■ ENGLAND
Cardiff cause FA rule review
Cardiff cannot presently qualify for Europe if they win the FA Cup but that could all change after the Football Association announced they would look again at their rulebook. As things stand Cardiff, who face fellow Championship side Barnsley in a Wembley semi-final next month, would not qualify for the UEFA Cup if they won the FA Cup because Welsh clubs are only eligible to qualify through their own competitions. UEFA president Michel Platini has promised to intervene to help Cardiff should they continue a season of Cup shocks by lifting the trophy and the FA are now reviewing their own rule. "In light of Cardiff City's success in reaching the FA Cup semi-finals, the Football Association is considering its position on European qualification for the winners of the FA Cup," an FA spokesman said on Thursday.
■ PERU
Players robbed by gang
The players of leading Peruvian side Cienciano were held up and robbed by armed men as they were collecting their wages, a police official said on Thursday. The victims, who were forced to lie on the floor during the raid, included Peru internationals Juan Carlos Bazalar and forward William Chiroque. The robbers were reported to have made off with US$85,000 in cash as well as the players' wallets and mobile phones. The incident occurred at the club's headquarters in the Andean city of Cusco on Wednesday, the day after Cienciano had beaten fellow Peruvians Coronel Bolognesi 1-0 in a South American Libertadores Cup match. "At the moment that the players were receiving their wages, four men entered and surrounded the cashier," said Cusco police official Juan Auccahuaqui.
■ ENGLAND
Fans in train riot sent to jail
Soccer fans who charged through train carriages and attacked rivals in a pre-planned riot have been jailed and banned from games for up to 10 years. The violence happened before a game between neighbors Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic in September and police arrested fans whose ages ranged from 16 to 44. Prosecutors told Judge Stephen Robbins on Thursday that some 30 Palace followers trapped Charlton supporters on the train, punching, kicking and head-butting them. A father and his two grown-up sons were repeatedly punched, one of the sons left with blood pouring down his face and was later taken to hospital with a suspected fractured nose. "This was sickening behavior, thuggery, organized violence on a train on members of the public," Robbins said at Southwark Crown Court. He jailed two fans, Dominic Goodridge and Harvey Neenan, each for three years and four months. Three more were sentenced to two-and-a-half years and two to two years.
■ BRAZIL
Lightning strikes midfielder
A soccer match in Brazil was suspended after lightning struck one of the players. The lightning struck midfielder Gilvan near midfield in the 63rd minute of the match between Novo Horizonte and Atletico Goianiense in the Goias state championship on Wednesday. Gilvan immediately collapsed and was taken unconscious to hospital, where he was treated and released. "I woke up in the hospital," the Novo Horizonte player said. "The pain was too strong. I'm relieved to have survived this." The injury prompted the referee to suspend the match, which was finished on Thursday and won by Atletico 4-2. The game was even at 2-2 when it was interrupted.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
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