■SOCCER
Media say Gazza arrested
Northumbria Police said they released a 41-year-old man from custody after UK media reported that former England soccer star Paul Gascoigne was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of causing criminal damage. The man accepted a formal caution and was released late on Thursday, the press office of the Northumbria Police said yesterday. A spokesman declined to confirm the identity of the man, saying only that a 41-year-old man was arrested on Thursday at an address in northeast England’s Dunston. Sky News said on its Web site that Gascoigne was photographed on Thursday morning trying to unlock the doors of a pub. “Gazza” has been sectioned twice this year under the Mental Health Act. Newspapers reported last week that he was rushed to a hospital in Portugal following a suspected drug overdose.
■RUGBY UNION
England star charged
England flanker James Haskell was charged on Thursday with headbutting an opponent during Premiership champions Wasps 11-10 defeat against Worcester last weekend. Haskell will be up before a Rugby Football Union disciplinary hearing on Monday along with Wasps team-mate Richard Birkett, charged with stamping. The minimum recommended entry-level punishment for a head-butt is six weeks with the maximum possible sanction a two-year ban.
■CRICKET
Windies batsman fails test
West Indies opening batsman Xavier Marshall has tested positive for a banned substance, a senior cricket board official told Web site www.cricinfo.com. Jamaican Marshall and Tonito Willett from the Leeward Islands tested positive last month at a camp to pick the side to face England in the Stanford Twenty20 winner-take-all US$20 million match on Nov. 1, the report said. Donald Peters, chief executive of the West Indies board (WICB), said any action would be taken after receiving legal advice. He did not say what substance was involved. “WICB has a zero-tolerance policy on drugs and the matter could come up to the disciplinary committee. We are looking at a time frame of two weeks,” Peters said. The 22-year-old Marshall has played four Tests and 18 one-day internationals.
■CYCLING
Roelandts wins stage
Jurgen Roelandts of Belgium won the fifth stage of the Tour de Pologne on Thursday, while Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil of Spain grabbed the overall lead. Roelandts, who rides for Silence Lotto, won the 249.7km stage from Naleczow to Rzeszow in 5 hours, 18 minutes and 59 seconds. Rojas Gil was second, and Steven de Jongh of the Netherlands was third. With his second place finish on Thursday, Rojas Gil took over the yellow jersey from Australian Allan Davis. The Caisse d’Epargne rider leads the tour two stages from the finish with a time of 16 hours and 51 seconds. Dane Lars Ytting Bak of CSC sits 2 seconds back, and Quick Step Innergetic’s de Jongh is 5 seconds off the lead.
■SOCCER
Lions celebrate anniversary
Longstanding expat side Red Lions FC are celebrating their 25th anniversary with an eight-team tournament in Taipei this weekend. Proceedings kick off at Shipai Junior High School this afternoon with the bulk of the games at Dajia Riverside Park tomorrow from noon to 5pm. Red Lions are fielding two sides, including an “old boys” lineup and Taipei City, Fritz, Shane, Carnegies, Hsinchu Celts and Kaohsiung Pacers are also taking part.
■BASKETBALL
Celtics celebrate with Bush
The Boston Celtics will visit the White House to celebrate their 17th NBA championship with US President George W. Bush. The team’s owners, along with general manager Danny Ainge, coach Doc Rivers and members of the team, were to attend a ceremony yesterday with the president. The Celtics plan to give him a personalized jersey and an autographed basketball. Boston defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in June to win their first championship in 22 years. On Thursday, fans lined up at the Connecticut state Capitol to see the championship trophy and Celtics star and former University of Connecticut standout Ray Allen.
■BASKETBALL
Liberty top Sun in opener
Shameka Christon scored 19 points to lead the New York Liberty to a 72-63 win over the Connecticut Sun on Thursday in the opening game of their WNBA Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. Cathrine Kraayeveld had 15 points and 10 rebounds for New York, which staged a form reversal after a poor finish to the regular season. Connecticut continued its late-season slump and fell for the fourth time in five games. The best-of-three series moves to Connecticut for Game 2 today. A decisive game would be Monday night in Connecticut, if necessary. In Sacramento, California, Becky Hammon made six three-pointers and scored 30 points to give San Antonio a 85-78 win over the Sacramento Monarchs in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round playoffs.
■COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Buffaloes top Mountaineers
Aric Goodman made a 25-yard field goal in overtime to give Colorado a 17-14 victory over No. 21-ranked West Virginia in Boulder, Colorado, on Thursday. The Mountaineers had the ball first in overtime, but Pat McAfee’s 23-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright. Cody Hawkins threw two touchdown passes — both in the first quarter — and Rodney Stewart rushed for 166 yards, the most ever by a Colorado freshman. The Buffaloes improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2004. West Virginia quarterback Pat White ran for two touchdowns and 148 yards, and Noel Devine finished with 133 yards on the ground.
■BASKETBALL
Beasley fined over women
The National Basketball Association slapped Miami Heat rookie Michael Beasley with a US$50,000 fine for an incident at the league’s rookie training program earlier this month. Beasley is the third player involved in the same incident to be punished. Heat guard Mario Chalmers and Memphis Grizzlies forward Darrell Arthur were also disciplined. Fined US$20,000 and kicked out of the program, Chalmers and Arthur were found with two women in their hotel room. The NBA declined to release details of the involvement of Beasley, who was the second overall pick in the June NBA entry draft. Miami used their first pick to select Beasley after finishing with the league’s worst record (15-67) last season.
■BASEBALL
Leyland punished for yelling
Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland was suspended three games for his “inappropriate conduct” during games against the Texas Rangers, Major League Baseball said on Thursday. Leyland was ejected in the sixth inning of Monday’s 11-8 Texas victory for arguing with home-plate umpire Eric Cooper over a hit-by-pitch call to Rangers batter Max Ramirez. Following Tuesday’s 5-4 Texas victory, Leyland yelled at the umpires as they left the field.
SSC Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after on Sunday being held to a goalless draw at Parma, while closest rivals Inter drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with SS Lazio. Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar. The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
Omar Marmoush’s stunning long-range strike on Tuesday upstaged Kevin de Bruyne on the Manchester City great’s Etihad farewell. Marmoush let fly from about 30m to put City ahead in their 3-1 win against AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. The victory moved Pep Guardiola’s team up to third in the standings and left qualification for the UEFA Champions League in their own hands heading into the last round of the season. “It’s really important. To be in the Champions League after what happened [this season] will be really nice,” the City manager said. De Bruyne was making his final home appearance for City before
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