■ FIFA
Blatter gives Peru ultimatum
FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Friday gave Peru an ultimatum to solve a dispute between the government and the Peruvian Football Federation or face suspension from all international competition. Blatter said FIFA must receive by tomorrow a document in which both sides “agree to settle the problem in a 10-day period.” The original deadline was Friday but was extended to tomorrow because Friday was a holiday in Peru. “Unless we receive that document by Monday, the Peruvian federation will be immediately suspended,” Blatter told a news conference. The suspension would include the ongoing South American qualifying series for the 2010 World Cup and regional club competitions the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana. Even Peruvian referees would be prohibited from officiating in international competitions, Blatter said.
■ ENGLAND
Kinnear invites Shearer
Newcastle manager Joe Kinnear has invited St James’ Park legend Alan Shearer to learn the coaching ropes alongside him at the struggling Premier League club. Interim boss Kinnear told the BBC: “I have the utmost respect for Shearer. The door is always open and if he is listening to this interview, he is more than welcome to learn his trade here. I would be delighted if he wanted to come here two days a week and see for himself what football is all about. From Alan’s point of view, he will be looking more for the future than right now because right now is a difficult time to come in also in terms of injuries. Maybe he is biding his time.” Kinnear has made no secret of the fact he would like the job on a permanent basis, and still does not know how long he will remain at the club on his current month-by-month deal. However, he knows exactly where Shearer and Keegan stand in the affection’s of the club’s supporters. He said: “I have just got on with things. They are two idols that everybody loves up here, so I’m never going to be as popular as those two, and I’m not trying to be. I am aware of the situation and can handle it.”
■ ENGLAND
Donovan to join Bayern
Landon Donovan will join Bayern Munich in a loan deal similar to the one David Beckham has agreed with AC Milan, according to Bayern’s manager Uli Hoeness, but no other players will come or go from the club during the winter transfer period. “He [Donovan] will in any case now play for us until March 15,” Hoeness said in an interview posted on Friday on the Web site of the Sueddeutsche newspaper. The LA Galaxy forward has just concluded a 10-day practice stint with Bayern, ostensibly to keep fit.
■ SPAIN
Tevez to join Real: report
Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez will be a Real Madrid player next season, the Marca sports daily reported on Friday. “Tevez said ‘yes’ to Madrid ... for next season,” claimed the newspaper which added that a deal between Real and the Argentine international has already been signed. Real are desperate for reinforcements having seen striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy ruled out for at least six months with a right knee injury.
■ GERMANY
Dortmund down Karlsruhe
Borussia Dortmund beat Karlsruhe 1-0 to move into provisional fourth place in the Bundesliga on Friday. Mohamed Zidan scored in the 20th minute from a cross from Tamas Hajnal, a former Karlsruhe player, to seal Dortmund’s victory. Karlsruhe lost for the seventh time in eight games.
Doping fears prevented former US Open champion Emma Raducanu from treating insect bites on the eve of the Australian Open, she said, with players increasingly wary about ingesting contaminated substances. The British player was speaking in the wake of high-profile doping cases involving Iga Swiatak and Jannik Sinner. “I would say all of us are probably quite sensitive to what we take on board, what we use,” the 22-year-old said, recalling an incident on Friday. “I got really badly bitten by, I don’t know what, like ants, mosquitoes, something. I’m allergic, I guess,” she added. The bites “flared up and swelled up really a
The NHL postponed the Los Angeles Kings’ home game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday with several massive wildfires burning across the greater Los Angeles area. The Kings and Flames were scheduled to play on Wednesday night at the Kings’ downtown arena. The NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers were scheduled to host the Charlotte Hornets in the same arena last night. “Our hearts are with our entire Los Angeles community,” the Kings said in a statement. “We appreciate the hard working first responders who are diligently working to contain the fire and protect our community. We appreciate the league’s support in keeping our
TWO IN A WEEK: Despite an undefeated start to the year playing alongside Jiang Xinyu of China, Wu Fang-hsien is to play the Australian Open with a Russian partner Taiwan’s Wu Fang-hsien yesterday triumphed at the Hobart International, winning the women’s doubles title at the US$275,094 outdoor hard-court tournament, while McCartney Kessler lifted the trophy in the women’s singles. Fourth-ranked Wu and partner Jiang Xinyu of China took 1 hour, 15 minutes to defeat Romania’s Monica Niculescu and Fanny Stollar of Hungary, 6-1, 7-6 (8/6) at the Hobart International Tennis Centre, their second title in a week. Wu and Jiang on Sunday won the women’s doubles title at the ASB Classic in Auckland, beating Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunic and Sabrina Santamaria of the US. Their winning ways continued in Australia as they stretched
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
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