ENGLAND
Leeds takeover goes ahead
Massimo Cellino’s controversial takeover of Leeds United will finally go ahead after the Football League accepted an independent Queen’s Counsel’s decision to allow the Italian to become a director at the Championship club. The league’s governing body originally blocked the deal after deeming Cellino to have failed their owners’ and directors’ test, but that was overturned on appeal last Saturday. Cellino sparked controversy when he sacked Leeds manager Brian McDermott earlier this season, before reinstating him days later. Cellino, 57, will now take up a place on the Leeds board, two months after his Miami-based company ESL first agreed a deal to purchase 75 percent of the club’s shares. The tycoon, who also owns Italian Serie A club Cagliari, was initially barred from purchasing the club due to his conviction for a tax offense in a court in Sardinia last month. Cellino’s lawyers argued that because he had appealed against his tax conviction — a process that could take nine months — he was considered not guilty under Italian law.
ENGLAND
Benteke goes under knife
Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke will have surgery in Belgium on the Achilles tendon injury that shattered his World Cup dreams. Benteke ruptured his Achilles tendon in training and Villa manager Paul Lambert confirmed the player has now returned to his home country for the operation. “Our doctor [Roddy Macdonald] is over in Belgium and he has spoken with the surgeon, and it’s pretty imminent he will get it done — today [Thursday], tonight or tomorrow,” Lambert said. “Then after that it’s all about the rehabilitation with him. When it’s a long-term injury you have good days, bad days, like everyone else when they are out injured for a long time, but he’ll be fine.” Even though Benteke, 23, is out of this year’s World Cup finals in Brazil and is unlikely to return to match action until October at the earliest, Lambert is confident he will not lose heart and will be eager to return as quickly as possible. “It’s probably just sinking in now he is going to miss the World Cup, which is a major blow for him, but he is in a generation of Belgian players who will qualify for a few more tournaments down the line,” he said.
GERMANY
Dortmund to sign Sahin
Borussia Dortmund will make use of an option to buy on-loan midfielder Nuri Sahin from Real Madrid, making his return to last season’s UEFA Champions League runners-up permanent, the German club said yesterday. Turkey international Sahin, a product of Dortmund’s youth system, joined Real in 2011, but after failing to hold down a starting spot was loaned out to Liverpool. He returned, again on loan, to Dortmund in January last year for an 18-month spell with an option for the German club to buy him. “We informed Real officials on the sidelines of our Champions League game [on Tuesday] that we will make use of this option,” Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke told reporters.
UNITED STATES
United-Real tickets sold out
It took less than a day for all the tickets to sell out at the 100,000-plus-seat Michigan Stadium for the Aug. 2 exhibition game between Manchester United and Real Madrid. Organizers of the International Cup Championship said that all the seats were gone on the first day of general sales. Manchester United’s US tour also includes games against AS Roma at Denver’s Sports Authority Field on July 26 and Italy’s Inter on July 29 at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
Rafael Nadal on Tuesday lost in straight sets to 31st-ranked Jiri Lehecka in the fourth round at the Madrid Open, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced to the semi-finals in the women’s doubles. Nadal said that he was feeling good about his progress following his latest injury layoff. Nadal called it a “positive week” in every way and said his body held up well. “I was able to play four matches, a couple of tough matches,” Nadal said. “So very positive, winning three matches, playing four matches at the high level of tennis. I enjoyed a lot playing at home. I leave here with
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
When 42-1 underdog James ‘Buster’ Douglas shocked ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson 34 years ago at the Tokyo Dome, the result reverberated worldwide. Spectators at the 45,000-plus seater venue witnessed one of boxing’s biggest upsets as unbeaten heavyweight champion Tyson was knocked out in the 10th round by the unheralded Douglas in February 1990. Boxing returns to the famous venue on Monday for the first time since that unforgettable encounter when Japan’s undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue puts his belts on the line against Mexican Luis Nery. The 31-year-old Inoue (26-0, 23 KOs) is a huge star in Japan and is just