■SOCCER
FIFA suspends El Salvador
FIFA has suspended El Salvador from all international competition after its government has refused to recognize the authorities set up to run football in the Central American country. FIFA prohibits governments from interfering in the election of officials to run football and could extend El Salvador’s ban for a further year if the situation is not resolved by June 8. FIFA said it considers the actions of the El Salvador government to be “clear interference.” El Salvador failed to qualify for the World Cup.
■MOTORSPORT
Chile seeks Dakar damages
The Chilean office in charge of archaeological and historical sites said it wants US$570,000 in compensation for damage caused by participants in the Dakar rally in January. The office wants the money from the country’s National Sports Institute, which co-hosted the rally, the daily El Mercurio reported on Tuesday. The National Monuments Council (CMN) said that rally participants caused damage to 56 of the 111 heritage sites the route went through, and 13 of the sites, mostly in the Quillaga region northeast of Antofagasta, reported a serious loss of archaeological data. Four of those sites, including a site where pre-Hispanic natives made stone tools, suffered major damage of more than 50 percent, according to the Council.
■ICE HOCKEY
Glendale to keep Coyotes
The city of Glendale, Arizona, on Tuesday agreed to guarantee the National Hockey League up to US$25 million to keep the Phoenix Coyotes in the city for the next season. By a unanimous vote, the Glendale City Council approved the agreement that would come into effect if no buyer can be found for the financially struggling franchise by September. The NHL bought the Coyotes last November. City officials said that separate negotiations continue with two groups, Chicago sports figure Jerry Reinsdorf and Ice Age Holdings, to buy the team and that they anticipate an agreement by the end of next month.
■GOLF
Mitsuka bans herself
Japanese golfer Yuko Mitsuka has banned herself from a total of 11 women’s tournaments after being fined for storming off the course over a two-stroke penalty. The 25-year-old downed clubs and quit midway through her first round at last week’s World Ladies Championship in protest at being penalized for slow play. Mitsuka was fined a record ¥2 million (US$21,590), but voluntarily withdrew from eight domestic and three overseas events as a sign of contrition. “This is the biggest fine in Japanese LPGA history and reflects the seriousness of what took place,” the tour’s Hideaki Otani said yesterday. “The player offered to withdraw from those tournaments and the tour accepted that as the right punishment.”
■BASEBALL
G20 meet forces move
Baseball officials said on Tuesday that next month’s G20 summit in Toronto has forced them to move a three-game series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Philadelphia Phillies to Philadelphia. Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said that because of security concerns, moving the June 25 to June 27 series was the best option. The game would have been ace pitcher Roy Halladay’s first return visit to Toronto’s Rogers Center since he was traded to the Phillies in the offseason. It’s the lone interleague matchup between the clubs this season. The series was expected to be one of the Blue Jays’ biggest draws of the season.
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staged a “crazy comeback,” saving four match points before beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open on Friday. Sabalenka was 6-2 down in the final-set tie-breaker, but won six straight points to reach her eighth semi-final of the season. “Elena is a great player and we’ve had a lot of tough battles,” Sabalenka said. “I have no idea how I was able to win those last points. I think I just got lucky.” “I remember a long time ago when I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down
While British star Jack Draper spent the past week trying to find rhythm and comfort in his first grass tournament of the season at the Queen’s Club Championships in London, Jiri Lehecka on Saturday bulldozed everything in his path. After more than two furious hours of battle, their form was reflected in the final scoreline as Lehecka toppled a frustrated Draper, the second seed, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the biggest final of his career, against Carlos Alcaraz. Lehecka is also the first Czech to reach the men’s title match at Queen’s since Ivan Lendl lifted the trophy in 1990. Draper, who
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