatari side al-Rayyan, still awaits international clearance before joining City, who are presently fifth from bottom of the Premiership, though 10 points clear of the relegation places. Mpenza, who has scored 17 goals in 52 internationals for his country and has mostly played abroad including two spells in the Bundesliga with Schalke 04 and Hamburg, has been on trial at City. Mpenza, twice a winner of the German Cup with Schalke 04 in 2001 and 2002, will be unavailable for today's difficult FA Cup fifth-round tie at Championship highflyers Preston.
■ Tennis
Police question FFT official
The head of the French Tennis Federation (FFT) is under official investigation for alleged abuse of office, it was reported by yesterday's edition of L'Equipe. Christian Bimes, 59 years old and head of the FFT since 1993, was held by police for two days earlier this week and subsequently released but is still under investigation. Suspicions were first raised in December 2004 when five employees of the FFT brought a complaint against Bimes for abusing his position. They chiefly accused him of using official cars for personal use, not paying back personal expenses, claiming for unjustified personal expenses (such as plane tickets, using the telephone for personal use and buying groceries) and that his wife had continued to work, after they had got married, for the company that supplied the hostesses for the French Open.
■ Collegiate sports
School drops Indian mascot
The University of Illinois said on Friday it would send its "Chief Illiniwek" to the graveyard of sports mascots, bowing to pressure from those who said the war-whooping symbol it used for more than 80 years offended American Indians. The action, part of a continuing debate in the US over sensitivity and political correctness, followed an edict from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The NCAA had said schools with hostile or abusive American Indian symbols may not host lucrative post-season championship play from next year, except for football as the NCAA does not oversee its post-season play. The university was also under pressure from some American Indians do away with the mascot. American Indian and ethnic symbols are still found as nicknames for school and professional teams at all levels. A school in Pekin, Illinois, once used but eventually dropped "Chinks" as its designation, a reference to the town's namesake Peking.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
Rafael Nadal on Tuesday lost in straight sets to 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round at the Madrid Open, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s doubles. Nadal said that he was feeling good about his progress following his latest injury layoff. Nadal called it a “positive week” in every way and said his body held up well. “I was able to play four matches, a couple of tough matches,” Nadal said. “So very positive, winning three matches, playing four matches at the high level of tennis. I enjoyed a lot playing at home. I leave here with
A soccer jersey carrying a national map including disputed Western Sahara has become a hot commodity in Morocco after a diplomatic dispute with Algeria. Retailers said RS Berkane jerseys have been flying off the shelves after a Confederation of African Football (CAF) Cup match against Algerian club USM Alger was canceled last month over the jerseys. “We are overwhelmed by the influx of messages and requests,” said Brahim Rabii, representative of the official RS Berkane jersey distributor. Algeria broke off diplomatic relations with Morocco in 2021, partly over the issue of Western Sahara. The former Spanish colony is largely controlled by Morocco, but claimed
When 42-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas shocked ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson 34 years ago at the Tokyo Dome, the result reverberated worldwide. Spectators at the 45,000-plus seater venue witnessed one of boxing’s biggest upsets as unbeaten heavyweight champion Tyson was knocked out in the 10th round by the unheralded Douglas in February 1990. Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since that unforgettable encounter when Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue puts his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery. The 31-year-old Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a huge star in Japan and is just