SOCCER
Platini cleared of charges
Banned former UEFA president and FIFA vice president Michel Platini said he is to return to soccer after Swiss federal prosecutors confirmed he was not being charged in an investigation into possible financial wrongdoing. It is “the end of a long nightmare for my family and those close to me,” Platini said in a statement. Since September 2015, the former France midfielder had the status of “between a witness and an accused person” in criminal proceedings against then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter. No criminal case was ever opened against Platini. The evidence related to Blatter authorizing FIFA to pay Platini US$2 million in uncontracted back salary in 2011.
WORLD CUP
Brazil fans crash training
Disgruntled fans broke into a Brazil training session on Friday and some booed the national team over a lack of contact with local supporters. A few dozen even mockingly chanted “It was 7-1! It was 7-1!” in a reference to the team’s humiliation against Germany four years ago. The open training in Teresopolis was the only chance local fans had to be with Brazil players since the beginning of preparations tomorrow. Brazil gave up on their traditional pre-Cup friendly on home soil before the tournament and are to only play again on June 3 in Liverpool against Croatia. About 200 people were initially allowed inside the Granja Comary training ground, but many others broke into the venue after being stopped by police for hours at the gates. No one was injured, but the frustration was evident.
SOCCER
FIFA exec calls out sexism
FIFA secretary-general Fatma Samoura said she encountered sexism and racism when she took over the job, with some in soccer opposed to a black woman taking a senior post. The 55-year-old Senegalese was the first woman to hold a senior role at FIFA when she took over from Jerome Valcke, who was sacked in January 2016 as part of the corruption scandal fallout. She had “broken the glass ceiling” in a “male-dominated organization, [but] they are used to me now,” Samoura told the BBC. “There are people who don’t think that a black woman should be leading the administration of FIFA. It’s sometimes as simple as that. It is something we are fighting on a daily basis on the pitch,” she said. “Nobody asks a man when he takes a position if he’s competent to do the job. They just assume that he can do the job. For a woman to make her way up to the top, you need to prove every single day that you are the best fit for that position.”
CRICKET
Film to expose corruption
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has launched an investigation into corruption allegations made in a documentary to be aired by al-Jazeera today. The documentary allegedly uncovers a groundsman agreeing to doctor pitches for Test matches involving some of the world’s top teams. “The ICC is aware of an investigation into corruption in cricket by a news organization and as you would expect we will take the contents of the program and any allegations it may make very seriously,” it said in a statement on its Web site. The Australian yesterday reported that the documentary would allege that spot-fixers bribed the groundsman at Galle to doctor the pitch used for the 2016 second Test between hosts Sri Lanka and Australia. Last year’s Test between Sri Lanka and India at Galle was also under suspicion, while match-fixers had also targeted England’s Test at the same venue in November last year, the Australian said.
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