SOCCER
Iniesta to leave Barcelona
Andres Iniesta is leaving Barcelona after 16 trophy-filled seasons with the club. “This season is the last,” Iniesta announced on Friday in an emotional news conference attended by most of his teammates, his family and club executives. After regaining his composure, he added: “I have spent all my life here at this club and it is not easy to leave. The club has placed its confidence in me and considered me a player who is honest with myself and the club, and I said that if I am not able to give it all to my club that has given everything to me that I wouldn’t be happy.” Iniesta, who turns 34 on May 11, said he intends to continue playing, but did not say what his next club would be. Local media report he is going to a Chinese club. “I have always said that I would never compete against my club, so all the options outside Europe are open,” Iniesta said. “When the season is over we will know my choice.”
GOLF
Close pack in Beijing final
England’s Matt Wallace and Adrian Otaegui of Spain share the lead going into the final round of the US$3.2 million China Open today, but with the chasing pack stalking them. The duo were at 12-under after yesterday’s third round with the triple threat of Sweden’s Alexander Bjork, Julien Guerrier of France and Spain’s Jorge Campillo all a shot behind. On 10-under were six players, ensuring that today’s finale looks set to go right to the wire. Reigning champion Alex Levy of France was in a share of 12th, three shots off the leaders at Topwin Golf and Country Club in Beijing. No Taiwanese player made the cut.
OLYMPICS
Norman awarded for salute
The Australian Olympic Committee yesterday awarded a posthumous Order of Merit to Peter Norman, a record-holding sprinter who supported two Americans in their famous Black Power salute at the 1968 Mexico Olympics. At the Games, Norman split US track stars Tommie Smith and John Carlos to snatch silver in 20.06 seconds, setting a national record for the 200m sprint that still stands after 50 years. The committee said it was Norman’s decision to stand in solidarity with Smith and Carlos during their silent civil rights protest that further etched him into Australian Olympic folklore. During the award ceremony, Smith and Carlos both put a black-gloved fist in the air. Norman backed their gesture, wearing an Olympic Project for Human Rights badge in support, but was then frozen out of future Games selection and airbrushed from Australian Olympic history until recently.
SOCCER
Brazil’s Del Nero banned
Brazilian official Marco Polo del Nero was on Friday banned for life for bribery and corruption by the FIFA ethics committee. FIFA said that Del Nero, the former Brazilian Football Confederation president and one-time FIFA executive committee member, was also fined 1 million Swiss francs (US$1.01 million). Del Nero was in 2015 indicted by the US Department of Justice in its sprawling investigation of international soccer corruption linked to broadcasting contracts of competitions. Proven charges of unethical conduct against Del Nero included “bribery and corruption,” “offering and accepting gifts and other benefits” and conflicts of loyalty, FIFA said. He can challenge the sanctions at FIFA’s appeal committee, then the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
HSIEH MAKES QUARTERS: Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens of Belgium won in the women’s doubles and face Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin of the US Top-ranked Iga Swiatek and US Open champion Coco Gauff were knocked out of the women’s singles at the Miami Open on Monday, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced in the women’s doubles. Swiatek lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2, hours after third seed Gauff fell in three sets to No. 23 Caroline Garcia 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. Alexandrova beat a top-ranked player for the first time and advanced to face Jessica Pegula, a 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 winner over Emma Navarro, in the quarter-finals. Alexandrova recorded her second win over Swiatek, following a 2021 victory in Melbourne. Swiatek had won their three matches since. “We played quite