■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.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one
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