■SOCCER
Beckam return unlikely
AC Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri said David Beckham was unlikely to return to the San Siro for another loan spell. Beckham was at the Emirates Stadium to watch his former teammates draw 1-1 with Arsenal in a pre-season friendly on Saturday, but the veteran England midfielder has been sidelined since March with a ruptured Achilles and Allegri doesn’t expect him to feature again for the Italian giants. Although the former Manchester United and Real Madrid star missed the World Cup as a result of the injury, he still intends to play on in the US with LA Galaxy. However, Allegri said Beckham’s age could hinder the 35-year-old’s rehabilitation significantly enough to preclude a third loan stint with Milan.
■SOCCER
Liverpool re-signs Aurelio
Brazilian defender Fabio Aurelio has been re-signed by Liverpool, just two months after being told he had no future at the Premier League club. The 30-year-old left in May, but manager Roy Hodgson offered him the chance to train with the Reds in a bid to earn a return and he has now been offered a two-year contract. “I asked the club to find out whether Fabio had found a new club. When we ascertained that he hadn’t, we invited him back so we could properly assess the player,” Hodgson said. “We were very impressed and I am delighted we were able to re-sign Fabio.” Aurelio, who played 71 times in four seasons at Anfield and scored three goals, has been included in the traveling party for yesterday’s friendly against Borussia Monchengladbach.
■SOCCER
Twente win Dutch Cup
Twente Enschede beat Ajax 1-0 to win the Dutch Super Cup on Saturday thanks to a goal by Luuk de Jong after a goalkeeping blunder and a first-half red card for the Amsterdam side’s Uruguay World Cup striker Luis Suarez. Ajax’s Netherlands keeper Maarten Stekelenburg was at fault for the goal after his sloppy pass to Gregrory van der Wiel was intercepted by De Jong and the Twente forward calmly opened the scoring with a shot from a tight angle after eight minutes. Champions Twente dominated the first half against the Dutch Cup winners and came close to doubling their lead when Theo Janssen hit the bar before Stekelenburg denied De Jong a second goal by keeping out his powerful header.
■SOCCER
Barca releases Marquex
Mexico captain Rafael Marquez, who has been strongly linked in the media with a move to New York Red Bulls, has reached a deal with La Liga champions Barcelona that releases him from his contract. “Barcelona and the player Rafa Marquez have agreed to rescind, by mutual consent, the contract that tied the two parties together until June 30, 2012,” Barca said on their Web site on Saturday. If the deal with the Red Bulls goes through, the 31-year-old would join former teammate Thierry Henry in New York. The French striker moved to Major League Soccer this month after he was also freed from his contract with Barca. “I don’t know where I am going,” he said at a farewell news conference on Saturday attended by new club president Sandro Rosell and coach Pep Guardiola. “I am analyzing the options that we have and the ones that I most like the sound of, although we don’t yet know what decision to take,” he said. Marquez can operate as a center back or defensive midfielder and would be the Red Bulls’ third “designated player.”
■BASKETBALL
Tyreke Evans faster off-court
The basketball court isn’t the only place where Sacramento Kings player Tyreke Evans apparently likes to move fast. A video released by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) showed Evans speeding past vehicles on Interstate 80 in his purple Mercedes. CHP officers said he was driving between 193kph and 210kph. The video of the NBA Rookie of the Year was shot from a plane on Memorial Day weekend. After being stopped by police, Evans was arrested at gunpoint. Authorities say the video offers evidence that Evans may have been racing another vehicle. He pleaded no contest to reckless driving, was sentenced to 80 hours of community service and lost his license for 30 days.
■FOOTBALL
Bradford inks record deal
Quarterback Sam Bradford joined the St Louis Rams on Saturday after agreeing to a record-setting six-year deal for US$78 million, including a record US$50 million guaranteed payout. The deal, finalized late on Friday, sends the top pick in April’s NFL Draft into camp as the main hope for a club that went 1-15 last season and has a 6-42 record over the past three campaigns. St Louis had the most anemic offensive output in the NFL last season at 10.9 points a game on average, with three quarterbacks managing only 12 touchdown passes all year. Bradford, who missed three camp practices but attended two prior mini-camp sessions in the off-season, led all collegians with 48 touchdown passes in 2008 for the University of Oklahoma but underwent season-ending shoulder surgery after only three games last year. Guaranteed money is key for players in NFL contracts because clubs can waive players and drop those with pricey deals for underperforming players to rework their salary cap figures.
■CYCLING
Landis in Catskills lead pack
Floyd Landis has finished in the lead pack in the first stage of the Tour of the Catskills. He began Saturday’s 129km ride 24 seconds behind prologue winner Aurelien Passeron of France. Landis is tied for sixth, 34 seconds behind. Landis was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France title. He has admitted using banned drugs and made doping claims against Lance Armstrong. The seven-time Tour winner denies using drugs and has never tested positive. Landis is riding unattached but wearing the jersey of Farm Team, a developmental team. Passeron kept the yellow jersey.
■FORMULA ONE
Massa back at Hungarian GP
Ferrari’s Felipe Massa qualified for the Hungarian Grand Prix, securing the fourth spot on the grid on Saturday, with a constant reminder standing in his garage of the accident that almost killed him last year. The Brazilian invited Robert Veres — the surgeon who operated on him after he suffered life-threatening head injuries when he was hit on the helmet by a bouncing spring in qualifying last year — to watch the session as his special guest. Otherwise, Massa wasted little time on reflection or introspection. “We know that things could have been much worse but anyway we are here and healthy, which is the most important thing,” he told reporters. A large banner declaring “Welcome back Felipe” could be seen in the stand along the main straight during the session and there were plenty of Ferrari flags on show as well. Massa has made a point of thanking the staff at the circuit medical center for their assistance last year and has also taken the surgeon out to dinner since he returned to the circuit outside Budapest.
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Open, beating Kim Ga-eun of South Korea 21-17, 21-15. With the win, Tai earned a semi-final against China’s He Bingjiao, who beat Michelle Li of Canada 21-9, 21-9. Defending champion An Se-young defeated India’s P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-11. An on Wednesday cruised into the second round, unlike last year’s men’s winner, Li Shifeng, who suffered a shock defeat. South Korea’s An, the world No. 1, overcame Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi 21-17, 21-16 to set up the match against Sindhu. In other women’s singles matches, Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun lost 21-18, 24-22 against Carolina Marin of
EYEING TOP SPOT: A victory in today’s final against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova would return 38-year-old Hsieh Su-wei to the world No. 1 ranking Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens on Thursday secured a spot in the women’s doubles finals at the BNP Paribas Open after dispatching Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at Indian Wells. Hsieh and her Belgian partner Mertens, who won the Australian Open in late January, coasted through the first set after breaking their opponents’ serve twice, but found the going tougher in the second. Both pairs could only muster one break point over 12 games, neither of which were converted, leaving the set to be decided by a tiebreaker. Hsieh and Mertens took a 6-3 lead,
DOUBLES PAYBACK: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Martens avenged their defeat in the quarters at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open against Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium dispatched Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. Hsieh and Martens made a blistering start to their rematch after they lost to Schuurs and Stefani in the quarter-finals at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, winning three games without reply at the start of the first set