■ENGLAND
Wenger backs Almunia
Arsene Wenger believes Manuel Almunia could be England’s goalkeeper at next year’s World Cup finals in South Africa. The keeper, born in Spain but who will soon be eligible for England under residency rules, was outstanding in the Gunners’ 1-0 Champions League semi-final defeat to Manchester United midweek and Wenger believes his faith in the often-criticized 31-year-old has been vindicated by a display that has ensured Arsenal still have a chance of some silverware this season. “I believe he is not only good enough, but he is the best,” Wenger said of the possibility of Almunia declaring his availability for England. “It is down to what you expect morally and mentally from a national team. I believe at some stage you have to observe just the rules and decide what you want. On the English side, for the national team, it is not so much a problem because if the guy decides to become English, he has had to observe and respect the rules like anybody else. It is more a moral problem maybe for Manuel Almunia, because does he consider he has a chance to play in the Spanish national team or not?”
■GERMANY
Hannover move up to 11th
Hannover 96 won 2-0 at VfL Bochum for their first Bundesliga win on the road this season and all but made sure of avoiding relegation on Friday. Arnold Bruggink and Hanno Balitsch scored in the first half. The win put Hannover in 11th place with 35 points, 10 points away from the relegation zone with four games remaining. Bochum stayed 14th with 28 points, three points above the relegation places. Jacek Krzynowek won the ball and charged down the flank to set up Bruggink with a perfect header in the 12th minute. Bruggink set up the second goal with a corner. With Bochum goalkeeper Daniel Fernandes mistiming his jump, Hanno Balitsch headed in from close range in the 32nd minute.
■MEXICO
Reynoso sorry for gestures
Chivas Guadalajara defender Hector Reynoso apologized on Friday for coughing and making other gestures in an opponent’s face, pretending he wanted to spread swine flu. The Mexican defender coughed several times in the face of Everton’s Sebastian Penco in a Copa Libertadores match on Wednesday. Chivas drew with the Chile club 1-1 to reach the knockout stages of Latin America’s most important club tournament. “I’ve cooled off now, but at the time I reacted and perhaps it wasn’t an appropriate thing that I was doing,” Reynoso said. “I offer my apology to the club and player.”
■ENGLAND
Grieving Defoe to return
England striker Jermain Defoe spoke on Friday about the pain he felt following the death of his half-brother Jade last week, then said he was ready to start playing for Tottenham Hotspur again. Jade died last Friday aged 26 after suffering serious head injuries when he was attacked in east London on April 20. Defoe, also 26, was left out of the Spurs squad for their Premier League match at Manchester United the next day, but was likely to be in the squad for yesterday’s game against West Bromwich Albion at White Hart Lane. He told Tottenham’s Web site: “My mum turned up at the training ground and, because I’m so close to my mum and my family, I knew instantly something was wrong. She didn’t have to say a word, I knew ... I went straight to the hospital. It wasn’t a nice experience, but it was one I’ll never forget. When things like that happen it puts everything else into perspective.”
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but