SOCCER
Chelsea make Muto offer
English Premier League leaders Chelsea have made a formal offer for Japan striker Yoshinori Muto, his club, FC Tokyo, said yesterday. Japanese media reported the offer was worth US$5.9 million. “It is true that we have received an official offer from Chelsea for Muto, but nothing has been decided,” a spokesman for the J-League club said, declining to comment further on details, including the amount of money offered. However, Sports Nippon said Chelsea offered about £4 million (US$5.9 million), which would be a J-League record from an overseas club. “I’m honored to receive an offer from this wonderful team, but I have not made any decision yet,” the 22-year-old Muto told the sports daily. Muto began his professional career at FC Tokyo last year, scoring 13 goals in 33 games to match the first-division record for a player in his rookie season. The baby-faced striker also made his debut for Japan last year, scoring his first international goal in a 2-2 draw against Venezuela.
RUGBY UNION
Brad Thorn retiring
Former New Zealand lock Brad Thorn is retiring at the end of the season following a glittering 21-year career in which he has won the biggest prizes in rugby league and union. The 40-year-old started out in league with the Brisbane Broncos, represented Queensland in the State of Origin and won three caps for Australia. Thorn moved back to New Zealand in 2001, switching codes to join the Canterbury Crusaders and playing 12 Tests for the All Blacks. He went back to rugby league with the Broncos from 2005 to 2007, but returned to union and the last of his 59 All Blacks appearances was the 2011 World Cup final in which they beat France 8-7. Thorn helped Ireland’s Leinster lift the 2012 Heineken Cup, becoming the first man to play in victorious World Cup, Super Rugby and European Cup teams. “My goal was to play top-level rugby at 40 and to play well, and I’ve done that,” Thorn told the BBC.
SOCCER
Croatia to play without fans
UEFA has ordered Croatia to play its next Euro 2016 qualifier in a closed stadium as a punishment for racism by its supporters and other misconduct. UEFA said its disciplinary body also found Croatia’s fans guilty of setting off fireworks and throwing missiles in the Euro 2016 qualifier against Norway in Zagreb last month. As well as being forced to play the June 12 game against Italy without any fans, the Croatian Football Association was fined 50,000 euros (US$53,900). Croatia has a two-point lead over Italy at the top of Group H.
MOTOR RACING
Chile pulls out of rally
Chile is pulling out of next year’s Dakar Rally, citing flash floods that have hit the northern, desert region of the South American country. The Chilean Ministry of Sport said on Wednesday it would not spend about US$7 million to host legs of the three-week rally, with the money being better used for rebuilding areas devastated by the flooding. Chilean Minister for Sport Natalia Riffo said the decision was taken after consulting with Dakar Rally organizers. She said the “door was open” to rejoining the rally in 2017. “One adapts to the reality of our citizens in the north,” Riffo said. “Therefore, our immediate concern is to rebuild the affected areas and channel the resources to people who need them.” The government says it is to spend about US$1.5 billion on rebuilding the area. The rally in January covered legs in Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. It was not immediately clear how the rally would be rerouted next year to skip Chile.
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