■ EAGLAND
Mittal family buys QPR stake
English club Queens Park Rangers (QPR) received a significant cash injection after the family of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal bought a 20 percent shareholding in the team. Last month Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone and Renault team manager Flavio Briatore took over the London club, who are bottom of England's second tier championship. Mittal, described as the wealthiest man in Britain by the Sunday Times rich list with a fortune estimated at £19.25 billion (US$38.3 billion), will be represented on the board at Loftus Road by his son-in-law, Amit Bhatia.
■ Germany
Hertha want Zurich's Rafael
Brazilian striker Rafael, top scorer for Swiss champions FC Zurich, is being targeted in a multimillion euro transfer by Bundesiga side Hertha Berlin, it was revealed on Thursday. The 22-year-old, who has scored 12 goals in 15 games for Zurich already this season, has been discussed by the two clubs ahead of next month's transfer window, but Zurich president Ancillo Canepa says a deal hangs in the balance. "It was a good discussion, but we haven't quite agreed yet," Canepa told German agency SID. "The chances of an agreement is about 50:50. "Both sides are striving to find a solution, but we do not have to sell our best goal-scorer, we have to find an agreeable price."
■ Italy
Players must shake hands
Italian league players will be forced to shake hands with opponents after matches from January next year, Italian league organizers said on Thursday. League president Antonio Matarreses told the Ansa news agency that the new initiative, for both first and second division clubs, had been unanimously adopted. "From Jan. 13, players will line up on the half way line at the end of matches and shake hands," Materrese said. "My dream is that one day opposing fans will also shake hands." It was not made clear what punishment, if any, would be imposed for those players who did not comply.
■ england
Fulham fire Sanchez
Fulham yesterday parted ways with manager Lawrie Sanchez in the hope of finding a replacement to ensure the struggling club stays in the Premier League. "Following a run of disappointing results the club is languishing in the relegation zone of the Premier League table, and losing its Premiership status is a proposition that simply can not be contemplated at this stage in the club's on-going development," Fulham said in a statement. "The club is confident that it will find the right replacement to increase its chances of remaining in the Premiership, which is of vital importance," the statement said. Ray Lewington and Billy McKinlay will be in charge of the team whilst a search for a permanent replacement takes place. Fulham are currently third from bottom of the Premier League with just 13 points from 17 games.
■ China
Female `Rooney' crocked
Ma Xiaoxu, dubbed China's female "Wayne Rooney" because of her prodigious talent, may miss playing in next year's Olympics after seriously injuring her knee, a press report said yesterday. Ma is likely to be sidelined for at least six months with what team doctors fear may be a ruptured ligament in her right knee, after she fell awkwardly while playing in Wednesday's 4-0 defeat of New Zealand, the China Daily reported. Ma was stretchered off and taken to Beijing on Thursday for tests, the newspaper said.
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