GERMANY
Rangnick leaves Hoffenheim
Hoffenheim’s long-standing coach Ralf Rangnick has left the Bundesliga club after failing to prevent the transfer of midfielder Luiz Gustavo to Bayern Munich. Both sides confirmed the departure on Sunday, saying Rangnick was leaving “by mutual agreement.” Assistant coach Marco Pezzaiuoli was promoted to take Rangnick’s place. Rangnick had been opposed to the immediate transfer of Gustavo, but Hoffenheim’s de-facto owner Dietmar Hopp agreed to a deal with Bayern. Rangnick took over in 2006 and, helped by Hopp’s money, led Hoffenheim’s rise from the third division into the top flight. Hoffenheim finished the first half of this season in eighth place and are also in the quarter-finals of the German Cup. Rangnick had clashed before with Hopp over transfer policy. Hopp became a billionaire in the software industry and has bankrolled the provincial club for more than a decade, also building a new stadium for 30,000.
ITALY
Ronaldinho set to go home
Ronaldinho is in Brazil to negotiate a transfer after being allowed to leave AC Milan’s training camp in Dubai, coach Massimiliano Allegri said on Sunday. “It’s just a decision by him to change his life, go back to Brazil,” Allegri said. “It’s difficult for him to come back.” Brazilian clubs Gremio, Flamengo and Palmeiras have said they are interested in the playmaker. Ronaldinho’s departure on Saturday came just days after AC Milan director Umberto Gandini said the Italian club planned to keep him. His agent, however, has been negotiating the player’s release. Ronaldinho, a two-time FIFA player of the year, has been playing sporadically with Milan and recently said he wanted to return to Brazil to improve his chances of getting back in the national team.
SPAIN
Real include Kaka in squad
Brazilian attacking midfielder Kaka, who has been out since the start of the season, was on Sunday named in the Real Madrid squad for yesterday’s trip to Getafe by coach Jose Mourinho. The playmaker, who won the 2007 Ballon d’Or, underwent surgery in August after injuring his left knee and only returned to training with the squad on Dec. 18. Prior to his injury, Kaka had struggled to shine due to a combination of injuries and poor form.
ASIAN CUP
Late goal earns Iran win
An injury-time goal by Javad Nekounam gave Iran a 1-0 win over Angola in their friendly on Sunday and a boost for the Asian Cup. Nekounam found the bottom corner of the goal with a right-footed strike from the edge of the area. The Iranians dominated possession and had several early chances. Hadi Aghili’s header went across the face of the goal in the 20th minute, while Seyed Jalal Hosseini just missed making contact at the far post shortly before halftime. The Asian Cup begins in Doha on Friday.
GERMANY
Avdic set to join Bremen
Werder Bremen are poised to sign Swedish striker Denni Avdic to replace Portuguese forward Hugo Almedia, who has joined Turkish giants Besiktas, German magazine Kicker reported on Sunday. Avdic, 22 and of Bosnian descent, currently plays for Swedish first division side Elfsborg, where he is under contract until the end of the year. Considered one of his country’s most promising talents, he made his Sweden debut in 2009.
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
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
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