FIFA
Match-fixing probe begins
Soccer’s ruling body is investigating claims that more than 300 matches on three continents were influenced by match-fixers, the UK’s Daily Telegraph reported yesterday. FIFA suspects match officials were paid as little as US$10,000 to help engineer specific results in international friendly matches and European club games, netting fixers hundreds of millions of dollars on Asian betting markets. “Interviews with those involved have told us that fixers can spend upwards of [US]$300,000 to stage a friendly international and they do that with the expectation of a significant profit margin,” Chris Eaton, FIFA’s head of security, told the newspaper. Matches under suspicion include club games in Germany and Finland, Europa League fixtures and friendly internationals involving Kuwait, Jordan, Bolivia, Latvia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Malaysia and Zimbabwe.
CZECH REPUBLIC
Fans charge field in protest
Slavia Prague suffered a new setback on Thursday when angry fans, demanding answers to the team’s spiraling financial crisis, brought a cup match to a halt. The referee stopped the tie against Sigma Olomouc when hundreds of supporters, who fear their team will be kicked out of the domestic league championship next season, charged onto the pitch. Some supporters smashed their way into the VIP areas, where they clashed with riot police. “You are protecting the thieves,” fans screamed at police. Slavia’s players have not been paid since the start of the year, while about 4.6 million euros (US$6.7 million) is believed to be owed to the club’s former owners.
ITALY
Juve keep Del Piero
Veteran forward Alessandro Del Piero on Thursday signed a one-year contract extension with Juventus keeping him at the club next season. Del Piero, 36, has been at Juve since 1993, winning five Serie A titles, one Italian Cup and the Champions League in 1996. He also won the 2005 and 2006 titles with the club, but they were stripped of those and relegated after being found guilty of match-fixing, allowing Del Piero to add the Serie B crown to his collection in 2007. He played 91 times for Italy, scoring 27 goals and was part of the squad that lifted the World Cup in 2006.
FRANCE
Correa to stay if relegated
Nancy coach Pablo Correa, who announced he was leaving the club at the end of March, said on Thursday he would stay if the club were relegated to the second division. “I never imagined leaving the club in Ligue 2,” the Uruguayan said in an interview with RMC radio station. “If, unfortunately, we go down, I’ll look at that again with the president [Jacques Rousselot]. I know what I owe the president, the club.” Nancy are currently one point from safety in Ligue 1.
SPAIN
Real urges Barca probe
Real Madrid on Thursday asked UEFA to reconsider their decision not to investigate the behavior of Barcelona’s players during the first leg of their Champions League semi-final. UEFA’s disciplinary panel on Monday rejected Real’s claim that Barcelona’s players were guilty of provocation during their 2-0 win at Real’s Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday last week, in which the hosts’ midfielder Pepe was sent off. Real also appealed against Pepe’s dismissal, for a foul on Dani Alves, but UEFA upheld the referee’s decision to show him a straight red card. UEFA’s appeals panel is next scheduled to sit on May 16.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was