■SOCCER
Subotic opts for Serbia
Bosnian-born defender Neven Subotic has chosen to play soccer for Serbia instead of the US. Subotic, who holds a US passport, has played for the US under-17 and under-20 teams. He now plays for Borussia Dortmund in the German league. Subotic wrote to US soccer officials, informing them of his decision to play for Serbia. “We wish Neven all the best and continued success in the future,” US Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati said on Thursday. Subotic had until next Dec. 10, his 21st birthday, to chose his senior national team under the rules. He could have picked the US, Bosnia or Serbia. Serbia coach Radomir Antic has said he plans to pair Subotic with Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidic in the center of Serbia’s defense in next year’s World Cup qualifiers.
■SOCCER
Reims appoint Fernandez
Former Paris Saint-Germain and Athletic Bilbao coach Luis Fernandez has agreed to take over as coach at struggling French second division side Reims, club sources said on Thursday. The much-traveled Fernandez, 49, has been working as a television commentator since he stood down as manager at Real Betis in Spain in June last year, but he has always said that he would be ready to return to coaching if the offer was right. Reims are currently bottom of France’s second divison, a long way from their glory days of the 1950s and 1960s when they were one of the best teams in Europe.
■BOXING
Conte fingers Mosley
Victor Conte says boxer Shane Mosley would arrive by limousine for visits to his office where Conte provided him with steroids, USA Today newspaper reported on Wednesday. Conte, whose BALCO laboratories sparked stunning scandals in athletics and baseball, alleges in court papers filed on Tuesday that he charged Mosley US$900 for blood-boosting drug EPO and US$600 for the steroids known as “the cream” and “the clear.” Conte says he also billed Mosley US$200 for the limousine Mosley used to get around in. He also charged him US$150 for blood work before Mosley’s 2003 title fight against Oscar De La Hoya. Conte is trying to have a defamation suit filed by Mosley against him dismissed.
■SOCCER
Ramos looks to improve
Real Madrid coach Juande Ramos said on Thursday that the Spanish champions, trailing in fifth position behind arch rivals Barcelona in La Liga, were experiencing “a complicated situation.” Yet the former Tottenham Hotspur boss, who replaced Bernd Schuster at the Bernabeu this month, insisted things would only get better. “The team’s experiencing a complicated situation, but I’m hopeful and I like challenges,” Ramos wrote on his personal Web site on Thursday. “I’m sure the team’s going to get better ... we’re not even at the halfway point of the season and we can still achieve lots of things and above all give satisfaction to our fans.”
■TENNIS
Pierce not ready to retire
Two-time Grand Slam champion Mary Pierce isn’t ready to hang up her racket just yet. Despite being sidelined by a knee injury since 2006, the Frenchwoman told sports daily L’Equipe that she’d like to play again at the French Open. “I care about Roland Garros. If I could stand in center court for one match, that would already be a big victory,” she said. “I don’t feel it’s the right moment [to announce my retirement],” she told L’Equipe, adding that her left leg was weak, but her knee had recovered.
■BASKETBALL
Francis back with Grizzlies
Steve Francis never wanted to play for the last-place Grizzlies when the Vancouver franchise made him their first round draft pick in 1999. Chances are he won’t be much happier in his return to the Grizzly franchise either. Now an NBA journeyman, the aging former all-star Francis was traded on Wednesday by Houston to Memphis where the former Vancouver franchise moved when it left western Canada. The last-place Memphis Grizzlies (9-19) acquired Francis, a second-round draft pick next year and cash considerations from the Rockets, who received a conditional second-round pick in 2011. Francis was drafted second overall out of college by Vancouver but never played a game there, saying he wanted to play in a bigger NBA market. Vancouver traded him to Houston in a three-team, 11 player deal in August 1999. Francis hasn’t appeared in a game for Houston this season and played in just 10 games last season. The often injured Francis was scheduled to make US$2.63 million this season, meaning that the deal merely constitutes a salary dump for Houston. Francis was considered one of the NBA’s top all-around point guards during his first stint with Houston and has averaged 18.1 points in parts of nine seasons.
■BASKETBALL
Suns sign ‘Dee’ Brown
The Phoenix Suns have signed free agent guard Daniel ‘Dee’ Brown, the NBA club said on Wednesday. Brown entered the NBA with the Utah Jazz in the 2006 draft and spent his rookie season in Salt Lake City before moving to Galatasaray in Turkey for the 2007-2008 season. The pacey Brown made 11 starts this season for the Washington Wizards before being released two weeks ago.
■OLYMPICS
Harbin may make bid
The northeastern Chinese city of Harbin is considering a bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics and could make a decision following an international sports event there in February, state press said on Thursday. “We are considering a bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics, although the decision has to be approved by Chinese sports authorities,” the China Daily quoted Li Zhanshu, governor of Heilongjiang Province, as saying. “If the hosting of the 2009 Winter Universiade [games in February] can win applause from all guests, it will enhance our confidence to bid for the Winter Olympic Games.”
■SAILING
Team Russia pulls out
Team Russia has withdrawn from the round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race because of insufficient funding, team backer Oleg Zherebtsov said. “By this stage in the Volvo campaign we had intended to find sponsorship, but this process has been impacted by the global economic situation,” Zherebtsov, the founder of a Russian hypermarket chain, announced late on Tuesday. He said he had been financing the team with his own money in anticipation of sponsorship, which did not come about. Team Russia said it had “suspended” racing after arriving in Singapore at the end of the race’s third stage. Teams completed the third stage from Kochi, India on Tuesday. Spanish yacht Telefonica Blue sailed into the city-state first, snatching the lead from Sweden’s Ericsson 4 as the boats headed for the finish. Teams will leave Singapore on Jan. 18 for Qingdao, China, on the fourth stage of the event. The race, one of the most arduous in sport, will end in St Petersburg, Russia, in June after nine months negotiating 10 stages totaling more than 68,500km.
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
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
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
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
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