■ GERMANY
Stuttgart reach cup final
Stuttgart advanced to the German Cup final against Nuremberg by beating Wolfsburg 1-0 on Wednesday thanks to a goal by Antonio da Silva. Da Silva scored the winner for the visitors in the 16th minute, curling a left-footed free kick from nearly 30m over the Wolfsburg wall. Wolfsburg appeared to have equalized in the second half but Marcelinho's goal was ruled out for offside, although television replays indicated otherwise. Three-time cup winners, Stuttgart last won the competition 10 years ago.
■ FRANCE
Marseille see off Nantes
Marseille set up a clash with Sochaux in next month's French Cup final with a 3-0 win over Nantes in their semi-final tie on Wednesday. French international Franck Ribery set the hosts on their way to their second consecutive Cup final after 28 minutes only to limp off the pitch at half-time with a thigh problem. Toifilou Maoulida doubled their account on 55 minutes with striker Djibril Cisse coming on as a late substitute and finding the net 14 minutes from time. Marseille will be looking for their first cup French Cup triumph since 1993 on May 12 in the Stade de France.
■ NIGERIA
Players attack referee
Gambian referee John Mendy was attacked by angry players from Cameroon's Union Douala on Wednesday after handing their opponents a last minute penalty which saw them knocked out of the African Confederation Cup, reports said. Mendy was hit by unidentified players after Union Douala went down 3-2 to Kwara United of Nigeria in Ilorin and out of the competition 4-3 on aggregate. Reports said Union Douala players had in turn been attacked by Nigerian supporters at the end of the game.
■ ARGENTINA
Chile draw local derby
Argentina were held to a 0-0 draw by neighbors Chile on Wednesday in their first home match since last year's World Cup. Both teams fielded experimental lineups of home-based players in front of a 60,000 crowd at the Malvinas Argentinas stadium in Mendoza, at the foot of the Andes separating the two countries. Argentina, whose players had only a handful of caps between them, started promisingly with Jonathan Bottinelli hitting the crossbar and Jose Sosa, Daniel Montenegro and Fernando Belluschi also going close. Chile playmaker Jorge Valdivia had a shot deflected wide as the visitors began to look menacing before half-time. In the second half, Belluschi struck the post for Argentina and Mariano Pavone squandered another chance for the hosts.
■ ENGLAND
David Dein quits Gunners
David Dein, one of the most powerful figures in English soccer, has quit as vice-chairman of Premier League club Arsenal because of "irreconcilable differences" with board colleagues, Arsenal said on Wednesday. Arsenal said in the same statement they were not about to agree to sell the club, in which US businessman Stan Kroenke recently bought an 11 percent share. Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood said in an interview before the announcement of Dein's departure that he and three of the club's major shareholders had "no intention of selling to some stranger." "We're here for Arsenal Football Club, not to make a few bob. We would be horrified to see it go across the Atlantic," he told the Guardian.
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two