■ ENGLAND
Capello recalls ditched stars
Fabio Capello has been forced to recall a host of players he had previously ignored after injuries damaged the England coach’s preparations for the start of the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign. With Chelsea duo John Terry and Frank Lampard and Fulham striker Bobby Zamora all sidelined due to injury, Capello has recalled Matthew Upson, Michael Carrick, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe for the Wembley clash with Bulgaria on Friday and the trip to Switzerland on Sept. 7. Upson had been discarded by Capello for England’s post-World Cup friendly against Hungary after a disappointing showing from the West Ham defender in South Africa. Manchester United midfielder Carrick and Tottenham strikers Crouch and Defoe were also left out of that friendly, as was Manchester City winger Wright-Phillips. Capello also recalled goalkeepers Ben Foster of Birmingham and Scott Carson of West Brom after ignoring both for the World Cup.
■ JAPAN
Okada explains mix-up
Outgoing coach Takeshi Okada, who guided the Blue Samurai to the knockout stage at this summer’s World Cup, says he has been declining unlikely offers to become a farmer. The mix-up is all because of a mistranslation in his interview with a major British soccer magazine, the 54-year-old told a weekend talk show, Japanese media reported yesterday. Okada recalled he had told the magazine before the World Cup in South Africa that he would leave his job to lead a life typified by a Japanese idiom seikou-udoku, meaning “till the land when it shines and read books when it rains.” “That was mistaken to mean ‘I want to be engaged in farming,’” Okada said. The lifestyle has been idealized by intellectual recluses, but the idiom itself has been expanded to mean a life free from worldly affairs. The magazine quoted Okada as saying he would retire to become a “farmer.” As a result, he has received agricultural job offers from a banana plant in Okinawa and the mayor of a town on Hokkaido, Okada said.
■ JAPAN
Zaccheroni takes reins
Former Juventus and AC Milan coach Alberto Zaccheroni has been appointed to lead Japan’s national team. The Japan Football Association made the announcement yesterday, making Zaccheroni the first Italian and the sixth foreigner to coach Japan. The 57-year-old Zaccheroni takes over from Takeshi Okada, who stepped down after taking Japan to the round of 16 at the World Cup in South Africa. Japan play Paraguay and Guatemala at home on Saturday and Sept. 7 respectively. Zaccheroni’s first competitive tournament will be the Asian Cup in Qatar in January.
■ BRAZIL
Hot-shot goalie scores again
Rogerio Ceni, the world’s highest scoring goalkeeper, took his tally to 90 on Sunday as he helped Sao Paulo hold championship leaders Fluminense to a 2-2 draw at the Maracana. Ceni equalized with a free kick after midfielder Deco had put Fluminense ahead with his first goal for the club in his third match since joining them from Chelsea. Sao Paulo striker Fernandao made it 2-1 with a header before half-time but Leandro Euzebio headed Flu’s equalizer on the hour. Flu striker Washington could have scored a winner with a penalty for handball by Richarlyson but Ceni produced a brilliant diving save. “The important thing today was to add a point in this delicate moment we’re going through. What least matters now is the individual,” Ceni said.
Former world No. 2 Paula Badosa has withdrawn from this week’s Wuhan Open, organizers said on Tuesday, amid a racism row over an online photograph. Tournament organizers said the Spaniard had pulled out of the WTA 1000 tournament, citing a gastrointestinal illness, hours before her first-round match against Australian Ajla Tomljanovic. News outlets including Britain’s the Telegraph earlier reported that Badosa had posted a photo on Instagram in which she appeared to imitate a Chinese face by placing chopsticks on the corners of her eyes. The photo was taken last week in a restaurant in Beijing, where she reached the semi-finals of the
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
Italian defender Marco Curto has been banned for 10 matches for racially abusing South Korean forward Hwang Hee-chan while playing for Como 1907 against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a pre-season friendly in July. Curto, who is on loan from Como to Serie B club Cesena, would serve half of the punishment immediately with the other half suspended for two years. “The player Marco Curto was found responsible for discriminatory behavior and sanctioned with a 10-match suspension,” a FIFA spokesperson said. “The player is ordered to render community services and undergo training and education with an organization approved by FIFA.” Wolves said the club would
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