■ ITALY
Ronaldo ruptures ligament
AC Milan and Brazil striker Ronaldo has ruptured a ligament in his left knee and must undergo surgery, the Serie A club said. The three-time World Player of the Year was carried off in tears after going down badly during Milan's 1-1 Serie A draw at home to Livorno on Wednesday. The 31-year-old, who has hardly featured this season because of a series of injuries, had only come on as a substitute three minutes earlier. "AC Milan communicate that after the first checks made at the Galeazzi hospital in Milan a rupture to his kneecap ligament was found in his left knee," the club said in a statement on their Web site. The Brazilian sustained two serious injuries to his right knee while playing for Inter Milan in 1999 and 2000, but recovered to help Brazil win the 2002 World Cup. He went on to play for Real Madrid before joining AC Milan in January last year. "We're all very sad and worried about what happened to Ronaldo," Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said.
■ ENGLAND
Three clubs in rich list
Three Premier League clubs appeared in the top five of the Deloitte Football Money League for the first time last year. Real Madrid were the world's largest revenue-generating club for the third successive season, but Manchester United climbed two places to second. Chelsea were up two to fourth and Arsenal, buoyed up by their new stadium, climbed four places to fifth. Barcelona, in third, complete the top five based on financial information, not including transfer fees, for last season. "This is the first time that any country has had three clubs in the top five of the Money League," said Dan Jones, partner in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte. "Arsenal's move to the Emirates Stadium has transformed their revenues, whilst Chelsea's revenue increase sees them return to the top five." Real Madrid and Manchester United became the first clubs to generate more than 300 million euros (US$436 million) in a season. Real enjoyed a 20 percent increase to take their total revenue to 351 million euros, while United's revenue grew even more quickly to reach 315 million euros.
■ GERMANY
Keeper injured tying laces
Bayern Munich may be forced to turn to 41-year-old Bernd Dreher to keep goal after the club's regular keepers were hit by illness and a mysterious shoelace accident. Bayern No. 1 Oliver Kahn, suffering from flu symptoms, traveled with the Bayern team to Scotland for a UEFA cup tie only to be sent straight back on doctor's orders. Michael Rensing, Kahn's deputy, was doubtful for the game after injuring his back while bending to tie his shoelaces. "A couple of days ago Michael hurt his back while tying his shoes," coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said. "I'm confident he'll be able to play, though. In an emergency we'll find someone to tie his laces for him." If Hitzfeld does have to call on Dreher it will be only his third senior match in the last three seasons.
■ BRAZIL
Pele separates from wife
Brazilian legend Pele separated from his wife of 13 years on Wednesday, it was announced by his press officer. The 67-year-old -- considered by many to be the greatest ever soccer player -- said that he just did not have enough time due to his busy schedule of engagements to make the marriage work. The marriage with Gospel singer Assiria Lemos had been in trouble for several months, the Brazilian press said, but that their 11-year-old twins Celeste and Joshua had already accepted the separation.
Former world No. 2 Paula Badosa has withdrawn from this week’s Wuhan Open, organizers said on Tuesday, amid a racism row over an online photograph. Tournament organizers said the Spaniard had pulled out of the WTA 1000 tournament, citing a gastrointestinal illness, hours before her first-round match against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. News outlets including Britain’s the Telegraph earlier reported that Badosa had posted a photo on Instagram in which she appeared to imitate a Chinese face by placing chopsticks on the corners of her eyes. The photo was taken last week in a restaurant in Beijing, where she reached the semi-finals of the
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one
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