RUGBY LEAGUE
Watts denies biting penis
Gold Coast Rugby League player Anthony Watts has denied biting an opponent’s penis during a tackle in a league game earlier this month. Watts, a former player in Australia’s top-flight National Rugby League (NRL), was handed an eight-match ban following a video review of the incident in a match two weeks ago. Footage of the match posted on YouTube showed the Tugun Seahawks utility pulled down in a tackle near the tryline and subsequently becoming involved in a melee with remonstrating players from the Bilambil Jets team. “I was wearing a mouthguard and there’s no way I bit him on the dick,” Watts told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph newspaper. Watts was handed the ban after being found guilty of “contrary conduct” by the Gold Coast Rugby League last week. Dumped by NRL team Sydney Roosters in 2011 for disciplinary problems, Watts was sentenced to community service in June for being involved in a brawl between rival motorcycle gangs on the Gold Coast. That followed a conviction on a weapons charge after he was found carrying knuckle-dusters. Watts said he was victimized as a former NRL player and the ban was an attempt to drive him out of the game.
RUGBY UNION
No apology necessary: PM
British Prime Minister David Cameron has told Manu Tuilagi an apology is not necessary for pranking him during a visit by the victorious British and Irish Lions. Tuilagi gave Cameron “bunny ears” while a photograph was taken of the rugby squad and the prime minister during a function at Downing Street on Monday to celebrate the series win over Australia. The Lions center apologized to Cameron on Twitter, then was ordered by his Leicester club to write a more formal apology. However, Cameron tweeted on Tuesday: “(at)manutuilagi it was great to welcome you and the (at)lionsofficial team to No10. No need to apologise, I know it was just a bit of fun.” England Rugby Football Union chief executive Ian Ritchie says coach Stuart Lancaster will have words with Tuilagi.
SOCCER
Del Piero to captain Sydney
Alessandro del Piero was yesterday appointed captain of Australian club Sydney FC for the upcoming season, with the Italian superstar calling it a great honor. The former Juventus great, the biggest signing in Australia’s domestic league history, has played a major role in increasing attendances, TV audiences and media interest in the domestic A-League and has signed on for a second season. As a reward, he will captain Sydney during the 2013-2014 season that gets under way next month, replacing Terry McFlynn. “This is a great honor for me to be given the captaincy of one of Australia and Asia’s biggest clubs,” Del Piero said. Del Piero is no stranger to being skipper, having captained Juventus for 11 years. He also skippered the national side.
SOCCER
Blunder loses AmaZulu lead
A blunder by Zimbabwe goalkeeper Tapuwa Kapini prevented AmaZulu going top of the South African Premiership on Tuesday as they drew 1-1 at Wits University. Experienced Kapini lost possession in his goalmouth while wasting time and Ethiopia World Cup star Getaneh Kebede pounced for a 92nd-minute equalizer. A win for Durban-based AmaZulu would have taken them two points clear of SuperSport United, but they had to settle for second place on goal difference. Nkosinathi Mthiyane had defied being the shortest soccer player on the Milpark Stadium pitch in Johannesburg to nod the visitors ahead after 65 minutes.
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