■FRANCE
Players in prostitution probe
Investigators have questioned two French national team players as part of an inquiry into prostitution involving a minor, a judicial source said. One of the players has admitted having a relationship with a prostitute but denied knowing that she was a minor, the source said on condition of anonymity. The players, who were not identified, were questioned by investigators working for Paris examining magistrate Yves Dando, the source said confirming a report by the M6 television station. The investigation concerns a Paris night club, frequented by certain French internationals, which is suspected of employing prostitutes, the source said. L’Equipe newspaper reported yesterday that a third French international player could be questioned in coming weeks as part of the same investigation. “There is no reaction to give on a matter like this,” the president of the French Football Federation Jean-Pierre Escalettes said. “An investigation is underway and I have no information on that. At the moment it is not possible to make a comment.”
■ITALY
Livorno on brink of drop
Serie A bottom side Livorno are on the brink of relegation after losing 2-0 at Chievo Verona on Saturday. Sergio Pellissier drilled a diagonal strike inside the near post to put the hosts ahead in the 28th minute shortly after being denied a strong penalty claim for a push in the back as he was about to shoot. Elvis Abbruscato touched the ball home from close range to wrap up the victory two minutes from time. Livorno have 26 points with four games left to play, nine points less than Bologna in the safety zone before the fourth-bottom side’s visit to Udinese yesterday. Chievo, in contrast, look to have top-flight survival in the bag after a win that puts them 12th, 10 points above the drop zone.
■PORTUGAL
Braga cut Benfica lead
Braga beat Leixoes 3-1 on Saturday to cut Benfica’s lead at the top of the league to three points. Alan scored twice and Moises once for Braga, while Christian Pouga reduced the deficit for Leixoes. Braga are on 64 points and it was the team’s first win against relegation-threatened Leixoes since the 1988-1989 season. Benfica, on 67 points, could increase their lead to six points again yesterday, when they visited Academica. With three games left after this weekend, Benfica are seeking to clinch their first title in five years. Defending champions Porto are third with 56 points and played Guimaraes yesterday.
■UNITED STATES
Angel delights Red Bulls
Juan Pablo Angel scored his first two goals of the season, including a last-minute penalty, to lead the New York Red Bulls to a 2-1 comeback win over FC Dallas on Saturday night. The Red Bulls remained unbeaten in their new US$200 million home, including two MLS matches and a friendly against Santos of Brazil last month. Dallas scored in the 10th minute when Dax McCarty met a cross from Heath Pearce and sent a header past Red Bull goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul to take the lead. Angel equalized in the 56th and converted the penalty to secure the win. At Carson, California, Edson Buddle scored two goals as the Los Angeles Galaxy ended a six-game winless streak against Real Salt Lake and continued their best start to an MLS season since 1998. Buddle opened the scoring in the 12th minute with a header from Landon Donovan’s corner kick and then, after Kyle Beckerman had equalized for Real in the 41st, Buddle scored the winner in the 76th minute.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later