■SOCCER
Robinho may get his way
Real Madrid have said they do not want to keep Robinho against his will after the Brazil forward expressed his desire to join Chelsea before the transfer deadline expires next weekend. However, the Spanish champions made it clear Robinho will have to resolve his contractual position before he is allowed to move. “Real Madrid have become aware of the declarations by the player and deeply regret their content,” the club said in a statement on their Web site on Friday. “Real Madrid would never want to retain a player against his wishes and as a result they have no alternative but to accept his unilateral decision to rescind his contract if that is what the player wants.” Real did not make it clear if they would negotiate a deal with Chelsea for the sale of Robinho or if they were insisting he reaches an agreement to end his contract which has a buy-out clause of 150 million euros (US$223 million). Earlier on Friday, the Brazilian, who is under contract until 2010, said he was determined to sign for Chelsea. “I’ve told the president, the directors and the coach that my aim is to leave Real Madrid,” the 24-year-old told Spanish news agency EFE in an interview. “I’m telling the truth. I want to leave and I have got the character to tell the press that I’m not aiming to stay at Real Madrid ... I want to play in the Premier League,” he added.
■SOCCER
Novices top Bundesliga
Newcomers Hoffenheim topped the Bundesliga on the first day of the German league season a week ago to complete an impressive adventure from the lower divisions. Hoffenheim was ignored as unimportant small fry until the club managed to climb through four league levels, reaching the Bundesliga this season. To general astonishment the officially named TSG 1899 Hoffenheim topped the league after the first weekend of the campaign with a 3-0 win over Cottbus. Hoffenheim is backed by millionaire German businessman Dietmar Hopp, who made a fortune developing computer software and headed the giant SAP group. The 68-year-old Hopp returned to the club he played for when a youngster to pilot its sudden rise to prominence. Soon a new Dietmar Hopp stadium will open with a 30,000 capacity, almost 10 times the population of the town itself.
■SOCCER
Kaka to miss season opener
Brazilian star Kaka of AC Milan will miss the start of the Italian soccer season next Sunday, the club’s Web site said on Friday. Kaka underwent surgery in Brazil in May to correct a problem with his left knee. A club statement said: “Professor Martens confirmed that the player’s knee is inflammated, and advised him to continue for 15 days with the therapeutic protocol he is following.” AC Milan play Bologna in the first match of the season.
■FOOTBALL
Player suffers neck fracture
Houston Texans wide receiver Harry Williams was carried off the gridiron field after suffering a fracture of the neck during the first quarter of Friday’s preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys. Williams was hurt while attempting to tackle Dallas’ Isaiah Stanback on a kickoff just over two minutes into the contest. Williams collided with teammate Nick Ferguson and went down without moving. Williams suffered a fracture of the C3 vertebra and was to undergo surgery at Presbyterian Hospital. “He’s got movement throughout his body,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. “All the feedback I’m getting is that Harry will be fine.”
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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