FOOTBALL
Freeman to join Vikings
Quarterback Josh Freeman, who was the 17th overall pick in the 2009 entry draft, is to join the Minnesota Vikings, the NFL team announced on Monday. Freeman ended his often-turbulent four years with Tampa Bay on Thursday, when he was released by the Buccaneers. He completed just 45.7 percent of his throws with two touchdowns and three interceptions as the Buccaneers lost their first three games of the season. The 25-year-old was reportedly fined twice by Tampa Bay in the past month, including once for doing an unauthorized interview with a US sports TV network.
BASEBALL
A-Rod lawsuit goes federal
Alex Rodriguez’s lawsuit claiming MLB commissioner Bud Selig went on a “witch hunt” to force him from the sport has been moved from state to federal court. MLB filed a notice of removal on Monday, saying claims by the New York Yankees third baseman are governed by federal law. The legal action comes amid an effort by the Major League Baseball Players Association to overturn a 211-game suspension given to Rodriguez by MLB on Aug. 5 for alleged violations of baseball’s drug agreement and labor contract. In his lawsuit, Rodriguez claimed MLB and Selig tried to smear the three-time AL Most Valuable Player and cost him tens of millions of dollars in an attempt to cover up Selig’s alleged past inaction on performance-enhancing drugs.
SOCCER
Milan game closed to fans
The San Siro stadium will be closed to fans for AC Milan’s next match as punishment for insulting chants by the club’s fans during a weekend match at Juventus. It is the second time this season that Milan has been sanctioned by the league judge, after fans also subjected Napoli supporters to discriminatory chants. The ban will come into effect for Milan’s next match, against Udinese on Oct. 19. Milan was also fined 50,000 euros (US$68,000). Milan immediately announced that it would appeal the decision, saying it “lacks justification.” Juventus won the match 3-2, leaving Milan 13 points behind Serie A leader Roma in a tie for 12th with promoted Livorno. Also Monday, the league judge banned Milan defender Philippe Mexes for four matches — three games for punching Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini and one for a red card picked up later.
CRICKET
MIA Warner punished
Australia batsman David Warner has been ordered to front up to Sydney’s suburban cricket grounds to play club-grade cricket after failing to show up for his Randwick Petersham side on the weekend. The hotheaded 26-year-old was expected to debut for Randwick on Saturday, but pulled out, citing a need to hit the nets for some practice. Warner, who posted a photograph of himself in boxing gloves with a fitness trainer on Twitter on Saturday, was spotted the same day at a horse racing meeting at Sydney’s Randwick racecourse, according to local media reports. Warner was hauled before Cricket New South Wales chief executive Andrew Johns yesterday to explain the no-show. Warner was given a suspended one-match ban, meaning he would miss either a Sheffield Shield match or a domestic one-day fixture for New South Wales for another offense, but was also ordered to turn up for Randwick for the following two Saturdays, and a third if his state one-day commitments permitted. He would also have to make two visits to other grade cricket clubs to promote a campaign to discourage drunk-driving.
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