■SOCCER
Ibrahimovic slams Guardiola
Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Wednesday took a swipe at Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, dismissing him as “small time.” “In my book, a great coach solves his problems. A small-time coach runs from them,” the Swede said. “There was only one person [on the Barcelona team] who wanted to get rid of me,” he said, explaining why he left the team and signed for AC Milan over the weekend on an initial one-year loan with a pre-arranged 24 million euro (US$31 million) permanent deal arranged for the end of the season. “I have never had problems with any coach before during my career,” he said. “But suddenly I had a thousand problems and I had no communication with ‘the Philosopher.’ No communication whatsoever. I don’t know what his problem was,” he said of Guardiola. “I couldn’t take it. I had no choice but to find a new place of work and I was lucky to go to a club like Milan. I am 28 years old and can not afford to lose a year sitting on the bench and watching the weather,” he said.
■SOCCER
Spurs seal deal
English Premier League club Tottenham were allowed to sign Rafael van der Vaart from Real Madrid on Wednesday after their last-ditch move for the Dutch playmaker on deadline day. Spurs boss Harry Redknapp moved for van der Vaart just two hours before the transfer window closed late on Tuesday, causing a frantic scramble to file the paperwork in time, and the north London outfit were left to wait overnight to discover if the Premier League would ratify the deal. Redknapp was finally able to plan a team that includes van der Vaart on Wednesday after the Premier League rubber-stamped the deal. “We are delighted to announce that we have reached agreement with Real Madrid for the transfer of Rafael van der Vaart,” a statement on Tottenham’s Web site confirmed. Real confirmed the deal. Van der Vaart was available at a cut-price rate after new Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho decided to cash in on a player who would have struggled to win a first-team place.
■SOCCER
Girls prone to knee injuries
“Kicking like a girl” is a real phenomenon and may explain why females are more likely to suffer knee injuries in sports such as soccer, US researchers said on Wednesday. The researchers found significant differences in knee alignment and muscle activation between men and women while kicking a ball. The study appearing in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery offers a possible explanation on why female players are more than twice as likely as males to sustain an anterior cruciate ligament injury. “By analyzing the detailed motion of a soccer kick in progress, our goal was to home in on some of the differences between the sexes and how they may relate to injury risk,” said orthopedic surgeon Robert Brophy of the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri.
■FOOTBALL
Dockett signs new deal
Arizona Cardinals’ defensive lineman Darnell Dockett has signed a four-year contract extension which will keep him with the NFC West team until 2015. The Cardinals did not disclose details of the terms but Dockett told a news conference that he believed he was now up with the best paid players in his position. Media reports said the two-times Pro Bowl selection could earn up to US$50 million with US$31 million guaranteed. The former Florida State lineman was taken by the Cardinals in the third round of the 2004 draft and helped the Arizona team to the Super Bowl last year.
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Tobias Harris on Monday scored 25 points as the Detroit Pistons held off the Boston Celtics to score a 104-103 victory in their top-of-the-table Eastern Conference showdown. Harris was one of four Detroit players to finish in double figures, with Jalen Duren adding 18 points and point guard Cade Cunningham scoring 16 points with 14 assists. The win sees Detroit extend their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference to 31-10, 5.5 games ahead of second-placed Boston, who fell to 26-16 with the defeat. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics scoring with 32 points and almost snatched victory in the
Qatar’s Nasser al-Attiyah on Saturday secured his sixth Dakar Rally car title in Saudi Arabia with Luciano Benavides scraping home by two seconds to claim the motorbike title. “We’ve worked very hard since last year. I might not be showing much emotion yet, but it’s there, deep down. We are so happy to win,” al-Attiyah said at the finish. Al-Attiyah, at the wheel of a Dacia, only had to avoid a final day slip-up to top the podium after bringing his career tally of stage wins to 50 on Friday. The 55-year-old, who took clay pigeon shooting bronze at the
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