■SOCCER
Match-fixing ref banned
UEFA banned Ukrainian referee Oleh Orekhov from all soccer activities for life on Thursday for helping fix matches. UEFA said its disciplinary panel used “information from ongoing investigations by German police into match-fixing and corruption” in the case. The European soccer authority said Orekhov was charged with breaching “principles of loyalty and integrity.” Fraud and organized-crime officers in Bochum, Germany, have been investigating more than 200 matches played in at least 11 countries. Orekhov, who can appeal the verdict to UEFA, is the third referee to be sanctioned. Bosnian referee Novo Panic was banned for life last month and Croatian assistant referee Tomislav Setka was suspended until July 2011.
■SOCCER
Whiskey galore for Park
Beverage maker Pernod Ricard is hoping to cash in on the World Cup by combining two of South Korea’s favorite things in a limited-edition whiskey named after soccer star Park Ji-sung. Manchester United midfielder Park, who advertised local Hite beer before the 2002 World Cup finals, will be an integral member of the South Korean squad for the tournament in South Africa. “We expect the whiskey to appeal to fans ahead of the World Cup in South Africa in June,” an official at Pernod Ricard Korea told the Chosun Ilbo newspaper.
■CRICKET
Good news for Proteas
South Africa captain Graeme Smith is expected to recover from a fractured finger in time to play in the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies next month, Cricket South Africa said yesterday. Medical specialists reviewed x-rays and scans of the injury late on Thursday and believe that Smith will be back to full fitness in four weeks. Smith suffered a double fracture to his right middle finger while taking a catch in the Indian Premier League.
■RUGBY UNION
England to face Wallabies
England will visit Australia in June for two Tests against the Wallabies, the Rugby Football Union said on Thursday. Martin Johnson’s squad will face Australia in Perth on June 12 and in Sydney on June 19. England will also play the Australian Barbarians on June 8 and June 15, before traveling to face New Zealand Maori on June 23.
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