SPAIN
Teams fined for whistling
Authorities on Monday moved to fine Barcelona 66,000 euros (US$67,000) and Athletic Bilbao 18,000 euros over last season’s Copa del Rey final, where fans of the Catalan and Basque sides whistled King Felipe VI. The Higher Sports Council proposed the sanctions for “behavior whose aim was to transform the sporting event into a stage for political demands through intolerant acts,” including “whistling the national anthem and His Majesty the King,” patron of the cup, the council said in a statement. It also proposed a 123,000 euro fine for the Royal Spanish Football Federation as organizer of the final at Barcelona’s Camp Nou on May 30, which Barca won 3-1.
MEXICO
Coach denies violent act
National coach Miguel Herrera on Monday denied punching a journalist at the Philadelphia International Airport, one day after Mexico clinched the Gold Cup with a 3-1 win over Jamaica. Christian Martinoli of TV Azteca told AS Mexico that he ran into the Mexico team after clearing security at the airport. Martinoli, who had been critical of Herrera during Mexico’s run to a seventh title in the biennial North American soccer championship, said the coach punched him in the neck after threatening him in the security line. However, Herrera denied striking Martinoli, admitting only to pushing him.
PREMIER LEAGUE
Stoke sign Afellay
Stoke City have signed former Barcelona winger Ibrahim Afellay on a free transfer, the English Premier League club confirmed on Monday. Afellay agreed a two-year contract with Stoke and is to link up with coach Mark Hughes and his new teammates on their pre-season tour of France. The 29-year-old Netherlands international — capped 50 times — was available to move after his contract with Barcelona expired in the close-season. Former PSV Eindhoven star Afellay joins compatriots Erik Pieters and Marco van Ginkel in the Stoke squad, along with former Barcelona teammates Bojan Krkic, Marc Muniesa and Moha El Ouriachi. Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes told the club’s Web site: “It is no secret that Ibrahim was wanted by a number of clubs and we are understandably delighted that he has chosen to join us.” Afellay becomes Stoke’s eighth close-season signing, following the arrivals of Philipp Wollscheid, Jakob Haugaard, Joselu, Van Ginkel, Glen Johnson, Shay Given and Moha.
MLS
Red Bulls buy Wright-Phillips
Queens Park Rangers winger Shaun Wright-Phillips is to be reunited with his brother, Bradley, after signing for Major League Soccer outfit the New York Red Bulls, the club announced on Monday. Former England international Shaun Wright-Phillips, 33, heads to New York after barely featuring for QPR during their doomed battle against relegation last season. No terms of his contract with the Red Bulls were disclosed. “Shaun is a proven player, who has played on soccer’s largest stage,” New York Red Bulls Sporting Director Ali Curtis said. “He can play a number of positions for us and is an excellent fit in our locker room. We are pleased that he will be wearing a Red Bull jersey and we cannot wait for him to take the field.” The club said Shaun Wright-Phillips would be available to make his debut when the Red Bulls face Philadelphia Union on Saturday. The Wright-Phillips brothers are to play on the same side for the first time since 2004, when they both appeared for Manchester City.
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
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is 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