SOCCER
Denmark, Germany through
Denmark and Germany reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Under-21 Championship in the Czech Republic after taking the top two spots in Group A on Tuesday. Denmark won the group with six points from three games after beating Serbia 2-0 in Prague. Germany came second with five points after being held to a 1-1 draw by third-placed hosts the Czech Republic. In Group B, all four teams can still make it to the semi-finals scheduled for Saturday. Group B leaders Portugal were due to face second-placed Sweden in the last group game yesterday, while third-placed England were to face Italy. The final is scheduled for Tuesday next week.
SOCCER
Rivaldo back on field
Former star Rivaldo says he is ending his retirement and is to start training again with Mogi Mirim, a second-division team in the Brazilian league where he is the club president. The 43-year-old midfielder made the announcement with his club last in the 20-team standings. Rivaldo says he may play “in a few matches,” depending on how he performs during training. He said he hopes his “experience” would help the team “overcome this difficult moment.” Mogi Mirim have only three points from eight matches and are the only winless team so far in the second division. FIFA’s player of the year in 1999, Rivaldo has not played professionally since announcing his retirement in March last year. He was crucial for Brazil when they won the 2002 World Cup.
RUGBY UNION
Pollard to head to Japan
South Africa flyhalf Handre Pollard is to join Japanese club the Red Hurricanes for a three-month spell at the end of the year. Pollard, expected to be first choice for the Springboks at the World Cup in September, is to travel to Japan in November and return at the end of January in time to compete in next year’s Super Rugby. “Handre is contracted to the Bulls till the end of 2017 and we are already in talks, with assistance from the South African Rugby Union, to extend that to 2019,” Bulls high-performance manager Xander Janse van Rensburg said in a club statement on Tuesday. “Handre had a clause in his contract to go to Japan and we are happy to release him for that. In the end, it will give us more leeway to keep Handre at the Bulls for an extended period.” It continues a flood of departures by high-profile players, some permanently and others temporarily, as the lure of better earnings overseas threatens to have a major impact on the South African game.
SOCCER
Goalkeeper offered trial
Singapore goalkeeper Izwan Mahbud has been offered a trial by J-League side Matsumoto Yamaga after he foiled four-time Asian champions Japan with a dominating display in Saitama last week. The 24-year-old made 18 saves as minnows Singapore held the Blue Samurai to a surprise 0-0 draw in Japan’s opening World Cup and Asian Cup qualifier. Newly promoted Matsumoto were keen to take another look at the goalkeeper, who plays for Singaporean side Lions XII in the Malaysian Super League, to gauge his consistency. “It’s hard to judge from one game, but he had a dominating performance. He made fantastic saves and had an excellent performance,” Yamaga vice president Yoshiyuki Kato was quoted as saying in yesterday’s edition of the Straits Times. “The way he threw himself about and kept his concentration throughout was very impressive. He certainly has enough ability to play in the J-League and we would like to see him in practice.”
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
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