SOCCER
FIFA seeks damages
FIFA on Wednesday demanded tens of millions of dollars in damages from the “sordid” officials facing charges in the US over mass bribery scandals that have rocked world soccer. In a wide-ranging admission on the scope of soccer corruption, just two weeks after Gianni Infantino replaced Sepp Blatter as its president, soccer’s governing body called on US authorities to investigate the assets of former FIFA vice president Jeffrey Webb. It said the Cayman Islands official was leading an “extravagant lifestyle” in a US home that might have been bought with bribes. FIFA also made its most explicit accusation yet that South Africa paid a US$10 million bribe to get votes to back its bid for the 2010 World Cup.
SOCCER
PSV fans humiliated beggars
Fans of Dutch side PSV Eindhoven came under fire in Spain on Wednesday for throwing money at beggars and mocking them as they desperately scrambled to scoop up the coins. Spanish Minister of the Interior Jorge Fernandez Diaz described the scenes as “an absolute disgrace,” while the president of the Madrid regional government Cristina Cifuentes was outraged by the “lamentable” behavior”. “I feel ashamed that in Madrid — even if the hooligans are from a foreign team — we see such scenes. It’s not only racism, but an absolute lack of humanity.” Images broadcast by Spanish media showed Dutch fans seated on the terrace of a bar in the Plaza Mayor a few hours before Tuesday’s game against Atletico Madrid, throwing coins on the ground to force beggars to collect them. “This behavior is outrageous. We want to clearly dissociate ourselves from the conduct of some fans,” PSV president Toon Gerbrands said. “PSV will take appropriate action, which could include stadium bans or tougher sanctions.”
RUGBY UNION
Marler escapes sanction
Joe Marler will be available for England’s Six Nations finale against France tomorrow after escaping punishment for striking one Welsh opponent and verbally abusing another last weekend. Marler faced a disciplinary hearing in London on Wednesday for an incident involving Rob Evans in England’s 25-21 Six Nations win at Twickenham. Marler accepted he had committed foul play. While the citing was upheld, the panel found that it was not a red-card offense and so no punishment was issued. Marler was also investigated for using a slur toward another Wales player, Samson Lee, during the first half — and faced a potential four-week ban. However, Six Nations Rugby said no disciplinary action would be taken as Marler had apologized to Lee unprompted at halftime, had “deeply regretted what he had said” and had been reprimanded by England coach Eddie Jones.
OLYMPICS
Kyrgios, Tomic warned
Australia’s Olympic chef de mission Kitty Chiller has warned Tennis Australia that bad behavior will not be tolerated in Rio in a clear broadside to troubled stars Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic. “When push comes to shove, I won’t be afraid to discipline someone if they are not adhering to the standard we expect,” she said on Wednesday. “I will be sending people home if they don’t respect what they are part of.” The warning followed angry exchanges between the two young stars both off and on court earlier this month. During a Davis Cup game against the US, Tomic accused Kyrgios of faking illness to avoid playing, before the latter quickly hit back on social media.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
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
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and