VATICAN CITY
New, old stars play for pope
International soccer sensations from Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi to Roberto Baggio will take to the pitch in Rome next week for a charitable “peace match” organized by Pope Francis, organizers said on Monday. Kickoff will be at 8:45pm on Sept. 1 at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico, but the 77-year-old pope will not be cheering from the stands, despite being an avid soccer fan. Nor will he catch it on the big screen, a Vatican official said, although the Argentine pontiff is expected to meet with all the players before the match. Players on the match list include Argentina’s Messi, Italy’s Gianluigi Buffon, Cameroon’s Samuel Eto’o and Israel’s Yossi Benayoun. Former stars will also dust off their boots for the game, from Italy’s Baggio, to the Ukraine’s Andriy Shevchencko and Chile’s Ivan Zamorano. Former Inter captain Javier Zanetti, who is organizing the event, told journalists the idea had first been discussed during a private audience he had with the pope last year. “It’s the pope’s initiative and a new challenge for peace,” said Zanetti, a fervent Catholic known for his charity work. Viewers will be able to donate money by text message and the funds collected going to a project supporting poor children in Buenos Aires.
LA LIGA
Dangda thrilled with debut
Teerasil Dangda, the first Thai to play in La Liga, has spoken of his delight at making his debut for UD Almeria in a 1-1 draw with RCD Espanyol on Sunday. The 26-year-old striker, who is on a season-long loan from Thai Premier League side Muangthong United, came off the bench in the first fixture of the new season. “I was already happy when I was named one of the substitutes,” he was quoted as saying by the Nation on Monday. “I’m delighted to see action on the pitch. I can’t really describe my feelings. I didn’t know whether I was delighted, excited or nervous.” While little-known overseas, Teerasil is a household name in Thailand. He refused to be drawn on the prospects of a long-term deal with Almeria — who narrowly avoided relegation last season. “Let’s see how it turns out,” he was quoted as saying.
CHILE
Federation sues Puma
The Football Federation of Chile has filed suit against German sportswear and equipment maker Puma for “systematically violating” its contract, a newspaper reported. The federation filed its complaint through the Santiago Chamber of Commerce saying Puma sent its uniforms for the FIFA World Cup late, after first mistakenly sending kits for Ghana, according to daily El Mercurio. Puma failed to do marketing and advertising studies it had agreed to, and delivered balls in such poor shape they had to be swapped out, the complaint reportedly alleges. The federation wants to cut short the contract with Puma, which runs through July 31 next year, the newspaper said.
PREMIER LEAGUE
Russia takes ex-Hearts boss
Russia has granted asylum to Vladimir Romanov, the former owner of Scottish Premier League side Hearts, who is wanted in Lithuania over alleged bank fraud, prosecutors said on Monday. The chief prosecutor’s office in Vilnius said Moscow had refused to extradite the Russia-born Romanov, who is suspected of fraudulent activity as the head of his now-bankrupt Ukio Bankas group. The 67-year-old magnate fled Lithuania last year after the central bank suspended operations at Ukio Bankas, citing irregularities. Romanov faces up to seven years in prison if found guilty.
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
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
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
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later