SOCCER
Maradona leaves hospital
Argentine great Diego Maradona was released from the hospital after being admitted earlier on Friday with internal bleeding in the stomach, which was discovered during routine examinations, his daughter Dalma said. “For those who were really worried about my dad I can tell you that he is well,” Dalma wrote on Twitter. “He is going home soon.” The 58-year-old was having a routine medical in his homeland before returning to Mexico, where he is coach of second-division side Dorados de Sinaloa, when doctors discovered the problem. However, a source close to the family told reporters that the problem was not serious and that the former Boca Juniors, SSC Napoli and Barcelona midfielder was not in any danger. Another source said that Maradona might have to undergo more tests. The news came just hours after Maradona’s lawyer confirmed that he would coach in Mexico for a second consecutive season. Maradona took over at struggling Dorados de Sinaloa in September and got them into the playoffs, where they lost to Atletico San Luis.
SOCCER
Broke team losing players
Spain’s players’ association on Friday joined the players of second-division team Reus in asking the nation’s soccer federation to postpone their next match because of the club’s critical financial situation. Reus only has 12 players because their former teammates left after not having been paid for more than three months, thereby freeing them from their contracts. US defender Shaq Moore, who was on loan from La Liga’s Levante UD, was one of those who left. Reus last month said that it had found the money to play its players, but four have since left. The players have blamed the situation on majority stakeholder Joan Oliver.
SOCCER
Greek referee strike ends
Greek Super League referees on Friday said that they are ending their strike protesting an attack on one of their colleagues last month. The move came after a meeting representatives of the referees held with government officials, the Hellenic Football Federation and the league in which the referees received assurances for their safety. Greek Cup matches are to resume on Tuesday and the Super League on Saturday after weekend matches were twice postponed.
GOLF
Woodland leads in Hawaii
Gary Woodland on Friday reeled off five successive birdies en route to a second straight 67 that gave him a three-shot lead at the halfway point of the PGA Tour’s Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. After a frustrating front nine, Woodland kicked off his birdie run with a chip-in at the 11th and capped his day with another birdie at the par-five 18th to move to 12-under-par 134 at the Kapalua Plantation course. Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy shot a 68 for a share of second place on nine-under alongside Bryson DeChambeau (68) and Kevin Tway (71). Defending champion Dustin Johnson (74) plunged seven shots behind after a round that included a double-bogey at the fourth hole where he incurred a two-stroke penalty for hitting the wrong ball. Woodland said his patience had been tested on a day that started extremely windy. Overnight leader Tway, who shot a 66 on Thursday despite a sinus infection and earache, said he felt much better after sleeping more than 12 hours, although his second round was five shots worse than the first.
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in has pleaded with South Korea fans to get behind the team at the 2026 FIFA World Cup after more boos were aimed at coach Hong Myung-bo despite leading them to qualification. South Korea reached next year’s finals in North America without losing a game, but that does not tell the whole story. The country’s soccer association has been in the firing line, having scrambled about to find a successor after sacking the unpopular Jurgen Klinsmann in February last year. They eventually settled on Hong, the decorated former skipper who had an unsuccessful stint as coach in 2013-2014, during which
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Ferrari’s F1 fortunes might be flagging, but the Italian team start this weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans as favorites, targeting a third consecutive triumph in motorsport’s fabled endurance classic. Roger Federer is acting as celebrity starter with the tennis icon getting the 93rd edition of the jewel in four-wheeled endurance racing’s crown under way tomorrow. Twenty-four hours later, through daylight, darkness and dawn, the 21 elite hypercars are to battle it out over 300 laps (more than 4,000km) in front of a sold-out 320,000 crowd burning the midnight oil with copious quantities of coffee and beer. Ferrari made a triumphant return after
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