FOOTBALL
Favre fined US$50,000
Brett Favre has been fined US$50,000 by the NFL for not cooperating with an investigation into allegations he sent lewd messages to a female employee of the New York Jets when he played with the club in 2008, the league said on Wednesday. The 41-year-old Minnesota Vikings quarterback had been the subject of an NFL investigation since October to determine whether he violated the league’s personal conduct policy through his alleged correspondence with the Jets employee. “Commissioner [Roger] Goodell … determined that Favre was not candid in several respects during the investigation, resulting in a longer review and additional negative public attention,” the NFL said in a statement. The fine was handed down days before the Vikings’ final game of the season, which Favre has said would be his last after a 20-season career.
SOCCER
Fans remember Cohen
Thousands of Israelis paid tribute to local soccer icon and former Liverpool player Avi Cohen at Tel Aviv’s Ramat Gan national stadium, filing past a flag-draped coffin on Wednesday. Cohen, a former national team captain and the first Israeli to play in England, was declared brain dead and taken off life support on Tuesday, eight days after going into a coma with head injuries from a motorbike accident.
SOCCER
Players influence children
Children are growing up thinking that marriages are not meant to last because so many soccer and pop stars have high-profile affairs and bust-ups, an expert warned on Wednesday. Alleged infidelities by England internationals like Wayne Rooney, John Terry and Ashley Cole all hit the headlines this year and received acres of prominent coverage in newspapers. Reg Bailey, who is leading a government review of the sexualization of childhood, is expected to consider the issue in a report he is preparing for the British Department for Education. Bailey told the Daily Telegraph newspaper that athletes had a clear influence on children’s behavior and ideas of what was acceptable. “The sexualization of children is clearly a concern. Many people simply associate that with girls. I don’t think it is. It impacts both boys and girls and the review will take account of that,” he said. The Telegraph also quoted Jamie Murdoch of the relationships support charity Relate as saying: “Actions have consequences and young people are growing up in a media-influenced culture where they perceive that having an affair is normal and a marriage that lasts is something which even many successful people can’t aspire to.”
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