SOCCER
Del Bosque stays with Spain
Vicente del Bosque on Thursday confirmed his intention to stay on as coach of Spain, despite their disappointing performance at the World Cup in Brazil. “I have been in contact with federation president [Angel Maria Villar], as well as the secretary-general [Jorge Perez], and I think we are a stable federation and the last six years as a whole have counted for more than the last two games that eliminated us from the World Cup,” Del Bosque said. “They valued my work and we are going to carry on as always.” Del Bosque’s contract runs through to the end of Euro 2016 and his announcement will end speculation that had been mounting since Spain were knocked out of the World Cup following back-to-back defeats against the Netherlands and Chile. After Spain bowed out of the tournament in Brazil by beating Australia 3-0, he said: “We will look for the best decision for our football, with sense and without drama.”
BASEBALL
US All-Stars to play Japan
Hiroshima Carp pitcher Kenta Maeda will take the mound for Japan against a team of All-Stars from Major League Baseball in a six-game series in November. Maeda, who is 9-4 this season with a 2.08 ERA, was one of six players listed for the series on the national team Web site yesterday. The remainder of the squad is to be named later. The All-Stars will be visiting Japan for the first time since 2006. With the start of the World Baseball Classic that year, Japan’s players’ association decided to skip the series and the All-Stars have not returned since. The series is set to begin on Nov. 12 at the Osaka Dome and will be followed by three games at the Tokyo Dome, before wrapping up with games in Sapporo and Okinawa.
MOTOR RACING
Nico Rosberg bows to FIFA
Formula One leader Nico Rosberg ditched plans to put an image of the World Cup trophy on his helmet for the upcoming German Grand Prix following a complaint from FIFA. The German driver wanted to commemorate his country’s World Cup win with a specially designed helmet that also featured the German colors, but FIFA complained that featuring the trophy on the helmet would breach its intellectual property rights. “We appreciate Nico Rosberg’s desire to congratulate the German team and have therefore been in discussions with the Rosberg team, who have now found a solution whereby he will still be able to show his support for Germany without using FIFA’s intellectual property in a commercial context,” FIFA said in a statement on Thursday. “FIFA brands cannot be allowed to be shown on a commercially branded helmet.” Rosberg is to race instead with a modified helmet featuring four golden stars, one for each of Germany’s World Cup wins.
ATHLETICS
Cameroon wrestler found
A Cameroon Commonwealth Games athlete reported missing earlier this week has been found safe and well. Two Cameroonian wrestlers, aged 26 and 31, vanished from their country’s pre-Games training camp in Aberdeen, Scotland, earlier this week. They were reported missing on Tuesday after being last seen at the Hillhead Halls of Residence on Sunday, but Police Scotland confirmed on Thursday that one of the unnamed male athletes had been found in London. It is not yet known whether he is the 26-year-old or the 31-year-old. In a statement, the force said: “Police Scotland can confirm that one of the athletes reported missing from Aberdeen has been traced safe and well in London. Inquiries are continuing to locate the other athlete.”
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two