■RALLYING
Latvala holds lead
Jari-Matti Latvala of Finland held a 9.1-second lead on Friday over Norway’s Petter Solberg in the Rally Finland going into the final day. Latvala took over the lead from Solberg on the seventh stage, after front-runner Mikko Hirvonen of Finland suffered a spectacular crash on the fourth leg. Hirvonen held a give-second lead when he crashed at a speed of 140kph, rolling his car five times but escaping unhurt. “The dream is over and it’s just disappointing, but at least we were on the pace before it happened,” said Hirvonen, Latvala’s teammate at Ford. Defending world champion and overall leader Sebastian Loeb is fourth behind Citroen teammate and fellow Frenchman Sebastien Ogier.
■SOCCER
Souza charged with murder
Bruno Souza, a Brazilian star goalkeeper suspected of having his ex-girlfriend killed, was on Friday formally charged with her murder, officials said. The soccer player, who played for Rio de Janeiro’s Flamengo team, was also charged with kidnapping, hiding a body, forming a criminal gang and corrupting minors, police told a media conference. Even though the body of the alleged victim, Eliza Samudio, 25, has not been found, police wrapping up an initial phase of their probe on Thursday determined that Souza masterminded her death. Seven others, including Souza’s wife and an ex-policeman suspected of carrying out the premeditated murder on Souza’s orders, have also been charged.
■SOCCER
James moves to the Robins
England goalkeeper David James completed a surprise switch to second-tier side Bristol City on Friday. James agreed to a one-year contract with an option for a further year’s extension after rejecting interest from Scottish giants Celtic because he preferred to join a team near his Devon home. The 39-year-old, who was available on a free transfer after leaving Portsmouth, passed a medical with Steve Coppell’s side. Former Liverpool, Aston Villa and Manchester City star James, who has 53 caps for his country, played three times for England at the World Cup, including their 4-1 last-16 defeat against Germany. James’ next competitive match will have a slightly less glamorous feel when newly promoted Millwall visit Ashton Gate on Aug. 14.
■SOCCER
Garrido joins Lazio from City
Spanish defender Javier Garrido has joined Italian club Lazio from Manchester City, the English Premier League club announced on Friday. Garrido moved to City for £1.5 million (US$2.4 million) from Real Sociedad in 2007 but struggled to establish himself as a first-team regular at Eastlands. The arrival of defenders Jerome Boateng and Alexander Kolarov during pre-season meant Garrido was pushed even further out of City’s plans and boss Roberto Mancini has allowed him to leave.
■SOCCER
Sabella may lead Argentina
Estudiantes coach Alejandro Sabella is in talks to take charge of Argentina, a club official said on Friday. Sabella would be replacing Diego Maradona, who left the post on Tuesday when he failed to secure a new contract. Estudiantes head of international development Sergio Neveleff fears today’s friendly against Sheffield United — where Sabella played between 1978 and 1980 — could be the 55-year-old former midfielder’s last game as coach of the Buenos Aires club. “As a fan and a member of the club, I hope not,” Neveleff was quoted as saying on the BBC Web site.
■OLYMPICS
Gun ban hits British hopes
Britain’s hopes of success in athletics at the 2012 London Olympics could be hit by a ban on a popular starting pistol, an official from the sport’s governing body said on Friday. The Olympic .380 BBM was banned last month after being used in a series of shootings when police discovered criminal gangs had been converting the pistols from firing blanks to live ammunition, but David Brown, firearms licensing manager for UK Athletics, said races around the country have been brought to a “virtual standstill,” with two years to go before the Games. “The implications for our major Olympic sport in the lead up to 2012 should not be underestimated,” he said. “The guns are the only thing that give a dual signal, a flash and smoke, to the athletes in front of you and the timekeepers.”
■COMMONWEALTHS
Games rocked by scandal
The New Delhi Commonwealth Games was rocked by a scandal yesterday after a report alleged that all construction quality certificates inspected so far have turned out to be fake or “suspect.” With barely two months left to go before the opening of the Games, a flood of allegations of rampant corruption are emerging involving the 12-day sporting extravaganza. “Fake certificates were routinely issued to pass substandard work and material,” an unnamed official of the Central Vigilance Commission, a government watchdog body, was quoted as saying by the Times of India. Other certificates were “suspect,” he said. “We have not yet been able to gauge the financial implication, but it is certain to have led to very big gains for vendors and contractors,” he said.
■GOLF
Fisher fires course record
Britain’s Ross Fisher improved his chances of securing a debut Ryder Cup spot when he grabbed control of the Irish Open on Friday with a scintillating second round 10-under 61. The 29-year-old broke the Killarney club course record by three shots as he surged to 12-under 130, three strokes clear of the field. Last year’s World Matchplay champion also threatened to record the first 59 on the European Tour as he ran up six successive birdies from the third hole and four in a row from the 11th. He fell short of the magic mark, however, after missing chances over the closing holes.
■GOLF
Overton grabs four-shot lead
Jeff Overton of the US, bidding for his maiden USPGA Tour title, charged into a commanding four-shot lead in the second round of the Greenbrier Classic at White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, on Friday. A stroke off the pace overnight, Overton fired a flawless eight-under 62 to post a 14-under total of 126 on the Old White Course. Helped by a run of four consecutive birdies around the turn, the 27-year-old ended a day of low scoring four ahead of compatriot Boo Weekley (63).
■RUGBY UNION
Hong Kong eyes Lions match
The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union has held preliminary talks about hosting a British and Irish Lions match before the tour of Australia in 2013, local media reported yesterday. The former British colony, home to the world’s most famous Sevens tournament, hosted a highly-successful and lucrative Bledisloe Cup match between Australia and New Zealand two years ago and will host another later this year. A Lions match in Hong Kong would most likely be played against a Barbarians team, the report said.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and