SOCCER
More suspects arrested
Amsterdam police investigating the death of a soccer linesman last week arrested four more suspects yesterday. Richard Nieuwenhuizen, 41, was assaulted after an under-17 match between Buitenboys Almere and Nieuw-Sloten Amsterdam on Dec. 2 and died the following day. Last week, police arrested four teenagers, two of them aged 15 and two of 16. Yesterday, they arrested three more teenagers and the 50-year-old father of a Nieuw-Sloten player, they said. About 12,000 people joined a silent march through Almere, a satellite town near Amsterdam, on Sunday in tribute to the volunteer linesman.
SOCCER
Thugs spoil disabled match
Police in Turkey have arrested at least 10 rival soccer fans from two of Istanbul’s biggest teams after clashes at a disabled basketball game at the Ahmet Comert Sports Hall left the court filled with tear gas and littered with broken wheelchairs. The Besiktas and Galatasaray fans were detained on Monday after police examined footage from Sunday evening’s basketball game, which had to be called off as hooligans shouted obscenities and sprayed fire extinguishers at each other. Besiktas and Galatasaray fans, along with supporters of Fenerbahce, another of the country’s biggest clubs, are not allowed to attend away games between the teams in soccer and basketball. However, the regulation does not apply to other sports, including wheelchair basketball. “If hooligans are now seen in wheelchair basketball stands then we have nothing else to say, it is over. Sports are now officially dead in this country,” said Sedat Incesu, coach of the Galatasaray wheelchair basketball team.
GOLF
Aussie PGA needs home
The Australian PGA Championship will have to find a new home next year after negotiations over the long-standing Queensland site with colorful mining billionaire Clive Palmer broke down, officials said. Organizers are reportedly furious that Palmer — who last year took over the host Coolum resort on the Sunshine Coast — has painted the fairways with signage promoting his own companies, as well as the slogan “Freedom of Speech.” He has also erected an enormous dinosaur replica that moves and makes noises between the ninth and 10th holes. Although the grass signs do not breach any rules, PGA Tour officials were reported to be angry about their impact on other sponsors and players in the golf tournament, starting tomorrow, which has been hosted at Coolum since 2002. Palmer, a self-made businessman who has an estimated wealth of Aus$3.85 billion (US$3.96 billion), is best known for his project to build a modern-day version of the Titanic. Planning is well under way, with Titanic II’s first voyage set for late 2016.
RUGBY UNION
Hartley cited for foul play
England forward Dylan Hartley has been cited for alleged foul play during Northampton’s European Cup defeat against Ulster. European Rugby Cup announced on Monday that Northampton captain Hartley has been reported by match commissioner Jean-Claude Legendre for striking opposite number and Ulster hooker Rory Best with his arm in last Friday’s clash. Hartley, 26, is to face a disciplinary hearing on a date yet to be confirmed. His citing will add spice to next weekend’s return fixture between the two sides which is to be a must-win match for the English side.
Shohei Ohtani and his wife arrived in South Korea with his Los Angeles Dodgers teammates yesterday ahead of their season-opening games with the San Diego Padres next week. Ohtani, wearing a black training suit and a cap backwards, was the first Dodgers player who showed up at the arrival gate of Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. His wife, Mamiko Tanaka, walked several steps behind him. As a crowd of fans, many wearing Dodgers jerseys, shouted his name and cheered slogans, Ohtani briefly waved his hand, but did not say anything before he entered a limousine bus with his wife. Fans held placards
Taiwan’s Tai Tzu-ying yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals at the All England Open, beating Kim Ga-eun of South Korea 21-17, 21-15. With the win, Tai earned a semi-final against China’s He Bingjiao, who beat Michelle Li of Canada 21-9, 21-9. Defending champion An Se-young defeated India’s P.V. Sindhu 21-19, 21-11. An on Wednesday cruised into the second round, unlike last year’s men’s winner, Li Shifeng, who suffered a shock defeat. South Korea’s An, the world No. 1, overcame Taiwan’s Hsu Wen-chi 21-17, 21-16 to set up the match against Sindhu. In other women’s singles matches, Taiwan’s Sung Shuo-yun lost 21-18, 24-22 against Carolina Marin of
EYEING TOP SPOT: A victory in today’s final against Storm Hunter and Katerina Siniakova would return 38-year-old Hsieh Su-wei to the world No. 1 ranking Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens on Thursday secured a spot in the women’s doubles finals at the BNP Paribas Open after dispatching Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) at Indian Wells. Hsieh and her Belgian partner Mertens, who won the Australian Open in late January, coasted through the first set after breaking their opponents’ serve twice, but found the going tougher in the second. Both pairs could only muster one break point over 12 games, neither of which were converted, leaving the set to be decided by a tiebreaker. Hsieh and Mertens took a 6-3 lead,
DOUBLES PAYBACK: Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Martens avenged their defeat in the quarters at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open against Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California. Hsieh and partner Elise Mertens of Belgium dispatched Demi Schuurs and Luisa Stefani 6-1, 6-4 to set up a clash against Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US and Australia’s Ellen Perez for a spot in the final of the WTA 1000 tournament. Hsieh and Martens made a blistering start to their rematch after they lost to Schuurs and Stefani in the quarter-finals at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open last month, winning three games without reply at the start of the first set