■SOCCER
Ex-Argentina star near death
Former Argentina defender Fernando Caceres is in a grave condition with a bullet in his head after resisting a robbery. The 40-year-old Caceres, who played for Argentina at the 1994 World Cup, was shot in the head early on Sunday after a group of car-jackers tried to steal his BMW in Buenos Aires. Diego Maradona called crime a “time bomb” in Argentina after visiting Caceres early on Monday. He told T and C Sports that leaving your house is a risk and that nobody in the government is doing anything about it. Caceres also played for Spanish teams Zaragoza, Valencia and Celta de Vigo and Argentinos Juniors, River Plate, Boca Juniors and Independiente in Argentina.
■RUGBY UNION
Ex-’Boks skipper gets boot
Former Springbok captain Joost van der Westhuizen has been fired from his job as a television commentator after admitting he had indulged in an extra-marital sexual liaison and taken drugs. The 38-year-old told the South African newspaper the Sunday Times that the termination of his contract with pay-television station SuperSport was part of “my punishment for my mistakes.” The admission is made in Van der Westhuisen’s forthcoming biography.
■FOOTBALL
Saints stay unbeaten
The Saints equaled their best start to an NFL season with Pierre Thomas scoring two touchdowns in a 35-27 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Monday that gave them a seventh consecutive victory. Drew Brees had 308 yards passing and Jabari Greer returned an interception for a score to help the Saints equal the club’s unbeaten start in 1991. Greer’s touchdown was the Saints’ fifth score on an interception this season, equaling a single-season club mark set in 1998. Tracy Porter also had an interception on the Saints’ 1-yard line on a pass tipped by Jonathan Vilma in the fourth quarter, preserving a 28-24 lead. Darren Sharper sealed the win with his seventh interception of the season in the final seconds, the third interception of the game thrown by Matt Ryan.
■ICE HOCKEY
Islanders stretch streak
Brendan Witt posted his first two-goal game in the NHL as the New York Islanders stretched their winning streak to a season-high four games with a 3-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night. Witt, a defenseman in his 14th NHL season, has netted only 25 in his 862-game career and had gone 92 contests since his previous goal on Jan. 22, last year, at Carolina. Doug Weight, New York’s 38-year-old captain, helped set up rookie John Tavares’ first-period goal and earned another assist on Witt’s second. New York lost its first six games of the season but has won five since. Ethan Moreau scored for Edmonton, which has lost five of six overall and has dropped five straight on the road. In other NHL action on Monday it was Flyers 6, Lightning 2 and Kings 5, Coyotes 3.
■SQUASH
Gaultier wins at World Open
World No. 1 Gregory Gaultier reached the last 16 of the World Open after beating world No. 32 Julian Illingworth of the US 11-3, 11-8, 8-11, 11-3. He next plays Ong Beng Hee, the 13th seeded Malaysian, and the winner could play the in-form Nick Matthew, the fifth seeded British Open champion from England. Ramy Ashour — the defending world champion played well in fits and starts while winning 12-10, 11-8, 11-3 against fellow-Egyptian Omar Mosaad.
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