■SOCCER
Al-Ahly win Super Cup
Angola World Cup striker Flavio Amado was the hero on Friday when Al-Ahly of Egypt confirmed they are the best club on the continent by lifting the African Super Cup a record fourth time. Amado headed both goals as Ahly defeated CS Sfaxien of Tunisia 2-1 in the annual one-off match between the holders of the African Champions League and the African Confederation Cup. It was the fourth time Ahly have lifted the trophy, moving them ahead of fierce Cairo rivals Zamalek, while Sfaxien became the first club to lose consecutive Super Cup matches. The Egyptian club won a record sixth African Champions League last November with a 4-2 aggregate triumph over Cotonsport Garoua of Cameroon and also lifted the now defunct African Cup Winners Cup an unsurpassed four times. Ahly succeeded despite the absence of injury-plagued midfielder Mohamed Aboutraika. Since Emad Moteab was lent to Saudi Arabian club Ittihad Jeddah, 30-year-old Flavio has often been deployed as a lone striker by Portuguese coach Manuel Jose, but the goals continue to flow. He gave Ahly the lead on 47 minutes, Ivorian Blaise Kouassi leveled just past the hour mark and Amado struck again 20 minutes from time off another cross by compatriot Felisberto “Gilberto” Amaral to secure victory.
■RUGBY UNION
Carter goes under the knife
All Blacks fly-half Dan Carter underwent surgery on Friday to repair his torn Achilles tendon that will keep him out for six months. “Dan Carter had an operation under general anesthetic [on] Friday morning at the Sauvegarde clinic in Lyon by doctor David Dejour,” said a statement released by his Perpignan club. “The procedure went well and lasted half an hour. Dan Carter could walk again immediately, but will only really be able to put weight on his [left] foot in four to six weeks before a specific rehabilitation program that should allow him to resume playing in six months.” The 26-year-old Carter was hurt in the closing minutes of last weekend’s French Top 14 match against Stade Francais.
■CRICKET
Taibu to expose ‘corruption’
Former Zimbabwe captain Tatenda Taibu, who faces a trial over allegations he assaulted a leading cricket official, has pledged to use his day in court to blow the lid on “corruption” in the game, his lawyer said. Taibu has been accused of assaulting Zimbabwe Cricket general manager Esther Lupepe last year. She claims that he grabbed her by the collar and jostled her during a confrontation over outstanding salary and expenses payments. He was scheduled to appear at Rotten Row magistrates court on Friday, but because he is on tour in Kenya, the trial has been put back, probably until the middle of next month, his lawyer Jonathan Samkange said. Samkange is reported to have stated at an earlier hearing that Taibu would take the opportunity to “expose corruption” in Zimbabwe Cricket.
■SOCCER
Iraq fire coach Vieira
Iraq have fired their Brazilian coach Jorvan Vieira following the team’s disappointing performance in last month’s Gulf Cup, a senior sports official said on Friday. The decision ends Vieira’s second stint in charge of the team. Previously, he led Iraq to a 2007 Asian Cup title, before stepping down unexpectedly shortly afterward. Vieira returned to coach the team in September, but the head of the Iraq Football Federation, Najeh Hamoud, said it had decided to terminate his contract. Vieira’s Iraqi assistant, Rahim Hameed, has also had his contract terminated.
■FREESTYLE SKIING
Canada sweeps medals
Chris Del Bosco led Canada’s sweep of the medals in the Freestyle World Cup skicross event on Friday at the mountain where the sport will make its Olympic debut in a year. Stanley Hayer and Davey Barr followed the US-born Del Bosco, who has dual citizenship. Canadians took the top two spots in the women’s event, too. Aleisha Cline beat Ashleigh McIvor and Austrian Karin Huttart finished third. In aerials, Steve Omischl of Canada beat Anton Kushnir of Belarus and Stanislav Kravchuk of Ukraine. Evelyne Leu of Switzerland was the top women’s aerialist, finishing ahead of Chinese skiers Shuangfei Dai and Shuang Cheng.
■BOBSLED
Rohbock wins fourth medal
Shauna Rohbock of the US won her fourth medal of the bobsled World Cup season on Friday, winning on the track where the Winter Olympics will be held in a year. Rohbock and brakewoman Elana Meyers clocked 1 minute, 47.10 seconds to beat Canada’s Kaillie Humphries by less than 0.2 seconds. American Erin Pac was third in 1:47.40 in the first event on the 16-turn concrete refrigerated track built for next year’s Vancouver Games. Rohbock’s second run hit a top speed of 144.6kph and set a track record of 55.53 seconds. Tour leaders Sandra Kiriasis and Patricia Polifka of Germany struggled with their starts and were fifth in the 20-sled field.
■BASKETBALL
James loses triple-double
LeBron James lost his latest triple-double when the NBA determined on Friday that one of his rebounds should have been credited to Cleveland Cavaliers teammate Ben Wallace. James scored a season-high 52 points and had 11 assists on Wednesday in the 107-102 victory at New York. He was believed to have a triple-double when he grabbed what went down as a 10th rebound with less than two seconds left. However, the league reviewed the game and ruled that a rebound given to James with 39.3 seconds remaining should have been credited to Wallace. The corrected statistics now have James with nine rebounds and Wallace with two.
■FOOTBALL
Chiefs hire Todd Haley
Todd Haley was hired as coach of the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday after helping the Arizona Cardinals reach the Super Bowl as coordinator of one of the NFL’s most exciting offenses. Haley joins a team that went a franchise-worst 2-14 under coach Herm Edwards, who was fired on Jan. 23. Edwards lost all but two of his last 25 games and launched a rebuilding project that made the Chiefs the league’s youngest team this season. Haley called this an “ideal situation” for him. The Chiefs haven’t won a playoff game since an aging Joe Montana was their quarterback in the 1993 season.
■BASEBALL
Varitek plans comeback
Veteran catcher and team captain Jason Varitek will officially return for the Red Sox after signing a one-year deal with Boston with dual player and club options for 2010. No further terms were disclosed, but reports said Varitek would make US$5 million this year, with a US$5 million option for next year. If the Red Sox do not pick up that option, Varitek reportedly has the choice of remaining with the club on a US$3 million deal. Next year, Varitek can reportedly earn another US$2 million in incentives based on playing time. Varitek earned US$10 million last year. The two-time All-Star, who turns 37 on April 11, struggled last year though his worst season statistically of his 11-year tenure with Boston.
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two