ENGLAND
FA charges Ferguson
The Football Association (FA) on Tuesday charged Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson after he criticized the performance of an assistant referee in a game against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month. “The FA has today [Tuesday] charged Sir Alex Ferguson in relation to post-match media comments made following Manchester United’s game at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday 20 January 2013,” an FA statement said. “It is alleged the Manchester United manager breached FA Rule E3 in that he implied that the match official was motivated by bias. Ferguson has until 4pm on Friday 1 February 2013 to respond to the charge.” Ferguson hit out at assistant referee Simon Beck for failing to award United a penalty after an apparent foul on Wayne Rooney by Spurs defender Steven Caulker during the 1-1 draw between the sides. Speaking on Friday, Ferguson defended his right to criticize match officials, adding that the FA had singled him out for punishment. “We are high-profile and the profile of me is such that the FA naturally panic as soon as the press criticize them,” he said.
ENGLAND
Arsenal freeze ticket prices
Premier League club Arsenal have put ticket price rises on hold for next season after complaints from fans about their cost and the club’s failure to win a trophy since 2005. “The move follows a full review by the Arsenal Board which included an assessment of the current economic environment and feedback from fans’ groups,” the London club said in a statement on their Web site. Arsenal season tickets cost up to £1,955 (US$3,100), making them the most expensive in the Premier League, a BBC survey published last year showed. That covers seven European or FA Cup games, as well as the Premier League campaign. Supporters’ groups across the country are lobbying for a cap on ticket prices for away fans. Many are also questioning why admission is so much cheaper at matches in Germany’s Bundesliga.
ENGLAND
Al-Fayed clears Fulham debt
Premier League club Fulham are now clear of debt after owner Mohamed al-Fayed converted loans totaling more than £200 million (US$314.1 million) into shares in the club. Al-Fayed, the former owner of the Harrods department store, bought Fulham in 1997 and has seen them establish themselves in the Premier League. “Following the previous season’s announcement of record profits, the most significant development is the Club ending the financial year with no debt, having repaid any external indebtedness and Chairman Mohamed Al Fayed converting his previous loans to the Club into equity,” the club said on their Web site. Fulham made an operating profit of £1.2 million in the 2011 and 2012 season, down from more than £5 million the previous year.
UNITED STATES
Canada, US in 0-0 friendly
Canada and the US played out a goalless draw on Tuesday in an international friendly designed as a preparation match for the US ahead of World Cup 2014 qualifiers. The US stretched their unbeaten streak against Canada to 16 matches, winning eight and drawing eight, leading the rivalry 13-8 with 11 drawn. Canada last defeated the US in 1985. The US will open a six-team, round-robin North American qualifying tournament in Honduras on Feb. 6. Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama and Jamaica are also chasing one of three berths on offer, with the fourth-placed team facing the Oceania winner for a spot in Brazil next year.
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
RALLY: It was only the second time the Taiwanese has partnered with Kudermetova, and the match seemed tight until they won seven points in a row to take the last set 10-2 Taiwan’s Chan Hao-ching and Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova on Sunday won the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix women’s doubles final in Stuttgart, Germany. The pair defeated Norway’s Ulrikke Eikeri and Estonia’s Ingrid Neel 4-6, 6-3, 10-2 in a tightly contested match at the WTA 500 tournament. Chan and Kudermetova fell 4-6 in the first set after having their serve broken three times, although they played increasingly well. They fought back in the second set and managed to break their opponents’ serve in the eighth game to triumph 6-3. In the tiebreaker, Chan and Kudermetova took a 3-0 lead before their opponents clawed back two points, but