■FRANCE
Player insults coach
France and Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka unleashed a volley of insults at coach Raymond Domenech after being criticized at half-time of the 2-0 World Cup defeat to Mexico, L’Equipe newspaper reported yesterday. Anelka told Domenech to “go screw yourself, dirty son of a whore” in the dressing room at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane after the coach took issue with his first-half performance, the report said. The tirade was sparked after Domenech told Anelka to stop straying out of position in a match where the striker was one of France’s worst performers, L’Equipe said, without citing its source. When Anelka took issue with the criticism, Domenech threatened to substitute him, and the player made his foul-mouthed outburst. Domenech’s response was immediate. “OK. You’re coming off,” the coach said, according to the report.
■SWITZERLAND
Frei, Behrami may miss start
Switzerland’s captain Alex Frei and midfielder Valon Behrami are doubtful to start against Chile in their second Group H World Cup game, the team’s spokesman Marco von Ah said on Friday. Frei hurt his right ankle on June 9 during training when he tackled a teammate, while Behrami has been struggling with a thigh injury. Both players who had been undergoing a special training session, trained with their teammates for the first time on Friday in Vanderbijlpark, ahead of tomorrow’s clash with Chile. Switzerland’s coach Ottmar Hitzfeld had included Frei, Switzerland’s top striker, in the World Cup squad, hoping that he would recover in time for the game against Chile.
■JAPAN
Teammates bring the rain
Japan’s soccer players were hailed as rain-makers on Friday by the mayor of George, their South African World Cup base, which has been devastated by drought. “Since our Japanese family arrived, we have been blessed with over 100 millimetres of rain and we had snow on the Outeniqua Mountains to remind you of Mount Fuji-yama,” Mercia Draghoender told a reception for the Japanese team and media.
■GERMANY
Newspaper prints sick note
It’s the dilemma faced by soccer fans around the world. How to stop the nuisance of a job interfering with the serious business of watching the World Cup? Germany’s tabloid Bild had the answer for its 4 million readers: Its very own official cut-out-and-keep World Cup sick-note. “Sorry boss, I’ve got World Cup fever,” Friday’s front page screamed. “Length of illness 13:30 to 15:15” — the duration of Germany’s Group D match with Serbia. The paper invited the “sick” employee to choose his or her “illness,” with options ranging from “beer-poisoning” to “gone goal crazy.”
■SWITZERLAND
Swiss show their colors
The western Swiss city of Geneva has rolled out red garbage bags bearing the white cross of the national flag and the slogan “Hop Suisse” (C’mon Switzerland) in support of the national side during the World Cup. “It was a proposal from the public works service, where most of the 300 employees are football fans,” city counselor Pierre Maudet told local newspaper 20 Minutes.
■CRICKET
Smith puts Proteas on top
Graeme Smith collected his 21st Test century to lead a strong South Africa batting performance in the second Test against the West Indies on Friday. Smith struck nine fours and three sixes from 189 balls in just over five hours as South Africa, electing to bat, reached 296 for three in their first innings when bad light stopped play 15 minutes early on the opening day at Warner Park in St Kitts and Nevis. The left-handed opener gained admirable support from Alviro Petersen (52), Jacques Kallis (45 not out ) and Hashim Amla (44). “That was the key for us, to start this Test match well and not to fall into a complacent mindset at the back-end of the tour,” Smith said. “We have done this and set up a good first day for us, and hopefully we can build on it.”
■CRICKET
Sri Lanka thrash Bangladesh
Tillakaratne Dilshan sparkled with bat and ball to steer Sri Lanka to an emphatic 126-run victory over Bangladesh at the four-nation Asia Cup in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, on Friday. Sri Lanka’s batsmen went on the rampage, hitting 312 for four after captain Kumar Sangakkara had won the toss. Bangladesh were then bundled out for 186 in 40.2 overs. Dilshan took the man of the match award after smashing 71 in 51 balls and claiming three for 37 with his part-time off-breaks. He and opening partner Upul Tharanga got Sri Lanka off to a perfect start, putting on 111 for the first wicket on an easy paced pitch. Dilshan struck 11 fours and one six in his innings, while Tharanga scored 54 in 73 balls. Sangakkara then chipped in with 52 off 69 deliveries. Mahela Jayawardene (43), Angelo Mathews (42 not out) and Chamara Kapugedera (37 not out) also joined the run spree as Bangladesh’s bowling fell apart.
■HORSE RACING
O’Brien grabs two wins
Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle stable clicked into gear with two winners at Royal Ascot on Friday. The Irish trainer sent out Lillie Langtry to win the Coronation Stakes, a Group 1 race, before saddling the victorious Mikhail Glinka in the Group 2 Queen’s Vase. Prior to this year’s Royal meeting, O’Brien had recorded victories in England with Fame And Glory in the Group 1 Coronation Cup at Epsom’s Derby meeting and Cape Blanco in the Dante Stakes at York, but coming into the penultimate day of five at Ascot, O’Brien had saddled 13 consecutive losers at the Berkshire track.
■RUGBY UNION
Maori win on centenary
New Zealand Maori celebrated their centenary on Friday by maintaining a proud record against touring sides with a tight 31-28 victory over Ireland in Rotorua. New Zealand Maori have had a number of famous victories over major touring international sides — including a 19-13 win over the 2005 British and Irish Lions — but doubt remained until the final whistle that they would add another scalp. The home side scored three tries to one, but the boot of Irish flyhalf Jonathan Sexton kept the tourists in the game with seven penalties. Sexton missed only the final and most vital attempt — which could have drawn the Irish level.
■GOLF
Dinwiddie takes over lead
Englishman Robert Dinwiddie took over the lead at the halfway mark of the Saint-Omer Open on Friday when he struck a blistering six-under 65 in the second round. The 27-year-old produced six birdies in a bogey-free round. He is six-under after two rounds and holds a one-stroke lead over first-round joint-leader Martin Wiegele.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB