■TENNIS
ATP supports Andy Murray
Tennis chiefs insisted on Monday that Andy Murray was within his rights to withdraw from this week’s Marseille Open. The British star was due to be the top seed at the tournament, but he won’t be playing in France after deciding to continue his recovery from the Australian Open, where his bid to win a maiden grand slam title ended with a defeat by Roger Federer in the Melbourne final. Tournament director Jean-Francois Caujolle was quoted on Monday in a British national newspaper calling for Murray to be suspended after missing the tournament for the second straight year, but said later he was merely “really disappointed” with the Scot. The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) said that, in any event, there were no grounds for suspending Murray. “There are clear rules and regulations in place with regard to player withdrawals and Andy Murray followed them,” it said in a statement. “We understand a situation like this can be frustrating for a tournament, but we are looking forward to a great week of tennis in Marseille with a strong field led by six of the world’s Top 20 players.” Earlier on Monday, Caujolle told Sky Sports News: “I never said that he should be suspended, but it’s true I was really disappointed because he was my top player. “There is a responsibility for the credibility of all the game when it’s a top player. Sometimes you have to force yourself and be responsible ... I understand he’s quite young and it’s not a huge tournament but it’s quite disappointing and we had the same last year. Last year he played in Rotterdam and was a bit injured and I understand that. He sent me an e-mail saying next year I will play,” Caujolle said.
■SOCCER
Celtic’s profit plummets
Celtic’s profits have dropped dramatically and its debts have increased following the team’s failure to qualify for this season’s Champions League. The Scottish Premier League club says its pretax profit for the six months ending Dec. 31 was down 85 percent to £1.27 million (US$1.99 million) and its bank debt increased more than threefold to £3.13 million. Celtic finished runner-up to fierce city rival Rangers last season and was beaten in Champions League qualifying in August by Arsenal. Club chairman John Reid said soccer and commercial success went hand in hand. Celtic trails Rangers by 10 points with about a third of this season remaining.
■SOCCER
Uruguayan great dies
Juan Carlos Gonzalez a member of the Uruguayan squad that won the 1950 World Cup, died on Monday aged 85, local media reported. Gonzalez, who also won the Uruguayan title with Penarol, played in two of the Uruguayan side’s matches, but did not play in the final where they beat Brazil 2-1. His remains will be transferred to the Olympic Pantheon in Montevideo and will be buried alongside other Uruguayan sporting heroes.
■BASKETBALL
Gasol wins European award
Spaniard Pau Gasol has been voted European player of the year for last year, winning the award for the second year in a row, the governing body FIBA Europe said on Monday. The 2.15m center won an NBA championship title with the Los Angeles Lakers and followed that up by helping Spain to win their first European championship gold medal in Poland in September. Gasol came in ahead of Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki and Serbia’s Milos Teodosic in the voting by fans and a panel of experts.
TOOTHLESS: Bologna never looked like finding a way back, and Antonio Conte and his substitutes were waiting to celebrate long before the final whistle SSC Napoli on Monday lifted the Italian Supercoppa with a 2-0 win over Bologna in Riyadh, David Neres netting both goals to earn the league champions a deserved victory over the toothless Coppa Italia winners. Neres opened the scoring with a stunning strike from distance six minutes before halftime and found the net again in the 57th minute when Bologna were caught trying to play out of defense. “We came here as champions of Italy, we wanted this trophy and we showed it with a great performance,” Napoli forward Matteo Politano told Mediaset. “We could have scored a few more goals, but
Backup quarterback Luke Weaver on Wednesday night threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Nick Cenacle with 10 seconds left, as the University of Hawaii rallied for a 35-31 comeback victory over the University of California, Berkeley in a thrilling Hawaii Bowl. Weaver entered the game after Micah Alejado took a hard hit on the previous play. With the Rainbow Warriors (9-4) in range for a tying field goal, coach Timmy Chang took a shot at the end zone, and Cenacle got between two defensive backs and made the contested catch. “How amazing is that?” Chang said. “It’s a program that is built
Hosts Morocco on Friday were held to a 1-1 draw by Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations, ending their world record run of wins and leaving them still to make sure of progress to the next stage. Midfielder Brahim Diaz tucked away a penalty in stoppage-time at the end of the first half, but Mali equalized from the spot midway through the second half through Lassine Sinayoko. Both penalties were awarded after video reviews in a tempestuous clash at the end of a busy day of action at the tournament. Morocco were atop the Group A standings with four points, while Zambia,
An astounding 20 wickets fell on a frantic first day of the fourth Ashes Test yesterday, with Australia all out for 152 before storming back to dismiss England for 110 and leave the clash on a knife-edge. England skipper Ben Stokes won a key toss on a green track and his quicks feasted after sending in the hosts under overcast skies in front of 94,199 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It was the biggest cricket crowd ever at the cavernous arena, exceeding the 93,013 who watched the 2015 World Cup final, and they witnessed the home side collapse with Josh Tongue
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