■CHINA
CFA head held in probe
The head of the Chinese Football Association (CFA) has been taken in for questioning by police investigating matchfixing, state media reported yesterday. Nan Yong, who took over as head of the CFA a year ago, was taken away by a police investigative group who were probing a series of matchfixing scandals, Xinhua news agency reported on its Web site, citing Ministry of Public Security officials. CFA vice president Yang Yimin and Zhang Jianqiang, who was formerly in charge of referee arrangements, were also taken in by police, Xinhua said. The three were questioned by police to “clarify some facts in several important cases of soccer gambling and illegal manipulating domestic soccer league games by using business bribery”, the report said. Jia Xiuquan, former head coach of Chinese Super League club Shanghai Shenhua, was also questioned by police, the Beijing Times said yesterday.
■COLOMBIA
Fan killer back in action
A player who acknowledged he killed a heckling fan last year is back playing for Colombian club Atletico Junior. Midfielder Javier Florez played 75 minutes on Tuesday in an exhibition match between the reserves of Atletico Junior and Real Cartagena. Florez said heckling fans challenged him to a fight after Atletico Junior lost a Colombian league match on July 5. He said he was drunk and pulled a gun on the fans. He said one of them tried to take it away, and it went off several times. He said he did not intend to kill anyone. He was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to three years probation.
■ENGLAND
Pompey woes worsen
Cash-strapped Portsmouth found themselves under attack from a former player on Wednesday when they confirmed they were being sued by Sol Campbell. The former England defender, now at Arsenal, has alleged he is owed £1.7 million (US$2.8 million) in unpaid image rights and bonuses by the club he captained to FA Cup glory in 2008. Confirmation of Campbell’s move came just a day after Premier League basement club Portsmouth’s bid to have a winding up petition from British tax authorities struck out was rejected by a judge. Meanwhile Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie appeared in court on Wednesday over a fraud allegation. Storrie, 57, has been accused of “cheating the public revenue” between July 1, 2003 and November 28, 2007 over the signing-on fee for midfielder Amdy Faye from French club Auxerre to Portsmouth. Storrie spoke to confirm his name during the preliminary hearing in London but the charge was not put to him, and he was not asked to enter a plea. The case was adjourned until April 15 but the trial proper is more than a year away after Judge Peter Testar set a date of May 16, 2011.
■ITALY
Mutu stars in Viola victory
Adrian Mutu scored twice and created a third on Wednesday to help Fiorentina knock holders Lazio out of the Italian Cup with a 3-2 win. The Romanian scored both his goals in the first half and then set up Per Kroldrup for the winner in the 58th. Lazio pulled within a goal twice, as Mauro Zarate made it 2-1 in the 50th and his strike partner Tommaso Rocchi netted in the 68th. However, despite continued pressure, Lazio was unable to find an equalizer. Fiorentina will now play the winner between Inter and Juventus, who meet next week.
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
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
Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, 29, has died, the NBA team said in a statement on Tuesday, while the family of Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to play in a major US pro sports league, announced the former Grizzlies and Brooklyn Nets player had died after a battle with brain cancer. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke,” the Grizzlies said in a statement posted on social media. “Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten.” The statement did not provide
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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