SOCCER
Gabriel reprieve blasted
The Football Association’s (FA) decision to rescind Arsenal defender Gabriel’s red card has set a precedent allowing retaliation on the pitch, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has said. Gabriel was sent off for kicking out at Diego Costa during the Gunners’ 2-0 defeat by Chelsea at the weekend. Arsenal ended the match at Stamford Bridge with nine men, but the turning point came when Costa clashed with first Laurent Koscielny and then Gabriel with the score still 0-0, eventually provoking the latter into kicking out, resulting in him being show a straight red. The FA overturned referee Mike Dean’s decision to dismiss Gabriel and handed Costa a three-match ban for violent conduct for striking Koscielny in the face before the sending off. “Now we know that retaliation is allowed. No problem, you can do it,” Mourinho told the British media. His Arsenal counterpart and bitter rival, Arsene Wenger, said the FA’s decision to rescind Gabriel’s red card repaired just 5 per cent of the damage his team suffered during the defeat. “That just shows that they [the FA] decided after the game what should have been decided during the game and they repair 5 percent of the damage that has been done to us. Instead of us playing 11 against 10, we played 10 against 11,” the Frenchman said.
ICE HOCKEY
Rape kit tampering alleged
A rape investigation involving Chicago Blackhawks star forward Patrick Kane took a bizarre turn in Buffalo, New York, on Wednesday when the attorney for the accuser said an empty paper bag that once held the woman’s rape kit had been secretly placed in the doorway of her mother’s home. Kane’s attorney said both sides have been told none of Kane’s DNA was found “from the waist down” on the woman. Police said no packaging is missing from the rape kit. “Something seriously has gone amiss,” attorney Thomas Eoannou told reporters during a news conference, where he held up the wrinkled brown bag that he said pointed to the possibility of evidence tampering. He said the woman’s mother discovered the bag on Tuesday afternoon when she came home from work for lunch. She found the bag folded up between a storm door and her front door, he said. It was the first time Eoannou has spoken publicly about the case that has been the source of intense speculation and rumor since early last month, when Kane was accused of assaulting a young woman in his waterfront mansion after they met at a nightclub. Kane last week said he did nothing wrong and expected to be absolved.
BOXING
Champ mistaken for thief
Boxer Carlos Zambrano, the WBA world featherweight champion, claims he was stopped by armed police in Lima, Peru, investigating the theft of his own laptop while he was pursuing the thieves. “They saw this little black guy at the wheel and then they said the little black guy is the thief,” the 31-year-old told Canal N television in Lima. The incident took place on Wednesday morning when his computer was stolen outside a fast food restaurant in the San Borja area of the Peruvian capital. “Three policemen stopped me, thinking I was the thief. They drew their weapons and ordered me to get out of my car, despite me telling them that I was pursuing the thieves,” the fighter added. Zambrano described the incident as a “racial issue” because “how is it possible that they could take me for the thief when they saw my car behind. When they saw my driving licence and my name, they changed their minds. They said: ‘It’s the world champion.’ They then let me go.”
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