■ Northern Ireland
Best’s father passes away
Dickie Best, the father of late Manchester United great George Best, died on Wednesday, his family said. He was 88. Dickie Best was admitted to the Ulster Hospital four weeks ago and was surrounded by his family when he passed away. “Over the years, as everyone knows, Dad had his sorrows to bear but he faced them always with courage and dignity,” the Best family said in a statement. “He was a man who took great joy and pride in his family. He was an irreplaceable father whose bravery, integrity, wisdom and above all love shaped our lives.” George Best, who helped United win the 1968 European Cup, died in 2005 at 59 after years of alcohol abuse. “Dickie was hugely proud of his son George’s achievements at Manchester United and was always a welcome guest here at Old Trafford,” United said in a statement.
■ Italy
Trezeguet inspires Juve win
A controversial goal by France international David Trezeguet inspired Juventus to a 3-0 win over relegation-threatened Parma on Wednesday and gave the winners an almost certain place in next season’s Champions League. Trezeguet’s first goal since March 22 was fortunate as patently offside he prodded the ball home after Mauro Camoranesi’s header had come off the post in the 16th minute. However the result was virtually ensured when striker partner Raffaelle Palladino lashed in a stunning shot in the 30th minute. Parma were finally put out of their misery in the 77th minute as the unfortunate Stefano Morrone headed into his own net from Juve’s Portuguese international midfielder Tiago. Victory gave Juve a 14-point advantage with five games remaining over fifth placed AC Milan, with only the top four qualifying for the Champions League.
■ England
Hicks queries DIC intentions
Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks has questioned the intentions of the Dubai consortium looking to buy the Premier League club. After his own talks with Dubai Capital International (DIC) collapsed, the Texan vetoed his estranged Anfield partner George Gillett from offloading his 50 percent stake. Hicks labeled DIC the “masters of tabloid” on Wednesday, claiming that the group — trumpeted for its oil wealth by Gillett — has misled fans about its plans to invest in the Reds. “[It’s thought] Dubai must have a lot of money — if they were to come in and buy, we’d buy all these players,” Hicks told Britain’s Sky TV. “Well I know for a fact from talking to Dubai that’s not the way they would approach any potential investment in Liverpool.” Hicks did consider bringing DIC on board as minority partners, but terminated talks last month after being infuriated by its tactics. “They want to stir the pot of Liverpool to create dissension,” he said. Hicks’ aim is to gain overall control, but says he can’t force Gillett to sell to him.
■ France
Pauleta saves PSG
Pedro Pauleta saved ailing giants Paris St Germain once again on Wednesday as he came off the bench to score the only goal in a 1-0 win and end lower league side Carquefou’s dreams of French Cup glory. Bordeaux’s hopes of the domestic double came crashing to earth earlier on Wednesday when they lost to Second Division Sedan on penalties after the match finished 0-0 following extra-time. Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc, whose side trail leaders Lyon by four points with five matches remaining, called on his side to rebound straight away from the reverse.
Taiwan’s men’s table tennis team won bronze on Saturday at this year’s International Table Tennis Federation World Team Table Tennis Championships in London, matching the country’s best-ever finish at the regular tournament. Consisting of Lin Yun-ju, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7, Feng Yi-hsin, Kuo Guan-hong, Hong Jing-kai and Hsu Hsien-chia, the team won bronze after losing 0-3 to Japan in the semifinals. In the opening match, 24-year-old Lin played the first game against world No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto 11-5, but ultimately lost the next three closely contested games 9-11, 10-12 and 10-12. Feng then faced world No. 8 Sora Matsushima in
Lin Yun-ju on Thursday handed Taiwan two key victories as they advanced to the semi-finals of the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in London. The Taiwan men’s table tennis team beat Sweden 3-2 in five singles matches. The 24-year-old Lin, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7 and nicknamed the “Silent Assassin,” opened the tie by defeating world No. 2 Truls Moregard 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 13-11) before clinching the deciding fifth match with a 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-5) win over Anton Kallberg to hand his team the overall victory. Kuo Guan-hong put Taiwan up 2-0 with a 3-2 (4-11, 11-8, 8-11,
Taiwanese fire dancer Yang Li-wei advanced to the final of Britain’s Got Talent this weekend after receiving a Golden Buzzer during her live semi-final performance. Yang, a member of Taiwan’s Coming True Fire Group, awed judges and audiences with a high-intensity fire performance featuring flaming umbrellas, fire swallowing and spinning metal structures balanced with her legs. Judge Simon Cowell praised Yang as a star, while guest judge KSI reacted with amazement before pressing the Golden Buzzer, sending her to the finals. The dance group wrote on social media that the Golden Buzzer was “the highest honor” on the talent show, adding: “Twenty-three years
As Super Rugby fast approaches its playoff season it finds itself racing toward a reckoning with many issues that threaten the southern hemisphere tournament. A group of stakeholders met in the New Zealand city of Christchurch late last month to address problems that are making the future of the 31-year-old competition increasingly tenuous. The discussion was made more urgent by the decision by the owners of Moana Pasifika to fold the Auckland-based club for financial reasons. That followed the closure of the Melbourne Rebels at the end of the 2024 season, likewise because of financial difficulties. Problems addressed included player retention as more
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