SOCCER
FAM faces suspension
Malaysia’s sports minister has threatened to suspend the country’s soccer body after last week’s record 10-0 drubbing, which has already prompted their coach to quit. Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said he was prepared to take “drastic” measures against the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) after Malaysia’s embarrassing World Cup qualifying defeat to the United Arab Emriates. Khairy said he may come down hard if the body “still recycle their earlier excuses,” the New Straits Times quoted him as saying. Coach Dollah Salleh stepped down on Saturday, two days after presiding over Malaysia’s thrashing in Abu Dhabi, their worst-ever defeat. Khairy said FAM officials must ask “after this embarrassing defeat if they are still qualified to hold office as they have been given a sufficiently long time, but without results.” He said one option would be a move similar to that by Indonesia’s soccer body, which suspended the country’s top domestic league in April after a dispute with the sports ministry.
HORSE RACING
State funeral for Cummings
Australia on Monday paid tribute to legendary horse racing trainer Bart Cummings with a state funeral at a packed St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney. Politicians and punters joined racing royalty to bid farewell to the “Cups King,” who died of pneumonia on Aug. 30, aged 87. “Australians like success in sport, and so even the shyest racehorse trainer was bound to become a national figure if he trained 12 Melbourne Cup winners,” Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in his own tribute to parliament in Canberra. “He was the trainer every jockey wanted to ride for, every owner wanted to engage and every punter felt safe betting on. Race day will not be the same without him.” Cummings trained winners in 268 Group 1 races, including seven Caulfield Cups, five Cox Plates, four Golden Slipper Stakes, 13 Australian Cups, 32 Derbies and 24 Oaks.
SOCCER
Palmeiras president in row
The president of Palmeiras watched the second half of his team’s derby with Corinthians in the changing rooms on Sunday after almost coming to blows with a fan of the rival team, Brazilian media reported. Palmeiras drew 3-3 with league leaders Corinthians in a thrilling tie played in front of a 36,000 crowd at Palmeiras’ Allianz Parque. The home side took the lead on three occasions, but Corinthians pegged them back each time and when an overzealous Corinthians fan celebrated his team’s second goal in a nearby executive box, Palmeiras president Paulo Nobre took offense, the globoesporte Web site said. The two men almost came to blows before security guards stepped in and Nobre departed to the dressing rooms to watch the remainder of the game, according to other reports.
MOTOR RACING
Edwards wins Southern 500
Carl Edwards took the lead on the last pit stop and held off Denny Hamlin on a restart eight laps from the end for his first Southern 500 victory on Sunday night. Edwards was two laps behind early in the nearly five-hour NASCAR Sprint Cup race, slowed by a record 18 cautions at Darlington Raceway. Pole-sitter Brad Keselowski was second and Hamlin finished third. Joey Logano was fourth, followed by defending race champion Kevin Harvick and the Busch brothers, Kurt and Kyle.Edwards won for the second time this season, and gave Joe Gibbs Racing their seventh victory in the past 10 events. JGR swept the weekend, with Hamlin winning the Xfinity race on Saturday.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care