FRANCE
Lens’ promotion in doubt
Racing Club de Lens’ promotion to Ligue 1 was still in jeopardy on Tuesday after an appeal commission upheld a ruling banned them from joining the French top flight on financial grounds. The French Football Federation’s appeals body said it had “confirmed” the sanction imposed last month by the National Directorate of Management Control (DNCG). Lens are owned by Azerbaijani businessman Hafiz Mammadov. The DNCG said Lens were 10 million euros (US$13.57 million) short in their budget for next season to meet financial criteria. “Although the Bank of Azerbaijan has vouched for us... the appeals commission has kept asking for 10 million euros. As the funds have not yet been transferred to our bank account, the decision has been upheld,” Lens said in a statement. The club said it would appeal to the National Olympic Committee, France’s highest sporting authority.
ITALY
Yann M’Vila signs for Inter
France midfielder Yann M’Vila has signed for Inter from Rubin Kazan, the Serie A club announced on Tuesday. “Now it’s official: Yann M’Vila is an Inter player. He will be unveiled to the media on Saturday,” Inter said on their official Twitter feed. The club are yet to announce the details of the deal, but the 24-year-old is likely to join on a year-long loan, with Inter having the option to buy at the end of the season. At the end of last month, M’Vila finished a 16-month ban from playing for France following an unauthorized night out while on international duty with his country’s under-21 side.
SPAIN
Caicedo inks Espanyol deal
Ecuador striker Felipe Caicedo has joined RCD Espanyol on a two-year deal, the club announced on Tuesday. “The Ecuador striker... has signed for two seasons and will immediately link up with the first team,” a statement on the club’s Web site said. Caicedo, 25, who was a free agent after leaving Al Jazira in the United Arab Emirates, will join his new teammates at Espanyol’s pre-season training camp in the Pyrenees later this week. He previously had spells in Spain with Malaga, in the latter half of the 2009-2010 season, before playing the 2010-2011 campaign with Levante UD after twice being loaned out Manchester City.
PORTUGAL
Martins Indi moves to Porto
Netherlands defender Bruno Martins Indi has moved from Feyenoord to Porto on a four-year contract, the Dutch club said on Tuesday. No details of the deal for the 22-year-old, who helped the Netherlands to a third-placed finish at the World Cup in Brazil last weekend, were announced. “It feels the right moment to leave,” he told Feyenoord’s Web site. “I have played more than 100 games for Feyenoord and now have a World Cup behind my name. I always said that if I made the next move in my career it must benefit both me and the club. My departure is a good financial deal for Feyenoord, while I get a new challenge in Portugal.”
NETHERLANDS
AaB sell Kusk to Twente
Danish champions AaB Fodbold have sold winger Kasper Kusk to Dutch side Twente, the club said on Tuesday. The 22-year-old Denmark international will transfer immediately, the club said. “Kasper’s departure leaves a gap, but we have said goodbye to other players before and got through it, and I am sure it will happen again,” AaB sporting director Allan Gaarde said in a statement.
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