HONG KONG
Cheung jumps to his death
One of Hong Kong’s best known soccer stars jumped to his death after an argument with his wife, reports said yesterday, as tributes poured in from the city’s soccer community. Cheung Sai-ho, 35, was named the city’s most valuable player in 2003 and was a holder of a world record — scoring for the Hong Kong youth team 2.8 seconds after the start of a match in the Portsmouth Cup in Britain in 1993. The talented midfielder, who retired from the sport in 2008, jumped from the window of his 36th-floor flat after an argument with his wife, police said, according to the South China Morning Post.
SPAIN
Khedira likely out of semi
Real Madrid are likely to be without midfielder Sami Khedira for the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Barcelona. Khedira was left out of the squad for yesterday’s La Liga match at Valencia with what coach Jose Mourinho called a muscle injury that compromises his chances of making Wednesday’s match at the Santiago Bernabeu. “Tomorrow he can’t play and I can practically guarantee he won’t play on Wednesday unless a miracle happens, as it usually needs to with muscular injuries,” Mourinho said on Friday. The Germany midfielder played a key role in Madrid’s 1-0 win over Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final. Khedira, Xabi Alonso and Pepe created a defensive bloc that helped neutralize Barcelona’s dangerous attack. Spanish reports suggested Khedira tore a thigh muscle and could miss the rest of the season, but Mourinho would not confirm the extent of his injury.
SPAIN
Getafe not sold ‘yet’: Torres
Getafe has not “yet” been sold, the Spanish club’s president Angel Torres said on Friday, one day after Dubai-based Royal Emirates Group announced it had signed a deal to acquire the struggling team. “I was in Dubai looking for sponsors. We signed a series of agreements and protocols. No one should doubt Angel Torres. Getafe has not yet been sold,” he told reporters as he arrived at Madrid airport from Dubai. “First, I have to inform the board of all the things that were done, then I will give a news conference.” Royal Emirates Group, which is chaired by a member of Dubai’s ruling al-Maktoum family, said on Thursday it had signed a deal to buy the club for between 70 million euros (U$100 million) and 90 million euros. The “purchase contract” was signed on Thursday in Dubai by Torres and the business group’s managing director, Kaiser Rafiq, Royal Emirates Group said in a statement. The group’s chairman, Sheikh Butti bin Suhail al-Maktoum, told a press conference in Dubai that the team would be called “Getafe Team Dubai.”
NETHERLANDS
Twente go three points clear
Luuk de Jong’s 86th-minute winner gave Twente Enschede a 2-1 victory at ADO Den Haag and pushed them three points clear at the top of the Dutch championship on Friday. Twente, who drew their previous two matches, had a goal by Bryan Ruiz ruled out just before halftime, but the Costa Rican finally broke through in the 61st minute after being set up by Nacer Chadli. Dmitri Bulykin joined NEC Nijmegen’s Bjoern Vleminckx at the top of the league’s scoring charts when he grabbed his 19th goal of the season nine minutes later, controlling the ball with his chest, before volleying home for Den Haag. De Jong then struck when he pounced on a rebound after his initial header was saved by Gino Coutinho. Twente have 68 points with two matches remaining, three ahead of PSV Eindhoven.
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two