SOCCER
Zelalem welcome in Ethiopia
Arsenal central midfielder Gedion Zelalem would be welcomed with open arms if he chooses to play for Ethiopia, his parent’s country of birth, according to the country’s soccer coach and foreign minister. Zelalem, 16, is eligible to play for Germany and the US as well. “Hi Gedion. Good to hear from you. We hope you will play for Ethiopia soon,” Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs Adhanom Tedros tweeted the teenager on Sunday. Tedros’ post was a response to a tweet from Zelalem saying “Still proud” after the Walyas Antelopes lost 2-1 to Nigeria in their FIFA 2014 World Cup qualifier in Addis Ababa. The loss all but ended Ethiopia’s chances of sealing a spot at the finals after a campaign that was lauded as a fairy-tale run by a team comprised mainly of domestic players. Ethiopia coach Sewnet Bishaw told reporters he would not contact Zelalem personally, but added: “If he decides to play for Ethiopia and asks us, then things will be easy.” Zelalem impressed during Arsenal’s pre-season tour of Southeast Asia, with Arsenal fans labelling him the “new [Cesc] Fabregas.”
BASEBALL
MLB umpire dies at 48
MLB umpire Wally Bell, who worked the National League playoff series between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the St Louis Cardinals earlier this month, has died at the age of 48. He died of an apparent heart attack in his home state of Ohio, the MLB said on Monday. Bell worked the 2006 World Series and three All-Star games, including this year’s NL series at Citi Field, where he was stationed at first base. A veteran of 21 big league seasons, he had also worked four league championship series since joining the major league staff in 1993. According to Bell’s biography on the MLB Web site, his proudest moment as a big league umpire was returning to the field after having open heart surgery in 1999.
SOCCER
Loew meets Swedish fan
Germany manager Joachim Loew was accompanied by an unusual translator on Monday when Sweden handball coach Staffan Olsson joined him on stage in Stockholm for a pre-match press conference. While Loew gave his thoughts on the FIFA World Cup qualifier that was to be played between Sweden and Germany yesterday, the 49-year-old Olsson, who spent 11 years playing in Germany, stepped in for his daughter as translator because he wanted to meet Loew. “That was a lot of fun,” Olsson said after translating for Loew. “Everything is a bit bigger in soccer than it is in handball and I was nervous because I wanted to meet Joachim Loew. It was cool to meet him, he was very relaxed and very friendly.” Germany have qualified for the Brazil finals as Group C winners, but Sweden face a two-leg playoff next month for their berth.
SOCCER
Messi back in Barca practice
World Player of the Year Lionel Messi returned to full training with Barcelona on Monday for the first time since suffering a thigh injury two weeks ago. The Argentine was forced off with the problem in the 2-0 win over UD Almeria on Sept. 29 after scoring his 11th goal in nine appearances this season. Messi stayed in Barcelona to continue his recuperation process instead of joining Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella’s men when they took on Copa America champions Uruguay in Montevideo yesterday. The 26-year-old is expected to be fit enough to start Barca’s match away to CA Osasuna on Saturday, ahead of a big week in which the La Liga titleholders face AC Milan in the Champions League, before hosting Real Madrid on Oct. 26.
SOCCER
Shampoo thrown in protest
Nine cars belonging to Red Star players had their windows smashed and shampoo bottles hurled inside, in an apparent protest by fans against the team’s poor results. The incidents in the Red Star Stadium parking lot yesterday came a day after the players issued an open letter claiming Serbia’s most popular club is facing an “alarming” financial situation amid bickering within its leadership. The players said they have to train on poorly maintained grass pitches in the largest stadium in the Balkans, and they even lack shampoo in the dressing room. Red Star, European champions in 1991, owes millions of dollars to its players, coaches and creditors, and for years has endured poor results in the low-quality domestic league.
SOCCER
Indonesian signs Inter deal
Indonesian businessman Erick Thohir has acquired a majority stake in Inter, club president Massimo Moratti confirmed yesterday. “We have signed with Thohir,” Moratti said. According to Italian press reports, Thohir will acquire a majority 70 percent stake in the club. Thohir had been linked with a takeover of the Serie A club since last season, which Inter finished in a disappointing ninth place, failing to qualify for European competition in the process. Moratti and Thohir met twice, in May and June, this year, but failed to reach an agreement. Inter, the last Italian side to win the Champions League, in 2010 when they won the treble under Jose Mourinho, are reported to be desperate for a move away from the San Siro ground they share with city rivals AC Milan. Moratti is also keen for the club to take advantage of ripe markets in Asia which English Premier League giants like Manchester United have exploited. Inter are one of the three biggest clubs in Italian soccer, along with city rivals AC Milan and champions Juventus.
GOLF
McGinley takes lessons
With less than a year to go until the Ryder Cup, Europe captain Paul McGinley is deep in training for one of the key aspects of his role — public speaking. McGinley has been undergoing half-day sessions in London to improve the content of the many speeches he will make before and during next year’s competition against the US at Gleneagles. The Irishman says “it’s about getting everything chronologically correct in my presentations. I’ve been asked to do more and more public speaking, and I feel need to get myself more to a professional level.” Sam Torrance, Europe’s captain in 2002, said after being chosen for the role that he feared the speeches he would have to give more than the combined strength of the US team.
BASKETBALL
Meriweather dies aged 59
Former NBA player Joe Meriweather, who later coached women’s basketball at Park University in Missouri, has died in Columbus, Georgia. He was 59. Park athletic department spokesman Steve Wilson says Meriweather died unexpectedly on Sunday. The cause of death was unknown. The 10-year NBA veteran played for the Houston Rockets, the Atlanta Hawks, the New Orleans Jazz, the New York Knicks and the Kansas City Kings. The 2.08m Meriweather was the 11th pick in the 1975 NBA draft out of Southern Illinois University and is in its hall of fame. Wilson said Meriweather is the most successful women’s basketball coach in Park University history.
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