■ ENGLAND
Adebayor required to train
Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger said on Saturday he expected to see striker Emmanuel Adebayor, subject of transfer speculation over the summer break, report for training today. The Togo striker has been the subject of persistent rumors of a move to AC Milan, but the Serie A giants have baulked at a 28 million euro (US$44.3 million) fee when the Italians are not in the lucrative Champions League in the coming season. Adebayor was top scorer for the Gunners last season with 30 goals, but wants an improved wage deal. But Wenger told Sky Sports News: “Adebayor is under contract and we expect him to turn up on Monday and practice with us.”
■ SPAIN
Eto’o allowed to leave Barca
Unsettled Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o has been given the green light to negotiate his exit from the club, Spanish media reported on Saturday. Cameroon international Eto’o, deemed surplus along with Ronaldinho and Deco last month by new coach Pep Guardiola, underwent medical tests on his first day back at Barcelona after his vacation, the club said in a statement. Spanish media reported that Eto’o, a three-times African Player of the Year, had a meeting with Barcelona officials on Saturday where he was authorized to negotiate with other teams.
■ FRANCE
Quarter-finalists decided
Portugal, Italy and Uruguay won on Saturday to reach the quarter-finals of the Beach World Cup. In Group B, Portugal routed the Solomon Islands 13-4, with five goals from Madjer, four from Alan, two from Belchior and own-goals from Eddie Ngaitin and Omo. Paolo Palmacci scored twice in the second period to lead Italy to a 4-1 victory over El Salvador. Roberto Pasquali opened the scoring for Italy. Simone Feudi converted a free-kick to put the result beyond doubt in the third period. In Group A, Uruguay edged Senegal 8-7 in extra time, despite four goals from Pape Koukpaki for the African side. Ricar and Martin scored twice for Uruguay. Parrillo, Miguel, Matias and Pampero added the other goals. France beat Iran 2-1 in a penalty shootout as both teams were still tied 6-6 after extra time.
■ GERMANY
Bundesliga faces cash crisis
The chairman of the Bundesliga is worried that a battle with German antitrust authorities could cause financial difficulties for the league. Christian Seifert told the Bild newspaper a six-year, 3 billion euro (US$4.7 billion) deal with pay-TV channel Premiere for the Bundesliga broadcasting rights — which starts next year — could be canceled if antitrust investigators conclude it is stifling competition. “Then we will be forced to find new ways of doing things. Some decision-makers in Germany apparently believe a healthy and functioning Bundesliga is the natural state of things,” Seifert said on Saturday. “I can only warn, we are well on the way to massively damaging professional football in the country.”
■ ITALY
Lippi asks for ‘Rooney’ style
Italy coach Marcello Lippi says he wants his players to copy the selfless style of Manchester United’s England forward Wayne Rooney. “What counts more than the formation is the philosophy, the desire of great players to put themselves at the service of the team when the opposition have the ball. Like Rooney does at Manchester,” Lippi told yesterday’s Gazzetta dello Sport. The 2006 World Cup-winning coach said self-belief will be crucial if his side are to triumph again in South Africa.
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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