■ SOCCER
Benfica coach resigns
Benfica coach Jose Antonio Camacho resigned on Sunday, saying he was not motivated by managing one of Portugal's biggest clubs. The Spaniard handed in his resignation following the 2-2 home draw with Uniao Leiria, which left his team 14 points behind leaders Porto. "I think it's best for the team," Camacho said. "I am not motivated. We have drawn seven matches and lost one at home. The players' motivation here is not normal. I spoke to the president and told him the situation wasn't going to improve." Camacho, a former coach of Real Madrid, took charge at Benfica after the second match of the season and signed a two-year deal with the club he had already coached from August 2003 to May 2004.
■ SOCCER
Bayer defeat Hannover
Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday pressed their claims for a place in the Champions League next season when they beat Hannover 2-0 to close within a point of Hamburg, who could only draw 0-0 with Nuremberg. First half goals from Greek international Theofanis Gekas and Swiss star Tranquillo Barnetta were enough for Leverkusen, who reached the 2002 Champions League final, as they moved onto 41 points from 23 games, to third-placed Hamburg's 42. Werder Bremen are on 43 and hence stay second despite Saturday's 6-3 loss to inconsistent defending champions Stuttgart. Leverkusen now have a three-point cushion over fifth-placed Schalke, still in this season's Champions League after seeing off Porto in midweek to reach the last eight. Bayern Munich are a healthy seven points clear of the pack after Saturday's 2-0 win over Karlsruhe, aiming at a UEFA Cup spot as the surprise package of the season.
■ SOCCER
Club receives odd `welcome'
A rural Greek soccer club received a menacing "welcome" to Athens on Sunday prior to an away game, with three of their cars fired upon and a firebomb thrown at their hotel, police said. Third division Panetolikos FC found that bullets had been fired into their squad bus and the cars belonging to a player and a club official which were parked near the team's hotel in the coastal suburb of Glyfada. One of the shots was aimed at the gas tank. No injuries were reported. A firebomb was also thrown at the hotel entrance early on Sunday morning, causing minor fire damage, and the building later had to be searched by police after a hoax bomb warning. Authorities decided to cancel the scheduled game between Panetolikos and Ilioupoli FC.
■ CRICKET
Smith hits unbeaten century
South Africa captain Graeme Smith struck an unbeaten 103 on Sunday to guide his team to a nine-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the first one-day international in Chittagong. Smith's opening partner Herschelle Gibbs scored 57 in South Africa's 180 for one from 36.5 overs in reply to Bangladesh's 178 all from 48.2 overs. The pair put on 143 for the first wicket. Smith faced 118 balls and hit one six and 14 boundaries. Gibbs hit a six and eight fours from 84 balls. Opener Tamim Iqbal was the only successful batsman for Bangladesh, striking 82, his fourth one-day half-century. Iqbal faced 98 balls, hitting a six and nine boundaries. "We were set up by our bowlers. I think we were very clinical and brilliant in the field," Smith said. "Also we were playing with two spinners for the first time ever and they bowled well.
■ Tennis
Player ordained as monk
Top Thai player Danai Udomchoke has shaved his head and been ordained as a monk in a Buddhist monastery in Bangkok, saying he wants calm to help improve his game, Thai media said yesterday. Speaking in a Thai radio interview before his ordination on Sunday, Danai said that he would study Buddhism and perform religious practises like meditation. "This is something I have wanted to do for a long time, and now the time is right," he told the Bangkok Post, saying he would be in a monastery for 15 days. "But who knows? I may stay longer," Danai said. "I have had more defeats than wins lately. I need calmness."
■ Tennis
Querrey wins in Vegas
Unseeded American Sam Querrey captured his first ATP title by beating South African qualifier Kevin Anderson 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the Las Vegas Open final on Sunday. "This is my best five matches I have put together in a row on tour," Querrery told reporters. "It is real exciting and I've got lot of confidence right now." The 20-year-old Querrey, 66th in the world rankings, blasted 12 aces and saved nine of 10 break points to win the two-hour match. Anderson took the opening set with consistently powerful first serves, winning 20-of-24 points on his first delivery. But the South African's serve became less of a weapon as the match wore on, allowing Querrey to break him once in each of the final two sets.
■ Badminton
Dane ends PRC monopoly
Denmark's Tine Rasmussen won her first All England title in Birmingham on Sunday. The world No. 9 edged past third seed Lu Lan 21-11, 18-21, 22-20 in a enthralling contest. It was the first victory in the women's singles final at the All Englands by a non-Chinese player since 2002 when Rasmussen's compatriot Camilla Martin took the title. In the men's singles No. 4 seed Chen Jin beat top-seeded compatriot Lin Dan 22-20, 25-23. In an all-South Korean men's doubles final Jung Jae-sung and Lee Yong-dae beat Hwang Ji-man and Lee Jae-jin 20-22, 21-19, 21-18 while another South Korean pair, Lee Hyo-jung and Lee Kyung-won triumphed in the women's doubles. Zheng Bo and Gao Ling of China took the mixed doubles.
■ Tennis
Davis Cup dispute simmers
Members of India's Davis Cup squad have agreed to play under captain Leander Paes in next month's zonal tie against Japan but are still demanding his sacking. "With our only goal being playing for the country and with all other issues very much on the table, we look forward to playing Japan at home in April," the players said in a statement. "And just to reiterate, the letter still stands," it added. Mahesh Bhupathi backed a revolt against his former doubles partner by younger team mates Prakash Amritraj and Rohan Bopanna who wrote a letter threatening a boycott unless Paes was replaced. But the federation backed Cup stalwart Paes by postponing any decision at its executive committee meeting last week. The Davis Cup players accused Paes of undermining team spirit and running them down in the media. Paes' decision not to field Amritraj for the opening singles in an Asian zonal win over Uzbekistan last month sparked the controversy. Paes had accused Amritraj of lacking commitment, saying a stomach ailment before the tie was down to the player's decision to attend a party.
RECORD DEFEAT: The Shanghai-based ‘Oriental Sports Daily’ said the drubbing was so disastrous, and taste so bitter, that all that is left is ‘numbness’ Chinese soccer fans and media rounded on the national team yesterday after they experienced fresh humiliation in a 7-0 thrashing to rivals Japan in their opening Group C match in the third phase of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The humiliation in Saitama on Thursday against Asia’s top-ranked team was China’s worst defeat in World Cup qualifying and only a goal short of their record 8-0 loss to Brazil in 2012. Chinese President Xi Jinping once said he wanted China to host and even win the World Cup one day, but that ambition looked further away than ever after a
‘KHELIFMANIA’: In the weeks since the Algerian boxer won gold in Paris, national enthusiasm is inspiring newfound interest in the sport, particularly among women In the weeks since Algeria’s Imane Khelif won an Olympic gold medal in women’s boxing, athletes and coaches in the North African nation say national enthusiasm is inspiring newfound interest in the sport, particularly among women. Khelif’s image is practically everywhere, featured in advertisements at airports, on highway billboards and in boxing gyms. The 25-year-old welterweight’s success in Paris has vaulted her to national hero status, especially after Algerians rallied behind her in the face of uninformed speculation about her gender and eligibility to compete. Amateur boxer Zougar Amina, a medical student who has been practicing for a year, called Khelif an
Crowds descended on the home of 17-year-old Chinese diver Quan Hongchan after she won two golds at the Paris Olympics while gymnast Zhang Boheng hid in a Beijing airport toilet to escape overzealous throngs of fans. They are just two recent examples of what state media are calling “toxic fandom” and Chinese authorities have vowed to crack down on it. Some of the adulation toward China’s sports stars has been more sinister — fans obsessing over athletes’ personal lives, cyberbullying opponents or slamming supposedly crooked judges. Experts say it mirrors the kind of behavior once reserved for entertainment celebrities before
GOING GLOBAL: The regular season fixture is part of the football league’s increasingly ambitious plans to spread the sport to international destinations The US National Football League (NFL) breaks new ground in its global expansion strategy tomorrow when the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers face off in the first-ever grid-iron game staged in Brazil. For one night only, the land of Pele and ‘The Beautiful Game’ will get a rare glimpse into the bone-crunching world of American football as the Packers and Eagles collide at Sao Paulo’s Neo Quimica Arena, the 46,000-seat home of soccer club Corinthians. The regular season fixture is part of the NFL’s increasingly ambitious plans to spread the US’ most popular sport to new territories following previous international fixtures
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