ENGLAND
Rooney appeals suspension
Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney accepted a charge of using abusive language during last week’s win over West Ham, but has appealed against a two-match ban, it was confirmed on Tuesday. Rooney was hit with disciplinary proceedings by the Football Association on Monday after an expletive-laden tirade directed at a television camera during the 4-2 win at West Ham last weekend. The charge carries a two-match suspension — ruling the British striker out of United’s FA Cup semi-final duel with Manchester City later this month. However, Rooney has challenged the severity of his likely punishment and his case was to be heard yesterday, the FA confirmed. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson refused to be drawn on the Rooney case when quizzed by reporters at a press conference in London on Tuesday.
SPAIN
Olabe named Almeria coach
Almeria have appointed Roberto Olabe as coach until the end of the season to replace the sacked Jose Luis Oltra as they try to avoid relegation, the Spanish club said on Tuesday. With eight games left, the Andalusians are bottom of the standings with 26 points from 30 matches and lost 3-1 at home to Athletic Bilbao on Monday. A former goalkeeper with Alaves, Salamanca and Real Sociedad, Basque Olabe, 43, was sporting director at Almeria in the 2006-2007 season, helping them gain promotion to the top flight. “Olabe is a hard-working and methodical coach who knows the club and the team perfectly,” Almeria said in a statement on their Web site. Oltra was appointed at the end of November to replace the sacked Juan Manuel Lillo and led the club to the semi-finals of the King’s Cup, their best-ever showing.
FRANCE
Mexes surgery ‘successful’
France centerback Philippe Mexes underwent a successful operation on his torn cruciate knee ligament on Tuesday, Ansa news agency reported. The operation lasted about half an hour and was said to have been “perfectly successful” with the 29-year-old due to remain in hospital for two to three days. Roma’s Mexes was injured during Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at home to Juventus and is expected to be out for four months, meaning he will not play again this season. However, he may have played his last game for Roma as his contract will expire in June and he is rumored to be a target for AC Milan.
ENGLAND
Scudamore lays blame
The Premier League’s chief executive on Tuesday blamed UEFA and FIFA for creating the packed soccer calendar that prevents it introducing a winter break. Demands for Premier League players to be given a mid-season rest like in Spain, Italy and Germany intensified after England coach Fabio Capello blamed his team’s second-round exit from the World Cup on the squad arriving in South Africa too tired after the grueling domestic campaign. All of England’s regulars play in the country’s top division. “When you are looking at fixture congestion then I am afraid we have to look at our friends at UEFA and FIFA as more the culprits than ourselves,” league chief executive Richard Scudamore said. “UEFA used to have in the season we started [the Premier League] in 1992-1993. Thirteen match dates — now they need 21 match dates to fulfill their fixtures.” Scudamore said attempts to introduce a winter break had “failed because it is just hard to come up with a practical suggestion.”
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