ENGLAND
Spurs receive festive boost
Tottenham Hotspur have received a Christmas boost with the news that Dutch forward Rafael van der Vaart’s hamstring injury proved less serious than first feared. The 28-year-old Netherlands star went off at halftime in Thursday’s 1-1 draw against Chelsea, but a scan showed up no tear. “He looks OK,” Spurs manager Harry Redknapp told Sky Sports News. “He looks like he could be fit. We thought he had a hamstring. He went for a scan and it didn’t show a tear.” Van der Vaart said: “I think I’m going to be fine.” Tottenham have lost just once in their last 14 English Premier League matches to climb to third in the table, but van der Vaart is not getting too carried away with title talk. The former Hamburg SV and Real Madrid man said: “We are third and still have one game in hand. We’re playing really good this season — you can see it in the big games, so it’s going to be interesting, but there’s still a long way to go.”
ENGLAND
City may stutter: Adebayor
Tottenham Hotspur striker Emmanuel Adebayor believes that Manchester City’s Premier League title push could be derailed by next month’s Africa Cup of Nations tournament. City will lose influential brothers Yaya Toure and Kolo Toure to the Ivory Coast squad for the Jan. 21 to Feb. 12 tournament, while Spurs will be unaffected, with Adebayor’s Togo banned from taking part. “They have two players going to the African Nations Cup [sic]. Kolo Toure is not playing a lot, but he is a great player,” Adebayor said. “Yaya Toure has been amazing for them this year. We will have to wait and see [how they cope]. In football you can have two or three injuries in a week. That has happened to us recently. City have a great team, a great spirit and at the moment they are playing good football, but if they got a couple of injuries I think it would be very difficult for them.” The tournament in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon coincides with City facing Spurs, Everton, Fulham and Aston Villa. The Toure brothers will also miss the game against Wigan Athletic on Jan. 16 because of the Ivory Coast’s training camp. Chelsea will lose Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou, while Arsenal will be without Gervinho, Alex Song and Emmanuel Frimpong.
ENGLAND
Magpies in good spirits: Ba
Newcastle United striker Demba Ba insists spirits are not sagging on Tyneside, despite a desperate run of two points from six matches. After a bright start, the Magpies have slid down into midtable after losing to Manchester City, Chelsea and Norwich City, as well as at the renamed St James’ Park in midweek to West Bromwich Albion, but the 26-year-old Senegal international, with 13 goals already to his credit, insists that even with injuries and suspensions piling up spirits are intact. “I don’t think it has affected anybody in the team, and personally, it hasn’t affected me.” Even so, his absence during next month’s Africa Cup of Nations will leave boss Alan Pardew with a gap to fill.
SPAIN
Only two clubs: Fabregas
Cesc Fabregas said on Sunday that he hopes to finish his career with Barcelona, but if he were to leave the Spanish giants he would only go back to Arsenal and nowhere else. “Apart from Arsenal and Barcelona, I don’t see myself playing anywhere else,” the 24-year-old told Sky Sports News. “I will definitely be going back [to Arsenal] whenever I have time to watch games and to see the guys, and you never know in the future, why not? In life, you can never say never, and if there is one place to go back to, it is Arsenal for sure.”
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
Rafael Nadal on Tuesday lost in straight sets to 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round at the Madrid Open, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s doubles. Nadal said that he was feeling good about his progress following his latest injury layoff. Nadal called it a “positive week” in every way and said his body held up well. “I was able to play four matches, a couple of tough matches,” Nadal said. “So very positive, winning three matches, playing four matches at the high level of tennis. I enjoyed a lot playing at home. I leave here with
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
When 42-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas shocked ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson 34 years ago at the Tokyo Dome, the result reverberated worldwide. Spectators at the 45,000-plus seater venue witnessed one of boxing’s biggest upsets as unbeaten heavyweight champion Tyson was knocked out in the 10th round by the unheralded Douglas in February 1990. Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since that unforgettable encounter when Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue puts his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery. The 31-year-old Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a huge star in Japan and is just