■ RUGBY UNION
SRU evicts Edinburgh
Edinburgh have been kicked out of Murrayfield and told to repay £1.4 million (US$2.8 million) to the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU). Edinburgh ended their operating agreement with the SRU on Thursday, who reacted by immediately withdrawing use of Murrayfield as a venue for matches and training. The SRU also demanded that their advance funding be handed back as a row sparked by Edinburgh's threat to take court action against the SRU over Magners League and Heineken Cup fees turned increasingly bitter. Edinburgh, one of two professional clubs in Scotland, had already withdrawn 12 players from Scotland training for a week last month. A statement from the SRU said: "Scottish Rugby has confirmed today that the operating agreement between Edinburgh Rugby and Scottish Rugby has been terminated by Edinburgh Rugby."
■ CRICKET
Duo spoils Flintoff's return
Pakistan duo Mushtaq Ahmed and Naved ul-Hasan combined to put Sussex on top of the English county championship on Thursday and spoil Andrew Flintoff's return to duty. Sussex beat Lancashire by 108 runs at Liverpool with Mushtaq Ahmed and Naved ul-Hasan taking four for 71 and three for 10 respectively. Chasing 242 to win, Lancashire were bowled out for just 133 with Flintoff making nine. Earlier, Muttiah Muralitharan took three wickets to finish with eight for the match as Sussex were bowled out for 268 in their second innings. England all-rounder Flintoff is slowly feeling his way back from ankle surgery and is hopeful of returning to the national side in time for the one-day series against India later this month.
■ SOCCER
Becks may debut in Toronto
David Beckham's much anticipated Major League Soccer debut could still come in Toronto today, a Los Angeles Galaxy spokesman said on Thursday. The former England captain has missed the Galaxy's last three games with a nagging ankle injury since his brief debut appearance for the MLS side in a friendly against Chelsea on July 21. He failed to travel with his new teammates to Texas on Tuesday as they completed their SuperLiga group campaign with a thrilling 6-5 win over FC Dallas, instead remaining in Los Angeles for continued treatment. "David will travel to Toronto with the squad on Friday," the Galaxy spokesman said. "None of the squad trained today, they all stayed inside to work on weights in a regeneration session. The decision on whether he will play against Toronto FC will be made once we arrive there."
■ SOCCER
Alex receives work permit
Brazil defender Alex has been given the green light to complete his move to Chelsea after being granted a work permit on Thursday. The Premiership club successfully appealed the British Home Office decision to refuse Alex a permit and he will now fly to England to negotiate personal terms and undergo a medical. Alex, who has spent the last three seasons at Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, had returned to Brazil earlier this week after his aborted attempt to enter the country. A Chelsea statement confirmed: "At a hearing today, Alex was granted a work permit. He still has to agree personal terms with Chelsea Football Club and have a medical."
■ FOOTBALL
Player injures spine
Denver Broncos linebacker Warrick Holdman was hospitalized on Thursday after suffering a spinal cord concussion in practice, the NFL team said. Holdman suffered the injury during a morning workout after appearing to hit the crown of his helmet on another player's helmet, according to multiple reports. A team spokesman said Holdman was transported to hospital, where he was to be kept overnight for observation. "He went numb for about 30 or 40 seconds, but he got his feeling back, which is a good sign," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. "But I don't know anything for sure. Normally when someone gets that feeling back, it's usually a positive sign."
■ FORMULA ONE
Team to drop Speed
Scott Speed will not be returning soon as a Toro Rosso driver in races, but could show up in other places for the team that dropped him earlier this week. "He might still be used for testing," Gerhard Berger, co-owner of the Toro Rosso team, said on Thursday at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The only US driver in F1 since 1993, Speed was dropped this week from racing. There were reports of an altercation with team director Franz Tost after Speed crashed out of the last race, the European Grand Prix on July 22, then criticized the team. "I grabbed him on the arm and said, `Please stop,'" Tost said of a heated discussion with Speed in the pits. He added that the decision to drop Speed had already been made.
■ SOCCER
Drinking claims denied
Mario Zagallo, Brazil's assistant coach at last year's World Cup, denied claims by the president of the Brazilian soccer federation that some players returned to the hotel drunk during the tournament. "There was nothing like that," Zagallo told the Estado de S. Paulo newspaper. "We never heard anything about it because it never happened. There was no drinking." On Wednesday, CBF president Ricardo Teixeira told Estado that a group of players lacked discipline during the World Cup and some players "arrived between four and six in the morning, drunk." Teixeira did not single out any individuals. "I don't even believe the president said that," Zagallo said. "And why say it now, almost two years after [the World Cup]? For what?"
■ FORMULA ONE
Driver grilled over gorilla
Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen was grilled by his countrymen at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Thursday about dressing up as a gorilla. Finnish reporters said Ferrari's free-spirited driver and two friends took part in a powerboat race last week in the Finnish harbor city of Hanko while wearing gorilla suits. They then won a prize for the best-dressed crew. Asked about the episode, Raikkonen smiled and said: "Yeah, but was it really me? ... You don't know ... We've got the trophy already. It was just a boat race and we went for fun." Raikkonen, winner of three races already in his first season at Ferrari, is used to such escapades. Earlier in the year, the "Iceman" entered and won a snowmobile race in his homeland under the name of James Hunt, the late British Formula One champion renowned for his wild playboy lifestyle. Ferrari are involved in a bitter row with McLaren, Raikkonen's former team, about leaked information that ended up in the hands of McLaren's suspended chief designer Mike Coughlan.
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staged a “crazy comeback,” saving four match points before beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open on Friday. Sabalenka was 6-2 down in the final-set tie-breaker, but won six straight points to reach her eighth semi-final of the season. “Elena is a great player and we’ve had a lot of tough battles,” Sabalenka said. “I have no idea how I was able to win those last points. I think I just got lucky.” “I remember a long time ago when I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down
While British star Jack Draper spent the past week trying to find rhythm and comfort in his first grass tournament of the season at the Queen’s Club Championships in London, Jiri Lehecka on Saturday bulldozed everything in his path. After more than two furious hours of battle, their form was reflected in the final scoreline as Lehecka toppled a frustrated Draper, the second seed, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the biggest final of his career, against Carlos Alcaraz. Lehecka is also the first Czech to reach the men’s title match at Queen’s since Ivan Lendl lifted the trophy in 1990. Draper, who
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