■ARGENTINA
Maradona routine nixed
Superstitious Argentina coach Diego Maradona has just found out that one of his routines before a match is no longer possible. No matter how far away the matches have been, he’s insisted on holding day-before news conferences at Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria. But the stadium closed for the World Cup after Tuesday’s match between Paraguay and Japan. “OK, fine,” Maradona said when told about the venue closing. “But what about the press center?” No go, he was told — so tomorrow’s news conference will have to be in Cape Town on the eve of the Germany match. Before each World Cup match in South Africa, Maradona has come onto the field wearing a tracksuit only to later emerge from the tunnel in a gray suit. Straight after the match, it’s back into his tracksuit for the press conference. He also insists on holding rosary beads in his hand during the game. And you won’t see him switch from one pitch to another at Argentina’s training camp without making a sign of the cross.
■ENGLAND
Jokes target team, coach
The country’s humiliating World Cup exit has unleashed a barrage of jokes. Among the best offerings so far: Osama bin Laden has just released a new TV message to prove he is still alive. He said England’s performance on Saturday was completely appalling. British intelligence have dismissed the claim, stating that the message could have been recorded anytime in the last 44 years; Q: What’s the difference between England goalkeeper Rob Green’s spill and BP’s spill? A: Robert Green has got a cap for his; Fabio Capello was wheeling his shopping trolley across the supermarket car park when he noticed an old lady struggling with her bags of shopping. He stopped and asked, “Can you manage, dear?” To which the old lady replied: “No way. You got yourself into this mess, don’t ask me to sort it out.”
■NORTH KOREA
Squad gets airport welcome
North Korea’s team arrived home stony-faced after three straight losses but brightened up when welcomed at the airport by families and supporters, a pro-Pyongyang newspaper said yesterday. The North Koreans put up an impressive 1-2 performance against Brazil but were routed 0-7 by Portugal and 0-3 by the Ivory Coast in the other two group games. Choson Sinbo said yesterday the squad arrived stony-faced in rain on Tuesday but “regained their smiles after being welcomed by their families” and supporters crowding the airport. “Related officials comforted the players by saying ‘work appreciated,’” the paper said. Speaking in South Africa, coach Kim Jong-hun had dismissed suggestions that there might be “consequences” for him and the team back home if they failed to impress.
■ENGLAND
Trespassing fan free
A fan who walked into the England team dressing room after a World Cup match will not face a criminal trial after he agreed to pay a fine, a South African Court ruled yesterday. Pavlos Joseph, 32, was arrested for entering the England changing room following the side’s match against Algeria on June 18. His lawyer Craig Webster told Cape Town Magistrates’ Court that prosecutors had dropped further charges against Joseph after he paid a 750 rand (US$98) fine. South African police have now charged a British journalist with helping Joseph gain access to the dressing room. Police accuse the journalist, Simon Wright, from the Sunday Mirror tabloid of orchestrating the incident.
Jobe Bellingham on Tuesday admitted to having “anxieties” on following in brother Jude’s footsteps after joining Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Jobe Bellingham, 19, is two years younger than Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in 2023 after three years at Dortmund. A centerpiece of the England national team, Jude Bellingham has emerged as one of the best players in the world in recent seasons. The younger Jobe Bellingham joined Dortmund in June from Sunderland after their promotion to the English Premier League. He admitted he understood what the perception would be ahead of the move to Germany. “It’s something you do think about.
Before Tuesday’s 7-2 win at the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy suggested “most people couldn’t tell you five players on our team.” A look at the standings would indicate more Brewers players soon will be recognized by more fans. After all, it is difficult to overlook a team that not only continues to extend their lead in the National League Central, but also boasts the best record in the majors. “What we’re doing in here right now is special,” right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta said after allowing only four hits and one run in five innings, while setting a career high with
A baseball team from New Taipei City won the US Pony Palomino Division World Series yesterday in Laredo, Texas, defeating the US West representative team from Azusa, California, 2-1. Ku-Pao Home Economics and Commercial High School earned the right to represent Taiwan in the Pony Palomino (17 to 18 age group) World Series after winning this year's Wang Chen-chih Cup, a competition named after Taiwanese-Japanese baseball legend Wang Chen-chih (王貞治), also known as Sadaharu Oh. In the championship game against Azusa, Ku-Pao's starting pitcher Luo Yu-yan (羅于晏) was erratic early, giving up two hits in the bottom of the first inning, followed
Taiwanese pitcher Teng Kai-wei took the mound in New York on Saturday as the starting pitcher for the San Francisco Giants in his MLB season debut against the New York Mets, pitching 3.1 innings and allowing five runs. The Taiwanese right-hander struggled early, giving up three runs in the bottom of the first inning, including a three-run homer to Mets slugger Pete Alonso — his 250th career home run. However, Teng was not fazed and soon found his footing, holding the Mets scoreless in the bottom of the second and third innings. Meanwhile, Mets starter Kodai Senga of Japan made a few errors
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