■ Soccer
Ferguson backs AC Milan
Sir Alex Ferguson, whose Manchester United side lost to Champions League finalists AC Milan in the semi-finals, said in comments published yesterday he is "absolutely certain" the Italian side will beat Liverpool in the Athens final in two weeks. "I'd bet for sure that Milan will win the Champions League," Ferguson said in the Sun tabloid. "I'm absolutely certain of it." Milan and Liverpool will clash in a repeat of the 2005 Champions League final which the English side won on penalties, after overcoming a 3-0 half-time deficit. Ferguson said that he plans to acknowledge Milan's victory with a bottle of wine presented to him by Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti after Ferguson's side was defeated in the semi-finals. "I said to Carlo at the end of our semi-final that there is no way he can now not win this competition ... Carlo gave me a magnificent bottle of wine," Ferguson said.
■ Rugby Union
Fiji budget for World Cup
Fiji will spend F$2 million (US$1.23 million) on its bid to win this year's Rugby World Cup in France, the Fiji Times newspaper reported yesterday. "This includes the whole program for 43 days for the Pacific Nations Cup and 78 days for the Rugby World Cup," Fiji Rugby Union high performance manager Peter Murphy said. "It's a lot of money and the budget includes both preparations and tournament days and we'll be spending roughly F$33,000 [US$20,460] a day." The budget, presented by Murphy to the board of the Fiji union on Tuesday, covers transport, player allowances, accommodation, meals, telephone, medical costs, insurance, uniforms, laundry and bonuses for winning. Fiji will send 30 players and 15 management and support staff to the Sept. 7 to Oct. 20 World Cup, Murphy said.
■ Cricket
Selectors caught in sting
Indian cricket was plunged into fresh controversy yesterday after a TV sting caught national selectors blaming ex-coach Greg Chappell and senior players for a disastrous World Cup campaign. Private broadcaster Headlines Today showed selectors accusing the Australian of running a divide-and-rule policy. Chappell quit as coach of India after the World Cup debacle that saw them exit in the first round after losses to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The four national selectors -- Ranjib Biswal, Bhupinder Singh Sr, Venkatapathy Raju and Sanjay Jagdale -- squarely blamed Chappell and his star cricketers for the humiliation. Asked if reports of factionalism in the team were correct, Singh replied, "not 100 percent, but by and large correct. And Greg Chappell is to blame for it." Biswal said that Chappell could not understand the psyche of Indian cricketers. "He was more like a schoolmaster than a friend," he said.
■ Baseball
Hurdle urges instant replay
Colorado Rockies manager Clint Hurdle wants Major League Baseball to take another look at instant replay. Twice in three games, Hurdle contends, wrong calls by umpires cost the Rockies home runs. He spoke to the MLB office on Tuesday to voice his concern. "It's a very difficult call and my point of contention is it either is or is not a home run," Hurdle said. "I don't think that's an area where the umpires' discretion should be involved." The NFL, NBA and NHL all use some form of instant replay. The issue has been raised in recent years by baseball officials, but never gotten very far -- MLB commissioner Bud Selig is among those against it.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and