■MEXICO
Players looking for Cup win
Mexico’s players are united in their belief that the team must win next month’s Gold Cup in the US to win back the respect of fans after coach Javier Aguirre named his 23-man squad for the tournament on Sunday. Aguirre’s squad for friendlies in the US against Venezuela on June 24 and Guatemala four days later, as well as the July 3 to July 26 Gold Cup has a strong local feel, with only England-based Carlos Vela and Giovani dos Santos not playing for Mexican clubs. “It’s our obligation, without doubt, to think of winning it [the Gold Cup] to recover the respect and confidence of the people, so they believe again in the national team,” defender Ismael Rodriguez told a news conference.
■SOUTH AFRICA
Brazilians robbed at Cup
Brazil became the second nation at the Confederations Cup to say it has been robbed. Brazil coach Dunga said on Sunday members of the team’s delegation were robbed at the hotel they are staying in. Dunga did not elaborate, but team spokesman Rodrigo Paiva said “a jacket and some money” disappeared from some of the rooms at the Centurion Lake hotel, just outside Pretoria. They think it happened when the team went to a safari on Friday and Paiva said Brazil contacted authorities about the incident. Paiva said two rooms were apparently robbed, including that of fullback Kleber and a team physiotherapist. They don’t think anything was taken from other players and team members. The alleged robbery comes just days after five Egyptian players said their Johannesburg hotel rooms were burgled while they were beating Italy on Thursday at Ellis Park.
■SPAIN
Laporta wants Eto’o to stay
Barcelona president Joan Laporta said on Sunday he hoped Samuel Eto’o would see out the rest of his career at the club despite interest in the Cameroon striker from major European clubs. Eto’o “is the best striker in the world, highly valued in the market. It would be nice if he could finish his career at Barca,” Laporta said. “Eto’o’s contract ends next season and that requires us to sit and talk. The club wants him to continue for many more years, always in line with our wage structure,” he was quoted as saying on the club’s Web site. Eto’o was Barcelona’s top scorer in the league last season with 30 goals and helped them win a unique treble of league, Spanish cup and European Champions League trophies.
■ITALY
Milan open to offers for Pirlo
AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi has said the Serie A club is open to offers for Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo. “If there’s an offer, it should be considered,” Berlusconi was quoted as saying by yesterday’s La Gazzetta dello Sport when asked about Pirlo, amid speculation he could join former Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea. “We’ll see. I was the first to say that he must stay, but then they showed me the sums [for his salary],” Berlusconi said.
■AUSTRALIA
Anderson to join Gold Coast
Former Brazilian youth international Anderson Alves da Silva has joined A-League side Gold Coast United on a short-term contract to cover for injured compatriot Jefferson, the club said yesterday. Jefferson tore his knee cartilage in training last week and that is likely to keep the midfielder out for three to four months. Anderson, a Brazilian under-17 and under-20 international, who spent four years with Flamengo, is set to join his new teammates in Singapore next week.
FRUSTRATION: Alcaraz made several unforced errors over four sets against Bosnian Damir Dzumhur, who had never made it past the third round in a major competition Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached the fourth round of the French Open after laboring past Damir Dzumhur 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 in the Friday night session. The second-seeded Spaniard had never before played Dzumhur, a 33-year-old Bosnian who had never been past the third round at any major tournament. “I suffered quite a lot today,” Alcaraz said. “The first two sets was under control, then he started to play more deeply and more aggressively. It was really difficult for me.” Dzumhur hurt his left knee in a fall in the second round, and had treatment on Friday on his right leg during the
‘DREAM’: The 5-0 victory was PSG’s first Champions League title, and the biggest final win by any team in the 70-year history of the top-flight European competition Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League for the first time as Luis Enrique’s brilliant young side outclassed Inter on Saturday in the most one-sided final ever with teenager Desire Doue scoring twice in an astonishing 5-0 victory. Doue supplied the pass for Achraf Hakimi to give PSG an early lead and the 19-year-old went from provider to finisher as his deflected shot doubled the advantage in the 20th minute. Doue scored again just after the hour mark, ending any doubt about the outcome before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ran away to get the fourth and substitute Senny Mayulu, another teenager, made it five. Inter were
The Greek basketball league finals between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos were suspended by the government on Monday following on-court scuffles involving rival security teams. The best-of-five series is at 1-1. The third game, scheduled for today, has been postponed. The owners of both clubs were summoned to meet with the country’s sports minister. They “will be asked to provide explicit guarantees that this situation will be brought to an end. If not, this year’s championship will be definitively canceled,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said. “There can be no tolerance for such pathological phenomena of violence and delinquency.” In online posts, the owners of Panathinaikos and
Defender Steph Catley says her UEFA Women’s Champions League title win with Arsenal last week will act as motivation to secure continental glory with Australia when the country hosts the Women’s Asian Cup next year. Catley and compatriots Caitlin Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross were part of the Arsenal squad that defeated Barcelona in Lisbon on Sunday last week, before flying to Melbourne to feature in the Matildas’ 2-0 win over Argentina on Friday. The game was the first in a two-match series against the South Americans as the Australians continue preparations for the continental championship in March next year, when they would
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