■SOCCER
Materazzi wins libel payout
Italy defender Marco Materazzi has won a hefty libel payout from British newspaper the Sun over claims that he called France’s Zinedine Zidane “the son of a terrorist whore,” his lawyer said on Thursday. Britain’s biggest-selling daily, which published an apology in May, has agreed an out-of-court damages settlement, the Inter defender’s lawyer Steven Heffer said. Materazzi has accepted an undisclosed six-figure sum over claims that he used vile, racist abuse during the 2006 World Cup final at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium. The 35-year-old brought High Court libel proceedings over a series of British tabloid articles over the incident in soccer’s biggest showpiece final. After a verbal altercation in extra-time, midfielder Zidane headbutted fellow goalscorer Materazzi and was sent off.
■CYCLING
Frederiek Nolf found dead
Belgian cyclist Frederiek Nolf, competing in the Tour of Qatar, was found dead in his bedroom on Thursday morning prior to stage five, one of the race chiefs, Eddy Merckx, said. Nolf, a member of the Topsport Vlaanderen team, was found dead by teammate Kristof Goddaert in their 14th floor shared room at the Ritz-Carlton. Organizers of the race, Amaury Sports Organization, confirmed the death of Nolf and the day’s stage — from the Camel Race Track to the Doha Foundation — was preceded by a minute’s silence in his memory. “Out of respect for Frederiek Nolf, the riders will form a cortege throughout the stage,” Merckx said. Nolf’s teammates, in shock at the news, did not start the stage. The Belgian rider, who turned professional last year, would have celebrated his 22nd birthday on Tuesday.
■SOCCER
PSV thrash ADO, go fourth
Balazs Dzsudzsak scored three and Nordin Amrabat added two more to engineer PSV Eindhoven’s 6-0 hammering of ADO The Hague in the Dutch league on Thursday. PSV’s new striker Ola Toivonen also scored his second successive league goal for the defending champions, converting Carlos Salcido’s long-range pass in the 47th minute. Thursday’s win helped PSV move to fourth in the standings with 38 points, just two weeks after Dwight Lodeweges replaced Huub Stevens as head coach.
■MOTOGP
Rossi still recovering
World champion Valentino Rossi has not yet fully recovered from a “scary” domestic accident in which he cut his hand and foot. While he was closing the curtains at his home in Italy, the Italian rider fell onto a glass table and cut his left hand and the sole of his foot. “It was very scary because there was a lot of blood everywhere, you know, and I go to [doctor Claudio] Costa and he puts some stitches,” Rossi told Dorna Sports on Thursday. “In 10 days I will be OK,” Rossi said, waving two bandaged fingers.
■SOCCER
Nacional draw and advance
Nacional drew with Ecuador’s El Nacional 3-3 and advanced 8-3 overall into the Copa Libertadores second round on Thursday. Playing with the freedom of a five-goal cushion from the first leg of the preliminary round, Nacional raced ahead 3-0 only for El Nacional to salvage some pride with a plucky comeback in a six-goal first half. Nacional will be in Group 3 with Argentina’s River Plate, Uruguay’s Nacional and Peru’s Universidad San Martin. The match was switched to La Olla Stadium in Asuncion after part of a stand collapsed at the Defensores del Chaco Stadium on Sunday, killing two policemen.
■BASEBALL
Tigers beat Tigers
Venezuela’s Aragua Tigers relied on effective relief pitching to defeat the Dominican Republic’s Licey Tigers 3-2 on Thursday and remain unbeaten in the Caribbean Series in Mexicali, Mexico. Aragua eliminated Licey, the defending champions. The result also knocked out Puerto Rico’s winless Ponce Lions, who lost 5-1 to Mexico’s Mazatlan Venados in 12 innings. That left Aragua and Mazatlan as the only teams who can still win the title. The two teams were to face each other in the decider yesterday. Licey’s losing pitcher Nerio Rodriguez allowed eight hits in five innings. Christian Quinteros drove in the winning run in the 12th, while Freddy Sandoval had two RBI’s and Edgar Gonzalez one for Mazatlan.
■FOOTBALL
Prosecutors ask for leniency
Federal prosecutors urged a judge to sentence former NFL player Dana Stubblefield to probation on Thursday for lying to sports doping investigators about his drug use. They said the lenient sentence was warranted because he provided names of players, trainers and others associated with the NFL who he says used and distributed performance-enhancing drugs. Prosecutors said NFL officials have interviewed Stubblefield and were investigating his claims. Stubblefield played on the defensive line for the San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders from 1993 to 2003. He was the NFL defensive player of the year in 1997 while with the 49ers. Stubblefield was scheduled to be sentenced in San Francisco federal court yesterday.
■BASKETBALL
Allen to take Nelson’s place
Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen will replace injured Orlando Magic guard Jameer Nelson next week in the NBA All-Star game. Allen was added to the Eastern Conference team on Thursday by commissioner David Stern after Nelson was forced to pull out because of a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Allen will be making his ninth All-Star appearance. He also was an injury replacement last season and scored 28 points, helping the East to a 134-128 victory over the West in New Orleans.
■ICE HOCKEY
Sweden defeats Russia 4-3
Sweden killed off Russia’s 5-on-3 advantage during a 1:43 span late in the third period and held on to edge the defending Euro Hockey Tour champion 4-3 in an LG Hockey Games opener in Stockholm on Thursday. Earlier in Prague, Finland beat the Czech Republic 5-3. Sweden’s win snapped a nine-game losing streak against Russia, the reigning world champion and two-time defending Euro Hockey Tour champ. Sweden’s last win against Russia was in the 2007 Euro Hockey Tour final. Russia leads the overall standings. Finland plays Russia and Sweden takes on the Czechs at the Globe today. The tournament ends tomorrow with the Czechs playing Russia and Sweden facing Nordic archrival Finland in Stockholm.
■ATHLETICS
Payton Jordan dies at 91
Payton Jordan, coach of the record-setting 1968 US Olympic athletics team, died Thursday aged 91. Jordan died of cancer at his home in Laguna Hills, California, daughter Cheryl Melville said. He led the US track team to a record 24 medals, 12 of them gold, at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. He served as Stanford University’s track and field coach from 1957 to 1979. Years ago, Jordan recalled how his Olympic team excelled despite some black athletes threatening to boycott the games over a push for civil rights.
ADVANTAGE ATLETICO: Well off the pace in La Liga, the Copa del Rey represents Atletico Madrid’s best chance of silverware this season Atletico Madrid on Thursday hammered Copa del Rey holders Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of their semi-final. After an Eric Garcia own-goal sent Diego Simeone’s side ahead early on, Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman and Julian Alvarez struck to give Atletico a landslide lead by halftime. Barca defender Garcia was sent off in the final stages, with Atletico maintaining their significant advantage on the record 32-time winners, which they take into the second leg at the Camp Nou on March 3. Both sides missed good chances in the second half, with Barca’s Pau Cubarsi having a goal disallowed before Garcia was sent off
Dasun Shanaka hammered the fastest half-century by a Sri Lankan in T20Is as the cohosts thrashed Oman by 105 runs at the World Cup yesterday in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, for their second win in Group B. The 2014 champions piled up 225-5, the highest total of the tournament, before restricting an outclassed Oman to 120-9. The 43-year-old Mohammad Nadeem waged a lone battle for Oman, compiling an unbeaten 53 to become the oldest player to score a 50 in T20 World Cups. Having promoted himself up the order and under pressure to deliver, Sri Lanka skipper Shanaka smashed a 19-ball half-century. It has been
Kawhi Leonard on Sunday scored 41 points, grabbed eight rebounds and made four steals to lead the Los Angeles Clippers in a lopsided 115-96 victory at Minnesota. The 34-year-old forward, a two-time NBA champion, matched the second-best road scoring effort of his career as the Clippers improved to 25-27. “Just being aggressive. My teammates trust me,” Leonard said. “Every moment when I touch the ball — assist, shooting the basketball or getting a rebound — I’m just trying to help the team win.” Leonard made three steals in a row at the start of the contest. “Just wanted to come out early in the
FLOP TO CONQUEROR: It was sweet vindication for Sam Darnold, who played for four NFL teams before his debut season in Seattle ended in the ultimate win The Seattle Seahawks on Sunday coasted to Super Bowl glory, routing the New England Patriots 29-13 as Sam Darnold sealed his journey from flop quarterback to conqueror of the NFL’s biggest prize. Brushing off a reputation for wilting in big games, journeyman quarterback Darnold threw for a touchdown and 200 yards on the grandest stage of all to give the Seahawks their second-ever Lombardi Trophy. “It’s unbelievable. Everything that has happened in my career, but to do it with this team, I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Darnold said. The victory was buoyed by a dominant defensive display and kicker Jason Myers’
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