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Mourinho extends Inter deal
Jose Mourinho put an end to rumors linking him with taking over as coach of Real Madrid on Monday when it was announced he had extended his contract with Serie A champions Inter. The Portuguese — who had suggested that he wasn’t 100 percent certain of staying in Italy last Thursday before denying he was going anywhere on Saturday — was originally contracted to Inter till June 2011 but his extension will see him stay there till June 2012.
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Ex-NBA star arrested
Former NBA star Jayson Williams was arrested on Monday after authorities say he punched someone outside a Raleigh nightclub after a dispute. Williams was charged with one count of simple assault and released on US$1,000 bond. Williams, who played nine seasons for the New Jersey Nets and Philadelphia 76ers before retiring in 2000, is facing a retrial on a charge of reckless manslaughter in the 2002 shooting death of his driver, Costas Christofi, at his mansion. According to testimony, Williams was showing visitors a shotgun when it went off, killing Christofi. Williams was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter, but the jury deadlocked on a reckless manslaughter count. A retrial is pending, and he has been free on bail since the shooting. He has apologized to Christofi’s relatives and given them US$2.5 million to settle a civil suit. He was convicted in 2004 of trying to cover up the shooting, but a judge has ruled he won’t be sentenced until after the retrial on the manslaughter charge.
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Players to honor Braille
France players will have their name written in Braille on the back of their team jerseys against Nigeria next week to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille, the inventor of a system used by blind people worldwide for reading and writing. Coach Raymond Domenech said on Monday that the players will wear the jerseys as a tribute to Braille when they face the Super Eagles on Tuesday in Saint-Etienne. The initiative is in partnership with the French federation for the blind, and some of the jerseys will be sold at auction.
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Yao-LeBron pairing possible
Chinese fans are predicting Yao Ming will join LeBron James at the Cleveland Cavaliers after reports a Hong Kong-based company is set to take a minority share in the NBA franchise. US media reported over the weekend that New World Development Company was to take a 15 percent holding in the Cavaliers, the second-largest stake after owner Dan Gilbert. The potential pairing of Yao with James has captured the imagination of Chinese fans. “If Yao Ming becomes the team mate of LeBron James, the pair will be invincible in the league,” a web user commented on portal Sohu.com. The investment, which must be approved by the NBA’s board of governors, would be a first major investment by a Chinese company in a US sporting franchise.
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Strachan quits Celtic
Gordon Strachan quit as manager of Celtic on Monday, the day after the club lost their Scottish Premier League (SPL) title battle with arch-rivals Rangers. Strachan won three consecutive SPL titles before the team finished as runners-up to Rangers this season. Celtic were well-placed to land the title again but a 1-0 defeat by Rangers and two 0-0 draws in their last two matches cost them top spot and an automatic place in next season’s Champions League group stage.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
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
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and