■ Soccer
Top ref to accept doctorate
PHOTO: AP
Just call him Dr. Collina. Pierluigi Collina, widely considered the world's No. 1 soccer referee, will be awarded an honorary doctorate by England's University of Hull. The Italian will be presented with an honorary Doctor of Science degree at Hull city hall in July 2004, recognizing his contributions to the game. Collina, who officiated the 2002 World Cup final in Yokohama, Japan, is easily recognizable for his shaved head and piercing stare.
■ Rugby Union
Wilkinson injured
England star Jonny Wilkinson is expected to overcome a shoulder injury and be ready for the Six Nations rugby championship. The fly-half was helped off the field on Sunday after attempting a tackle for his club team Newcastle, his first match since kicking the winning drop goal in England's victory over Australia in the World Cup final five weeks ago. Wilkinson kicked three penalties before leaving the match Sunday, which Newcastle won 23-19 over Northampton. An X-ray afterward showed no broken bones. "It's a bit early to say at this stage how long he will be out, probably the next 48 hours will tell," Newcastle director of rugby Rob Andrew said. "I don't expect him to miss the Six Nations. He may well not play next week, but we're talking a few weeks probably rather than anything serious."
■ Baseball
Steinbrenner doing fine
New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was released from the hospital on Sunday, one day after he fainted at a memorial service, and his doctor described his health as excellent. The 73-year-old Steinbrenner was picked up by family members, hospital spokeswoman Lyn Cassan said. "He wanted to go home," Cassan said. "He wasn't very happy sitting in a hospital bed." Dr. Andrew Boyer, Steinbrenner's personal physician, said in a statement that Steinbrenner recovered in a few minutes after collapsing during the church service for football great Otto Graham. "He's doing well ever since," the doctor said. "To be sure that it was nothing more than a fainting spell he has had a very extensive cardiac and neurological work-up. All the diagnostic studies were normal," he added. "He's feeling well and his general health is excellent."
■ Olympics
S Korean official quizzed
Prosecutors questioned International Olympic Committee Vice President Kim Un-yong yesterday over allegations that he collected illicit money from former South Korean Olympic officials and embezzled funds from taekwondo organizations. "I will explain everything to prosecutors," Kim told reporters before entering the Seoul District Prosecutors' Office. Kim, the world's taekwondo chief, has been plagued by scandals involving him and his family. He has denied any wrongdoing. Earlier this month, South Korean prosecutors raided Kim's house and offices, seizing a private safe and documents. The move was highly unusual because Kim was a national legislator.
Freddie Freeman homered and drove in four runs, Shohei Ohtani also went deep and Roki Sasaki earned his first major league win as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Atlanta Braves 10-3 on Saturday night for their seventh straight victory. The Dodgers have won the first two games of the series to improve to 5-0 against Atlanta this year. Los Angeles’ three-game sweep at home early in the season left the Braves 0-7. Sasaki allowed three runs and six hits over five innings. The 23-year-old right-hander gave up a home run to Ozzie Albies, but received plenty of offensive support in his
INTER AWAIT: Superb saves by PSG ’keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma inspired the victory, as Arsenal were punished for misses, including one by Bukayo Saka Arsenal on Wednesday fell short on the big stage again as their painful UEFA Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options. Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League final for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at Parc des Princes. Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg, but could not convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory. Arsenal were punished for
Bayern Munich on Sunday were crowned German champions for the 34th time, giving striker Harry Kane his first major trophy, after second-placed Bayer 04 Leverkusen drew 2-2 at SC Freiburg. Bayern’s 3-3 draw at RB Leipzig on Saturday, when the Bavarians came from two goals down to take the lead before conceding a stoppage-time equalizer, meant defending Bundesliga champions Leverkusen needed to win at Freiburg to delay the title party. Leverkusen were two goals down before scoring twice in the final 10 minutes, but Xabi Alonso’s side could not find a third, as Bayern reclaimed the title at the first attempt after
THRILLER: Raphinha gave Barca a 3-2 lead with two minutes remaining of regular time, but Francesco Acerbi equalized the game in the second minute of added time Davide Frattesi on Tuesday fired Inter into the UEFA Champions League final with an extra-time winner that gave the Italians a stunning 4-3 triumph over Barcelona, 7-6 on aggregate. Italy midfielder Frattesi won a tie for the ages under a downpour in Milan when he lashed home in the 99th minute, sending a packed and rocking San Siro wild with joy. Simone Inzaghi’s team will face either Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain at the end of this month in Munich, Germany, where they would feel they have a great chance to be crowned kings of Europe for a fourth time after
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