■ENGLAND
Ferdinand off to Sunderland
West Ham defender Anton Ferdinand is Sunderland-bound after the London club accepted a bid reported to be approaching £8 million (US$14.7 million), Hammers boss Alan Curbishley said on Sunday. Curbishley told BBC Radio 5 Live: “The board have accepted the bid — he’s not renegotiated his contract — and the decision was taken out of my hands. I don’t know where Anton is in terms of signing for Sunderland — but once the club accept the bid it moves on.”
■SPAIN
Hleb says he needs time
Belarusian international midfielder Alexander Hleb, who joined Barcelona from Arsenal last month, said on Sunday he needs more time to fully adapt to the Spanish giants. “It takes time to adapt. It’s important for me to learn Spanish and to be able to communicate with my teammates and make myself understood on the pitch,” he said in comments published on the club’s Web site. The 27-year-old said he felt most comfortable playing “in the middle, behind the striker” but was able to shine in other positions. “I’ve learned to play in a lot of positions; on the left or on the right and in the middle of midfield, or further forward, wherever the manager needed me,” he said.
■RUSSIA
Danny set to leave Dynamo
Dynamo Moscow’s Portuguese international Daniel Miguel Alves Gomes, known as Danny, is expected to sign next week for UEFA Cup winners Zenit St Petersburg for a record 30 million euros (US$44 million), the Portuguese press reported on Sunday. “It’s great to be the most expensive player in the history of Russian football. Everything should be sorted by Monday,” the 25-year-old told the daily Diario de Noticias. The Portuguese press reported that Russian champions Zenit have accepted to pay the player’s 30-million-euro get out clause with Dynamo. The Venezuela-born midfielder played for the national side for the first time in Wednesday’s 5-0 friendly win over the Faroe Islands.He moved to Dynamo in 2005 from Sporting Lisbon.
■AUSTRIA
Firecracker deafens keeper
Rapid Vienna goalkeeper Georg Koch was hospitalized with hearing problems on Sunday after a firecracker thrown from the stands exploded near his head in the first half of a domestic league match against Austria Vienna. Koch damaged his ear canal when the cracker exploded in the sixth minute and afterward complained about being deaf in the right ear, Rapid Vienna team doctor Benno Zifko said. “Georg has a lot of pain and can’t hear,” Zifko said. “I can’t exclude permanent damage to his ear.” Police said they studied a video recording of the incident and arrested a suspect immediately after the match. The match was interrupted for about 15 minutes after the incident before resuming. Rapid won 3-0 to go atop the league standings.
■PORTUGAL
Porto start with win
Porto began the defense of their Portuguese premier league title with a 2-0 home win over Belenenses on Sunday. The champions went ahead after 15 minutes when Belenenses goalkeeper Paulo Cesar parried Argentine Lisandro Lopez’s shot and his compatriot Mariano Gonzalez knocked in the rebound. Belenenses were reduced to 10 men after 73 minutes when defender Graziano was sent off for a second bookable offence. Newly signed Brazilian Hulk wrapped up the three points with a searing left-footed shot into the top corner from 25m six minutes from the final whistle.
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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