■ UNITED KINGDOM
Alex Ferguson attacked
A man has been charged with assault after an alleged attack on Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson at a train station. According to British Transport Police (BTP), who are responsible for dealing with crime on the train services, Ferguson received injuries to his leg after an incident at Euston Station in London on Monday afternoon after he had traveled from Manchester. BTP issued a statement confirming the alleged attack and said the Red Devils manager was not badly hurt and was able to continue to the function he was on the due to attend. The police said that a 40-year-old man had been charged with assault.
■ UNITED KINGDOM
Ian Porterfield dies
Ian Porterfield, who scored a legendary FA Cup final winner and later managed Chelsea and a string of national teams, died on Tuesday, his family said. He was 61. Tributes were paid yesterday to the Armenia manager, who was diagnosed with colon cancer earlier this year. He died in a hospice in Surrey, southwest of London. Porterfield scored the only goal in the 1973 FA Cup final as second-tier Sunderland defeated English top-flight giants Leeds United 1-0 at Wembley, one of the biggest shocks in FA Cup final history.
■ JAPAN
Japan win tournament
Late second-half substitute Kisho Yano scored in injury time to give Japan a 4-3 victory over Switzerland on Tuesday, and send them home with the title in a four-nation friendly tournament. After Japan fell behind 2-0 by the 13th minute, Shunsuke Nakamura converted a pair of second-half penalties and Seiichiro Maki had another to put the Asians ahead 3-2 by the 78th. But Swiss substitute Johan Djourou equalized from a corner kick in the 79th setting the stage for Yano's dramatic winner. After the 0-0 draw with Austria on Friday, Japan finished with four points -- one better than Switzerland and Chile, who beat Austria 2-0 on Tuesday. Austria finished with two points.
■ ASIA
Player of the year finalists
Iraq captain Younis Mahmoud and South Korean World Cup veteran Lee Woon-jae are among 33 players in the running for the Asian Football Confederation's Player of the Year award. Contenders include five players from Asian Cup champion Iraq, four from Japan, three from Saudi Arabia, two each from Iran, South Korea, Thailand, Kuwait, Vietnam, Oman and Syria, and one each from the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Bahrain, Uzbekistan, North Korea, Tajikistan and China, the AFC said in a statement yesterday. The AFC Annual Awards ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 28 in Sydney, Australia. Players who have earned 40 or more points in this year's AFC or FIFA competitions have been included in the shortlist.
■ UNITED STATES
Chivas snap up Hunter
Former National Hockey League and National Basketball Association executive Shawn Hunter has been hired as president and chief executive officer of Chivas USA. The 44-year-old Hunter will assume responsibility of the day-to-day operation for the Mexico-based ownership of the Major League Soccer team. Chivas USA shares the Home Depot Center in Carson with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Chivas has the fourth-best record this season, but the team's attendance for home games is down from last year.
Spain are the favorites to win the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, but star player Aitana Bonmati’s illness ahead of the tournament raises another question mark around a side which, despite their obvious quality, are not unstoppable. Having claimed the last two Ballon d’Or awards, Barcelona midfielder Bonmati is the game’s biggest star at present, so her absence in the final days before the start of Euro 2025 is a major setback. The 27-year-old came down with a fever in training last week, and was subsequently hospitalized and diagnosed with viral meningitis. Bonmati was discharged on Sunday and joined up with
HSIEH ADVANCES: In the women’s doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei was to play in the second round last night, but Taiwan’s Ray Ho exited in the men’s doubles It is more than 10 years since Grigor Dimitrov reached his sole Wimbledon semi-final and back then it still seemed a reasonable bet that the Bulgarian once dubbed “Baby Federer” would win a Grand Slam title. There were semi-final runs at the US Open and Australian Open after that, but it has never quite happened and despite him still being ranked No. 21, it most likely never will. Dimitrov, 34, remains one of the most stylish players on the circuit though, with his elegant single-handed backhand and smooth all-court game a rare reminder of how tennis was before the power merchants turned
TAIWANESE WIN: Chan Hao-ching and Wu Fang-hsien and their partners won their first-round matches in the women’s doubles at the All England Lawn Tennis Club Late-night finishes and five-set matches are becoming a habit for Taylor Fritz at Wimbledon this year. On Wednesday, he wrapped up his win over Gabriel Diallo before the match was suspended — making sure the fifth-seeded American would not have to come back on court for a fourth straight day. Fritz overcame a bloodied elbow to win 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/0), 4-6, 6-3 on No. 1 Court a day after he finished off another five-set win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in a match that was halted on Monday at about 10:15pm after Fritz forced a fifth set with Wimbledon’s 11pm curfew looming. He
Real Madrid’s FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final against Borussia Dortmund had taken three crazy turns during nine minutes of second-half stoppage time when Marcel Sabitzer chested the ball and sent a right-footed volley toward Thibaut Courtois’ post. Courtois leapt to his right, extended the long arm on his 2m frame and just managed to get his gloved fingertips on the ball, knocking it down. Courtois hit the ground as the ball bounded up. He looked skyward, planted his right hand to regain his balance, grabbed the ball with both hands on the second bounce and fell onto it with his chest. Sabitzer turned
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