■ SOCCER
Taiwan give India a scare
Taiwan led twice in their friendly international against India in Chennai on Tuesday but the hosts rallied to earn a 2-2 draw. A fourth minute goal by Chen Po-liang gave the visitors an early lead at the Nehru Stadium but India equalized through midfielder ND Pradeep late in the first half. Andy Chen’s side again took the lead just after the break when Hsieh Meng-hsuan scored but Pradeep again restored parity. The game was the second between the two sides within three days, the first ending in a 0-3 defeat for Taiwan in Goa on Saturday. The matches were part of India’s preparations for the South Asian Football Federation Championship, starting in Maldives and Sri Lanka next week.
■ SOCCER
Fans prefer soccer to sex
Half of all European fans would seemingly prefer to watch important matches than have sex, according to a straw poll sponsored by one of the backers of the upcoming Euro 2008 championships. However, the results from individual countries vary. The largest majority preferring to watch soccer to making love being 72 percent of Spanish supporters to 25 percent of Italy fans, duly holding up their reputation as Latin lovers. The poll also saw 60 percent of the 2,000 supporters polled declare that soccer was like a religion to them.
■ SOCCER
Kahn bows out in Kolkata
Thousands of Indian fans gave a boisterous farewell to retiring German stalwart Oliver Kahn in his last game for Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich on Tuesday. Around 120,000 fans packed into the Salt Lake stadium to watch Bayern defeat India’s oldest club Mohun Bagan 3-0 in a friendly in the soccer-mad eastern city of Kolkata. Kahn, 38, voted best player of the 2002 World Cup and three times world goalkeeper of the year, was given a standing ovation when he was substituted in the second half. The organizers presented him with a gold trophy studded with 8,640 diamonds at half-time. “Thank you for this great moment in my career,” Kahn told the fans. “It is a very special moment for me to play my last game in Kolkata and thank you very much for this great night.” Kolkata was the last stop in Bayern’s brief post-season Asia tour, which also included a game in Indonesia.
■ TENNIS
Star backs son after arrest
Yannick Noah, who is marking the 25th anniversary of his French Open title, sprang to the defense of his son Joakim on Tuesday after the basketball star was arrested for possession of marijuana. Yannick Noah, the last Frenchman to win the men’s singles at Roland Garros, told his 23-year-old son, who plays for the Chicago Bulls, that the incident was “nothing serious.” “In the newspapers, there’s a lot of talk about my son who is 23 and has a drink with his friends and who is caught with a joint in his pocket,” said Noah senior. “He called me. He said: ‘Dad, I think I’ve blundered.’ I said: ‘Yes, it’s a mistake but it’s not serious. Don’t change. Make me happy, don’t let it happen again.’” Noah was arrested in Gainesville, Florida, on Sunday on charges of marijuana possession and having an open alcohol container. According to Yannick Noah, his son could face a fine. “I told him that I have fooled around for 20 years and I’m still popular because people think I’m a good bloke. So you can do the same thing,” he said. “When you do something well, it’s extraordinary and when you make a blunder, it’s a catastrophe. It’s all part of the game. After all, you are called Joakim Noah.”
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