SCOTLAND
Rangers boss charged
Rangers chief executive Charles Green has been charged over claims he made racist comments, the Scottish Football Association (SFA) said on Wednesday. Green is accused of breaking the SFA’s Disciplinary Rule 66 and Disciplinary Rule 71, which concern comments that bring the game into disrepute. He was criticized by campaign group Show Racism the Red Card earlier this week after he told a newspaper that he referred to former Rangers director Imran Ahmad as his “little Paki friend.” However, Green defended himself, blaming Show Racism the Red Card for succumbing to a knee-jerk reaction. “In the interview, I referred to the fact we are now living in a politically correct world where words and phrases that were once used are no longer acceptable,” he said. “My use of the word ‘Paki’ was when I was referring to how I sometimes warmly address my colleague and friend Imran Ahmad when we meet, something we both know is light-hearted. I deplore racism and sectarianism, and this football club does a huge amount of work in this area to help eradicate these problems.”
ZIMBABWE
Ndlovu pleads not guilty
Former Zimbabwe international Peter Ndlovu has pleaded not guilty of culpable homicide at the start of his trial after a car accident last year killed his brother and a family friend, his lawyer said on Wednesday. “The trial started today [Wednesday] and Peter Ndlovu pleaded not guilty,” Harrison Nkomo, Ndlovu’s lawyer, said by telephone from the resort town of Victoria Falls, where the trial is taking place. Ndlovu, who was at the wheel, suffered serious injuries in the crash that killed his elder brother, Adam, and family friend Nomqhele Tshili in December last year. He played 100 times for Zimbabwe, while featuring for Coventry City, Birmingham City, Huddersfield Town and Sheffield United during a 13-year stay in England.
ENGLAND
Wilson quits the Blades
Danny Wilson on Wednesday left his job as manager of League One (third tier) Sheffield United, despite the club being just six points off automatic promotion and in line for a playoff spot. A 2-0 defeat at home to Crawley Town on Tuesday continued their dismal form at Brammall Lane, where they have not scored since Feb. 16. Wilson took over toward the end of the 2010-2011 season when the club were relegated to the third tier. First team coach Chris Morgan has been drafted in on an interim basis.
ENGLAND
Lucas extends Reds contract
Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has signed a new long-term contract, the Premier League club announced on Wednesday, without specifying the length of the deal. The Brazil international arrived at Anfield from Gremio in July 2007 and has since made 208 appearances for the club. “I am really delighted to have the opportunity to play for this club. It’s where I think I belong and where I wanted to stay, so I am very happy and looking forward to a few more years here,” Lucas told the club’s Web site.
MEXICO
Monterrey down the Galaxy
Aldo de Nigris scored at the final whistle to give two-time defending champions Monterrey a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy on Wednesday, sending the Mexican team to the CONCACAF Champions League final. Monterray advanced with a 3-1 aggregate score from the two-match semi-final and face fellow Mexican club Santos Laguna in the final.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB