■ Spain
Sevilla thrash Depor
Sevilla's push for honors on three fronts remained on track when they beat Deportivo Coruna 3-0 away in their King's Cup semi-final first leg on Thursday. The Andalucians ran Depor ragged early on, scoring twice in the opening 14 minutes through Frederic Kanoute and then Jesus Navas. Luis Fabiano scored a last minute penalty to all but secure a place in their first King's Cup final since 1962. Sevilla also lie second in the league and have a place in a UEFA Cup semi-final.
■ India
AFC pledges cash support
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has pledged US$1 million a year over the next four years to help lift the sport out of its current dire straits in cricket-mad India. In making the announcement, AFC president Mohamed Bin Hammam urged state governments in India and the corporate world to get behind the development of soccer. "This money is to support clubs and the league. This is not a donation but we would like to see how it supports your clubs and leagues," he said. India, one of the most populous nations in the world, is currently ranked 165th in the world and 34th in Asia.
■ Italy
Nine officials suspended
Seven referees and two linesmen were suspended by the Italian Referees Association (AIA) on Thursday after being implicated in the match-fixing scandal which rocked the Serie A last season. The decision to suspend referees Paolo Bertini, Stefano Cassara, Antonio Dattilo, Marco Gabriele, Gianluca Paparesta, Tiziano Pieri and Salvatore Racalbuto, and linesmen Marcello Ambrosino and Duccio Baglioni, was taken after public prosecutors in Naples closed their investigation on April 12 by making accusations against the officials. Prosecutors, this time dealing with the purely legal side of the affair, named 48 people they suspected of wrongdoing.
■ Argentina
Maradona moving to asylum
Ailing football legend Diego Maradona will be transferred from a hospital to a psychiatric clinic next week to be treated for alcohol abuse, his physician said on Thursday. Maradona, 46, who was hospitalized six days days ago suffering from hepatitis-caused pain, will be taken either on Monday or Tuesday to a psychiatric clinic in Buenos Aires, said his personal physician, Alfredo Cahe. "Diego has become aware of the seriousness of his situation," Cahe told Uno radio. "From now on, the main treatment will focus on his addiction to alcohol." The latest medical report at the clinic De Los Arcos, where Maradona was being treated, said the former player's health continued to improve.
■ Macau
AFC chief admits host error
The president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has admitted that his organization had made a mistake by allowing four countries to host this year's Asian Cup. "With four countries this is a problem," Mohamed bin Hammam said on Thursday. "It involves a lot of marketing and a lot of energy. You get something from one government, but not another. Most of them are amateurs hardly committed to their associations. We have to have commitment." He added: "If one country fulfils its obligation and another one doesn't, this is no good to us." The July 7-29 Asian Cup will be shared by Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, and the AFC has made no secret of its dissatisfaction with some of the co-hosts.
■ Cycling
Leipheimer wins stage
American Discovery Channel rider Levi Leipheimer won the time trial fourth stage of the Tour of Georgia on Thursday as teammate Janez Brajkovic seized the overall race lead. Leipheimer came out fastest in the race against the clock with a time of 44 minutes 51 seconds. Behind him were CSC's David Zabriskie, 41seconds back, and Australian Nathan O'Neill of Health Net 1:18 behind. Saunier Duval rider David Canada Gracia of Spain had secured the overall lead on Wednesday, but was unable to defend that position, falling to fifth overall as Slovenia's Brajkovic claimed the lead.
■ Boxing
Joe Frazier drops lawsuit
Former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier told his lawyer on Thursday to drop a lawsuit against his daughter after she pledged to help him locate his missing business records. The files at the center of the legal dispute never left "Smokin' Joe's" North Philadelphia gym, a lawyer for Jacquelyn Frazier-Lyde said. "I talked to my father today and he asked me how I was doing and I told him that I loved him," Frazier-Lyde said at a press conference that focused on her campaign for city judge. Frazier's lawyer said he reluctantly agreed to drop the suit at his client's request, although he vowed to refile it if Frazier-Lyde does not comply.
■ Basketball
NBA breaks crowds record
The NBA broke its attendance record for the third straight year, drawing more than 21.8 million fans during the 2006-07 season. The league also surpassed its previous best by averaging 17,757 fans. The previous best marks were set last season, when the average of 17,558 fans led to a total of just under 21.6 million. The top three teams in average attendance are all from the Central Division: Chicago (22,253); Detroit (22,076), and Cleveland (20,436). Orlando, Portland, the Los Angeles Clippers and Houston all had attendance increases between 7 and 10 percent. The league had 600 sellouts, up from 471 last season and the most in over a decade.
■ Olympics
Missiles to fight rain
Beijing will use aircraft, missiles and cannon in what could amount to a massive umbrella over the city to keep athletes dry during next year's Olympics, state media reported yesterday. The Aug. 8-24 sporting extravaganza will happen during Beijing's rainy season, the Beijing Times said. But the weather bureau plans to use advanced techniques to force rain clouds to unload as far away as 90km from the capital, the paper said. Zhang Qiang, the head of the city's artificial weather management office, told the newspaper that five aircraft and several batteries of cannon and rockets will be used during the Olympics. No details were released on exactly how the plan will work.
■ Hockey
Jonsson goal beats Russia
Jorgen Jonsson's late goal gave Olympic and world champion Sweden a 3-2 win over Russia in the opening game of the European Hockey Tour final on Thursday. From behind the net, Martin Thornberg set up an unchecked Jonsson, who one-timed his shot at 15:35 in the third period. It was the first goal of the season for Jonsson who was making a record 274th appearance for Sweden. Alexander Steen and Johan Davidsson also scored for Sweden. Alexey Mikhnov and Pyotr Shastlivyi scored for Russia.
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Open, beating Kim Ga-eun of South Korea 21-17, 21-15. With the win, Tai earned a semi-final against China’s He Bingjiao, who beat Michelle Li of Canada 21-9, 21-9. Defending champion An Se-young defeated India’s P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-11. An on Wednesday cruised into the second round, unlike last year’s men’s winner, Li Shifeng, who suffered a shock defeat. South Korea’s An, the world No. 1, overcame Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi 21-17, 21-16 to set up the match against Sindhu. In other women’s singles matches, Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun lost 21-18, 24-22 against Carolina Marin of
EYEING TOP SPOT: A victory in today’s final against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova would return 38-year-old Hsieh Su-wei to the world No. 1 ranking Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens on Thursday secured a spot in the women’s doubles finals at the BNP Paribas Open after dispatching Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at Indian Wells. Hsieh and her Belgian partner Mertens, who won the Australian Open in late January, coasted through the first set after breaking their opponents’ serve twice, but found the going tougher in the second. Both pairs could only muster one break point over 12 games, neither of which were converted, leaving the set to be decided by a tiebreaker. Hsieh and Mertens took a 6-3 lead,
DOUBLES PAYBACK: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Martens avenged their defeat in the quarters at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open against Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium dispatched Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. Hsieh and Martens made a blistering start to their rematch after they lost to Schuurs and Stefani in the quarter-finals at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, winning three games without reply at the start of the first set