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■ SOCCER

Villa rejects bid for Barry

Aston Villa rejected a “renewed offer” from Liverpool for Gareth Barry on Wednesday night after disciplining its captain for giving an unauthorized interview to a British newspaper in which he said he wanted to join the Premier League rival. Barry told Sunday’s News of the World that he wanted to leave Villa, where he has played for 10 years, and join Liverpool so he can get Champions League experience. He also criticized manager Martin O’Neill for appearing as an on-screen commentator for the BBC during last month’s European Championship, saying that O’Neill should have been spending his time trying to persuade him to stay. Several British papers reported on Wednesday that Liverpool had offered an initial bid of £15 million (US$29.9 million), with a further £2 million to follow. “The club have received a renewed offer from Liverpool for the player but that still falls well short of Aston Villa’s evaluation, and has subsequently been rejected,” Villa said on Wednesday night.



■ CRICKET

Kirsten warned over site

India’s cricket board has told coach Gary Kirsten not to comment on the team on his personal Web site. “Kirsten cannot write post-match comments or columns as per our policy,” Ratnakar Shetty, the board’s chief administrator officer, said yesterday, adding that only the team captains were allowed to write newspaper or Web site columns. On the site, garykirsten.com, the South African, who took over in March, said there was a need to introduce a rotation policy, adding that one-day captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was in need of rest.



■RUGBY

Rent-a-quote’ Krige rebuked

Former Springbok captain Corne Krige was publicly rebuked by current skipper John Smit yesterday for questioning the credentials of stand-in All Blacks skipper Rodney So’oialo. Smit labeled Krige a “rent-a-quote” for voicing surprise that So’oialo, the All Blacks regular backrower, should be captain and openside flanker in place of the injured Richie McCaw for tomorrow’s opening Tri-Nations Test. “As far as McCaw goes, he’s a massive loss from both a playing and leadership perspective. I’m not sure So’oialo commands the same respect,” Krige told the South African rugby Web site keo.co.za. “I thought it was just nothing talk when they were touting So’oialo as a possible openside. His best position is clearly No. 8 and I don’t think his strength is playing toward the ball.” But So’oialo, the All Blacks regular backrower in recent seasons, found a ready ally in Smit who was quick to rubbish Krige, a loose forward and his predecessor as the Springboks captain until retiring in 2004. “I can’t see how much Corne has had to do with Rodney or the experience he’s had of playing against him,” Smit said. “We seem to have a company in South Africa called rent-a-quote and Corne’s at the top of the list at the moment.”



■TENNIS

Mauresmo to skip Olympics

Amelie Mauresmo, who won the women’s singles silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, yesterday announced her withdrawal from the French team for the Beijing Olympics. The former Wimbledon and Australian Open champion was selected only in the doubles as her world ranking has slumped this year due to loss of form and injuries. “Having not been selected in the singles and with a view to maintaining my fitness in the face of a punishing schedule, I have decided not to take part in the Olympic Games and instead focus on the US Open,” Mauresmo said.

■ BASKETBALL

Yao to raffle off China trip

NBA center Yao Ming is raffling a trip to the Beijing Olympics to raise money for his personal foundation, which he launched to help victims of the May 12 earthquake in China. Tickets for the raffle are US$2 and can be purchased via credit card at www.netraffle.org. The winner, to be announced on July 21, will receive round-trip airfare from a US city to Beijing, a seven-day stay at a hotel in Beijing from Aug. 7-14, two tickets to the China-USA basketball game at the Olympics, a US$1,500 cash stipend, a guided tour of the Great Wall of China, two Houston Rockets jerseys autographed by Yao, two tickets to a Rockets game and a chance to meet Yao after a Rockets game.



■OLYMPICS

Stadium construction halted

Construction work on part of the foundations of the London 2012 Olympic stadium has been temporarily halted after asbestos was found on the site. Work on one section was stopped as a precautionary measure to protect workers from exposure to the material, which can cause tumors and other serious illnesses, the Olympic Delivery Authority said on Wednesday. Illness from inhaling asbestos only usually occurs from repeated exposure over a period of time. Activity on the rest of the Olympic site is continuing as normal. “The health and safety of the work force is our No. 1 priority,” said Lawrence Waterman, the ODA’s head of health and safety. “We are working with the relevant authorities and expect work to restart progressively as protective measures are put in place over the next few days.” The stoppage shouldn’t cause too many delays, since construction on the Olympic Stadium site started three months earlier than planned in May.



■SOCCER

FIFA looks for neutral venue

FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland, is searching for a neutral venue to stage two World Cup qualifiers between warring neighbors Sudan and Chad. World soccer’s governing body has told the two countries to play their African Group 10 games in the same city on Sept. 6 and 10. “The city where the matches will be held will be communicated at a later date,” FIFA said in a statement on Wednesday. The World Cup organizing committee suspended a May 31 game scheduled to be played in Omdurman, near Sudan’s capital Khartoum, after diplomatic relations were broken off between the countries. Their border runs along the troubled Sudanese region of Darfur. The matches are also intended to count toward qualifying for the 2010 African Cup of Nations being staged in Angola.



■FORMULA ONE

Singapore prepares for event

Singapore’s preparations for Formula One’s first night grand prix are on track with three months to go, the city-state’s officials said yesterday as organizers released more tickets. Race promoter Singapore GP said it will be releasing tickets for an additional 1,600 grandstand seats on Friday to meet strong demand for the Sept. 28 race. The additional tickets bring the race’s total daily capacity to 100,600 people, the promoter said. “We are pleased to say that we are on schedule in all areas of race preparation,” Lim Neo Chian, chief executive of the Singapore Tourism Board, told reporters during a briefing. Lim said that all road surfacing and resurfacing works have been completed for the 5km street circuit that winds along streets lined with high-rise buildings and newly restored, British colonial-era mansions.


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