UNITED STATES
Tim Cahill joining Red Bulls
Australia international Tim Cahill is poised to join the New York Red Bulls after Everton and the Major League Soccer team agreed a fee for the midfielder. “Everton have agreed with Major League Soccer that Tim Cahill can be transferred to the New York Red Bulls,” a statement on the club’s official Web site said on Monday. “Tim, 32, will move to the Red Bulls for a nominal fee, subject to agreeing personal terms and passing a medical. He will travel to the US in the next few days.” Cahill, who had two years left on his contract, joined the Toffees from Millwall in 2004, scoring 68 goals in 278 appearances.
ENGLAND
Barton trains with new boys
Controversial Queens Park Rangers midfielder Joey Barton is to train with Football League newcomers Fleetwood Town after being handed a 12-match suspension. Barton elbowed Carlos Tevez and kicked Sergio Aguero, before attempting to headbutt Vincent Kompany in the club’s 3-2 defeat to Manchester City on the final day of the Premier League season, but as his QPR teammates continue their pre-season preparations ahead of the new campaign, Barton will work on his fitness with the Lancashire club. The 29-year-old said, via Twitter, on Monday: “Looking forward to training with Fleetwood Town for the week. Will get a much needed sweat on ... Still have 3 years left at QPR. Exciting times for the club, which I intended to be a part of. Need to get some fitness in the meantime.”
ITALY
Milan to offer fans refunds
AC Milan said it would give refunds to disgruntled fans with season tickets following the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva. The club made the offer in a statement on Monday after fans were left fuming at the star duo being sold, some even staging a mock funeral outside the club’s headquarters. A lawsuit has been filed arguing that some fans bought season tickets on the presumption the two players would be at the club. The club said the offer was made because of “the need for style, and love of the club toward its supporters and independent of any legal analysis.” Milan icons Alessandro Nesta, Clarence Seedorf, Gennaro Gattuso and Filippo Inzaghi also left the club after last season.
ITALY
Cuadrado loaned to ‘Viola’
Colombia international midfielder Juan Guillermo Cuadrado has been loaned by Udinese to Serie A rivals Fiorentina with an option to buy, the ANSA news agency reported on Monday. The 24-year-old, capped eight times for Colombia, passed a medical and was set to join his new team yesterday. He arrived in Udinese in 2009 from Independiente Medellin. Udinese loaned him last season to Lecce and he played 33 Serie A games, scoring three goals.
BELGIUM
Fulham sell Gecov to Gent
Fulham have sold Czech midfielder Marcel Gecov to Belgian club KAA Gent for an undisclosed fee, the Premier League side confirmed on Monday. “FFC would like to thank Marcel for his efforts during his time in SW6 and wishes him all the best for the future,” Fulham said in a statement.The 24-year-old joined the Cottagers from Czech side Slovan Liberec on a two-year deal last summer, but failed to make an impact in the first team.
OLYMPICS
Selsouli tests positive
Moroccan runner Mariem Alaoui Selsouli is reported to have tested positive for doping on the day she clocked a world season-leading time in the 1,500m, jeopardizing her place at the London Olympics. French sports daily L’Equipe said on Monday that the World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory in Paris found a banned diuretic in her urine sample taken on July 6. That day, Selsouli timed 3 minutes, 56.15 seconds at the Paris Diamond League meeting and became a medal favorite for the Olympic event. Athletics’ governing body, the IAAF, said on Monday that it “cannot confirm anything at this time” about the doping allegation. Selsouli finished serving a two-year ban in August last year for using EPO before the 2009 world championships. The 28-year-old runner could be banned for life if a second doping offense is proven. Selsouli’s sample contained traces of furosemide, L’Equipe reported. The substance is included on the WADA prohibited list, and can be used as a masking agent to disguise the presence of other performance-enhancing drugs.
RUGBY UNION
Kurtley Beale granted bail
Wallabies fullback Kurtley Beale was granted bail to attend mediation after appearing in court yesterday charged with common assault. The Melbourne Rebels star was allegedly involved in an altercation with a security guard after he and Wallabies teammate Quade Cooper were refused entry to a pub ahead of Australia’s first Test with Wales last month. During a brief mention of the matter in the Brisbane Magistrates Court, Beale’s lawyer Angelo Venardos told the judge his client and the alleged victim were attempting to resolve the matter out of court.
RUGBY UNION
Read out of semi-final
All Blacks backrower Keiran Read will miss the Canterbury Crusaders’ Super 15 rugby semi-final against the Waikato Chiefs in Wellington on Saturday because of a cracked rib. Read was hurt during the Crusaders’ match against the Chiefs in the second-to-last round of the regular season. An initial scan showed no sign of a fracture, but subsequent tests revealed the injury, which forced Read to miss last weekend’s playoffs match against the Bulls. Read says he hopes to recover to be available if the Crusaders make the final.
In his absence, All Blacks captain Richie McCaw will remain at No. 8.
ICE HOCKEY
Oilers sign Nail Yakupov
The Edmonton Oilers signed the top pick in this year’s NHL draft, Russian forward Nail Yakupov, on a three-year entry-level contract, the team said on Monday. The 18-year-old Yakupov had 31 goals and 38 assists in 42 games last season for the Ontario Hockey League’s Sarnia Sting and won a silver medal at this year’s world junior championship. Yakupov joins an Oilers that has not made the playoffs since losing in the Stanley Cup final in 2006 and finished last season with the second-worst record in the NHL.
TENNIS
Krunic upsets Hlavackova
Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia upset fourth-seeded Andrea Hlavackova of the Czech Republic 6-1, 6-7 (11), 6-4 in the first round of the Baku Cup on Monday. Third-seeded Mandy Minella advanced by beating Wang Qiang of China 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 in the hard-court event at Baku Tennis Academy. Tamarine Tanasurgarn of Thailand rallied to beat Varvara Flink of Russia 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.
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