SOCCER
St Pauli beat Kaiserslautern
An own goal by Christian Tiffert gave St Pauli a 1-0 win over Kaiserslautern in the Bundesliga on Friday. Tiffert headed into his own net in the 48th minute to inadvertently help St Pauli end a six-game winless run. Both teams now have 17 points.
CRICKET
Gibbs’ contract canceled
The international career of South Africa batsman Herschelle Gibbs appeared over on Friday after his contract with Cricket South Africa (CSA) was canceled by mutual consent. Gibbs, whose last appearance for the national team was 10 months ago in a one-day international against India, launched his autobiography, To the Point, last month and alleged a clique led by captain Graeme Smith wielded huge power. “It has been decided that this is the best way forward for both parties,” CSA chief executive Gerald Majola said in a statement released on Friday in Johannesburg. “Because of the sensitivity of the matter as well as confidentiality agreements signed between the parties, the matter is now closed and there will be no further comments.” Gibbs recently quit first-class cricket to concentrate on limited-over formats after a 90-Test career that yielded 6,167 runs at an average of 41.95 and included two double centuries. The 36-year-old right-hander from Cape Town amassed 8,094 one-day runs in 248 matches at the average of 36.13 during a 14-year international career.
SOCCER
Liverpool keep pair
Liverpool youngsters Daniel Pacheco and Martin Kelly were given new long-term contracts with the Premier League club on Friday. Spanish forward Pacheco, 19, signed a two-year contract extension which keeps him at Anfield until June 2014, while England Under-21 defender Kelly, 20, agreed a three-year extension, which will also see him remain on Merseyside until 2014. Pacheco has featured just once as a substitute for Roy Hodgson’s team so far this season, but Kelly has been more heavily involved, starting two league games and eight Europa League ties.
SOCCER
Redknapp lets Keane go
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp will allow Republic of Ireland captain Robbie Keane to leave White Hart Lane in the January transfer window. The 30-year-old, who was loaned out to Celtic for the second half of last season, has started just two games this campaign with Peter Crouch, Roman Pavyluchenko and Jermain Defoe all first choices. “I think he’d like to move — he wants to play,” Redknapp said. “He’s not used to not playing. All his career, he’s played and been a big player and he wants to play. He could sit here and take his wages, but that’s not him. It wasn’t easy when you respect somebody and what a good player he is or has been. It was hard, because he’s still a good player.”
SOCCER
Frozen pitch delays match
Manchester United’s away game at Blackpool yesterday was postponed because of a frozen pitch, the home club said on Friday. “[Match referee] Mr Peter Walton expressed concern that the severely affected areas of the playing surface would not thaw sufficiently for the game to be completed,” a statement on Blackpool’s Web site said. Meanwhile, United manager Alex Ferguson had good news about injured striker Michael Owen, who is back in training: “He’s doing very well. He took part in the football side of it yesterday, but I would say he’s two weeks away,” he 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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