* Baseball
Shinji Mori released
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays released Japanese reliever Shinji Mori on Monday. An All-Star in Japan, Mori agreed to a US$1.4 million, two-year US Major League Baseball contract with Tampa Bay in January last year but never threw a pitch for the Devil Rays. Two months later, he tore the labrum in his right shoulder during his spring training debut in a minor league game. The 32-year-old right-hander was a five-time All-Star with the Seibu Lions of the Pacific League in Japan.
* rugby union
Grewcock out for six weeks
Danny Grewcock's place in England's World Cup squad is in danger after the lock forward was banned for six weeks for punching an opponent. The suspension, which begins at the start of the season on Aug. 4, would rule the Bath forward out of England's three warmup games as well as its first two group matches at the championship which starts on Sept. 7 in France. Grewcock was found guilty of punching Thibault Privat in Bath's European Challenge Cup final loss to Clermont Auvergne on May 19. England coach Brian Ashton will name his initial training squad of 40 on Friday and has to decide whether to select a player who will miss five important games.
* soccer
Henry linked with Barca
Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has reached an agreement to transfer to Barcelona, the Web site of a French sports magazine reported on Monday. Henry's agent and Barcelona's sports director agreed to a three-year contract, and it's now up to "convincing" the north London club, France Football reports in its edition to be published yesterday. Details were not immediately available. The site only showed a photo of the magazine's cover page featuring a photo of Henry under the headline "Barca-Henry: Deal Reached."
* tennis
Americans advance
Top-seeded Francesca Schiavone and Meghann Shaughnessy of the US won their opening matches at the Barcelona KIA Open on Monday. Schiavone, who is looking for her first tournament title after three runner-up finishes last year, advanced to the second round when fellow Italian Romina Oprandi retired with a right arm injury after losing the first set 6-2. Shaughnessy, seeded sixth, beat Spanish wildcard Nuria Llagostera Vives 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the second round. Third-seeded Emilie Loit of France worked hard to get past Timea Bacsinszky of Switzerland 7-5, 6-3.
* soccer
Urs Linsi leaves FIFA
Urs Linsi is leaving FIFA after five years as general secretary of world soccer's governing body. Linsi was appointed general secretary in December 2002 after temporarily filling in for Michael Zen-Ruffinen, who left the organization after accusing FIFA president Sepp Blatter of corruption. "Dr. Urs Linsi has decided to seek new challenges elsewhere," FIFA said on Monday in a statement. "FIFA hereby thanks Urs Linsi for his significant achievements." Markus Kattner, the director of finance and controlling, will take over as acting general secretary, FIFA said. Blatter served as general secretary for 17 years under former FIFA president Joao Havelange. Since succeeding Havelange, Blatter will be getting his third general secretary since 1998. FIFA's Executive Committee will decide on a new organizational structure for the 2007-2010 period at a meeting on June 27.
agencies
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
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