■SOCCER
Star apologizes for incident
England and Tottenham Hotspur star Ledley King on Sunday apologized for a nightclub incident that led to him being questioned over an alleged assault. In a statement on the club’s Web site, the 28-year-old said: “I sincerely regret that a night out with friends went too far.” Referring to Spurs manager Harry Redknapp, he went on: “I have apologized to Harry and I fully appreciate that, as a professional footballer, I have a duty to behave in a responsible manner. I am assisting the police with their enquiries. Anyone who knows me, knows that much of what has been suggested is totally out of character.” King was reportedly held after a man was attacked in the early hours outside a club in London. The alleged incident came hours after Spurs drew 0-0 with Everton. The alleged victim, who did not require medical treatment, said in an interview with Sky News that King, who is black, made racist remarks to him and pushed him. “We refused to let him come inside because he was so drunk. He started calling us different names and he started saying to me racist comments,” Wahib Butt told Sky. “He was saying to me that I’m fat, I’m earning less than him, he’s a rich guy so he’s got nothing to lose and I’ve got everything to lose.”
■FORMULA ONE
FIA probes blacked-up fan
Formula One’s governing body said it was investigating reports of a blacked-up spectator at the Spanish Grand Prix circuit where world champion Lewis Hamilton suffered racial abuse last season. “We are aware of it and looking into it,” said a spokeswoman for the International Automobile Federation (FIA) at the Circuit de Catalunya on Sunday. The BBC Web site published a picture of one blacked-up spectator wearing a McLaren shirt among a total Sunday attendance of 92,430 people. There was no suggestion that Hamilton had experienced any abuse. The FIA warned the Spanish authorities last year that they could face sanctions if there was any repeat of the incidents experienced by Hamilton, Formula One’s first black champion, at a test in February last year.
■SOCCER
Porto claim Portuguese title
FC Porto clinched a fourth successive Portuguese league title on Sunday when they beat Nacional Madere 1-0 watched by 50,000 fans. The only goal of the game was scored by defender and Portugal skipper Bruno Alves in the 48th minute from a corner by Raul Meireles. Porto have 66 points, six ahead of Sporting Lisbon with two games left, but have a better head-to-head record. Sunday’s win was Porto’s 21st consecutive match without defeat. They can wrap up a domestic double on May 31 when they meet Pacos de Ferreira in the Portuguese Cup final.
■SOCCER
Multi-talented Aussie dies
Former Australian international Brian Vogler has died after a lengthy illness, Football Federation Australia said yesterday. The 76-year-old Vogler, who began his career as a rugby league player and later became a competitive cricketer and lawn bowler, died on Wednesday. Although selected in the Australian squad that competed at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, Vogler did not make his international debut until after the games in a friendly against India at the Sydney Sports Ground in December of the same year. Vogler scored on debut, Australia’s only goal in a 7-1 loss to India. He played two more matches for Australia — against New Zealand in 1958 and in 1959 in a B-International against touring Scottish side Heart of Midlothian.
■TENNIS
Djokovic triumphs at home
World No. 3 Novak Djokovic won the inaugural ATP Serbia Open claycourt tournament by beating Polish lucky loser Lukasz Kubot 6-3, 7-6 (7/0) in front of his home crowd in Belgrade on Sunday. It was the top-seeded Serbian’s second tournament triumph of the year after his victory at the Dubai Open at the end of February and comes just two weeks before the French Open at Roland Garros.
■GOLF
Feherty apologizes for joke
CBS Sports golf analyst David Feherty apologized on Sunday to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for a morbid joke that went bad in a Dallas magazine. Feherty, one of the most popular golf analysts for his sharp wit and self-deprecating humor, was among five Dallas residents who wrote for D Magazine on former president George W. Bush moving to Dallas. “From my own experience visiting the troops in the Middle East, I can tell you this though,” Feherty wrote toward the end of his column. “Despite how the conflict has been portrayed by our glorious media, if you gave any US soldier a gun with two bullets in it, and he found himself in an elevator with Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Osama bin Laden, there’s a good chance that Nancy Pelosi would get shot twice, and Harry Reid and bin Laden would be strangled to death.” “This passage was a metaphor meant to describe how American troops felt about our 43rd president,” Feherty said in a statement. “In retrospect, it was inappropriate and unacceptable, and has clearly insulted Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid, and for that, I apologize. As for our troops, they know I will continue to do as much as I can for them both at home and abroad.”
■TENNIS
Montanes sinks Blake
Spain’s Albert Montanes battled past American James Blake 5-7, 7-6, 6-0 to win the Estoril Open in Estoril, Portugal, on Sunday. The 35th-ranked Spaniard saved two match points in the second set and went on to overwhelm the exhausted fourth seed in the deciding third set. Blake’s semi-final against second seed Nikolay Davydenko was interrupted by rain and he was forced to complete the match on Sunday morning, beating the Russian 6-7, 7-6, 6-2 by using a varied style to overcome his opponent’s strong baseline game. But that effort took its toll in the third set of the final, with Blake losing his composure and making several unforced errors.
■GOLF
Daly’s diet bears fruit
Twice major champion John Daly saw the fruits of his decision to lose weight and fix his swing when he finished tied for second in the Italian Open in Turin on Sunday six shots behind Argentine Daniel Vancsik. It was Daly’s best result for nearly four years as the American 1991 US PGA winner and 1995 British Open champion showed he is serious about making a comeback following his US Tour ban at the end of last year. While Vancsik cantered to his second European Tour title with a closing round of six-under-par 65 for a 17-under 267 total, Daly, who fired a six-birdie 66, was particularly delighted his accuracy off the tee has returned. “It was always going to be difficult winning because every time I made a birdie Vancsik did but I had my eye on second place,” Daly, wearing a pair of yellow trousers with psychedelic patterns, told reporters. As well as working hard on his game, Daly has battled successfully with his weight. He has lost 27kg in the last three months by way of a surgical implant and a strict diet.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
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