SOCCER
Urawa play in empty stadium
Saitama Stadium was eerily quiet yesterday as hosts Urawa Reds were forced to play behind closed doors due to racist behavior by some of their fans. Under the stiffest punishment yet to be issued by the 20-year-old J-League, Urawa and Shimizu S-Pulse played their game before 63,000 empty seats. Other than a handful of journalists and security staff, the stadium was completely empty. The harsh ruling came after a fan displayed a banner at Urawa’s home stadium two weeks ago that bore the words “Japanese Only” written on it. The sign was put up at a stadium entrance, but was not removed until after the March 8 game. Shun Nagasawa scored in the 19th minute for Shimizu and Genki Haraguchi equalized after the break as the game ended in a 1-1 draw. Urawa is one of the best-supported clubs in Japan and had average attendance of more than 37,000 last season. It was the first time in league history a match was played at an empty stadium. Urawa captain Yuki Abe read from a statement before the game, expressing the team’s regret over the incident. The team announced it will prohibit supporters from displaying signs and banners of any kind at all home games.
SOCCER
Policeman killed in favela
A policeman was shot in the throat and killed in a Rio de Janeiro slum on Saturday, a day after the federal government stepped in to bring violent favelas under control before the World Cup. Police said the 44-year-old officer was shot in an exchange of gunfire in a western district in the early hours after he had challenged two young men who fled on a motorbike. On Friday, Rio State Governor Sergio Cabral held emergency talks with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff after a spate of similar attacks, with Brazilian Minister of Justice Jose Eduardo Cardozo later confirming that the federal government in Brasilia had agreed to provide army support for Rio police. Broadcaster Globo’s G1 news portal reported on Saturday that a 120-strong police contingent had moved into the sprawling northern Mare slum, after police occupied three nearby favelas overnight. With the World Cup barely 10 weeks away, Cardozo insisted the government had every confidence in its “excellent security plan” for the soccer extravaganza.
SOCCER
FIFA apologizes to Brazil
FIFA performed an embarrassing U-turn on Saturday and apologized, saying it had withdrawn publicity material for the World Cup in Brazil that poked fun at local customs. Just weeks after sports merchandiser Adidas pulled from the market two shirts that Brazil viewed as sexist, FIFA has now removed material that depicted Brazilians as unpunctual, impatient and even chaotic. FIFA said its attempts at humor had backfired. “The material was light-hearted and at no time was meant to criticize Brazil,” a FIFA statement said.
GOLF
Andrade, Funk share lead
Billy Andrade shot a seven-under 65 to share the lead with Fred Funk after the second round of the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic at Fallen Oak in Biloxi, Mississippi, on Saturday. Andrade had the low round of the day, capping it with a 20-foot birdie putt on 18. Funk shot a 67. Andrade is playing in just his fourth Champions Tour event. His best finish was eighth place at the ACE Group Classic last month. Fred Couples started the day with a two-stroke lead, but fell into a tie for second place after shooting a 71. Jay Haas and Jeff Maggert both had 69 to join Couples one stroke behind the leaders. Andrade and Funk are at eight-under 136.
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