SOCCER
Roma reach semi-finals
Roma set up an Italian Cup semi-final against Inter after dispatching Juventus 2-0 on Thursday. Mirko Vucinic scored midway through the second half and Rodrigo Taddei volleyed a second in injury time. AC Milan will meet Palermo in the other semi-final. Vucinic scored in the 65th minute, cutting in from the left and whipping a curling shot past Juventus goalkeeper Marco Storari into the far corner. With the match almost over, Taddei spectacularly volleyed De Rossi’s free kick home to wrap up the victory.
SOCCER
Germany sign Barbie
The German Football Federation (DFB) is planning to cash in on hosting the Women’s World Cup in June with a soccer version of the children’s doll Barbie wearing the national team’s colors. The German team are bidding to win their third consecutive world title and a fussball edition of the toy is expected to hit the stores in Germany later this year. The Women’s World Cup kicks off on June 26, when the hosts face Canada in Berlin. “There will be a Football-Barbie wearing a Germany shirt,” Doris Fitschen, the general manager of the Germany team, told German weekly newspaper Die Zeit. “It will appear in the shops at the end of March and will be aimed at our target group. We are aiming to attract young girls who we can inspire to play football.”
SOCCER
Torres bid rejected: reports
Liverpool have turned down an audacious ￡35 million (US$56 million) bid by Chelsea for striker Fernando Torres, British media reports said yesterday. Chelsea have been firmly rebuffed by Liverpool, whose new owners are anxious to hold on to their star attacker, reports said. “Chelsea have made a bid for Fernando which has been turned down,” a Liverpool spokesman was quoted as saying by the Times. “The player is not for sale.” Torres, 26, is under contract at Liverpool until 2013. However he is widely reported to have a buy-out clause in his deal which will allow him to leave if another team matches his ￡50 million valuation. The clause was believed to have been inserted as a concession to Torres after Liverpool failed to qualify for the Champions League last season amid uncertainty over the club’s ownership. The fact that Torres would be eligible for Chelsea’s Champions League campaign this season may persuade the Blues to boost their bid to the ￡50 million mark.
RUGBY UNION
’Bok dope-case pair cleared
Springbok dope-case duo Bjorn Basson and Chiliboy Ralepelle were cleared to play again yesterday by a South African Rugby Union (SARU) judicial committee. Basson and Ralepelle were suspended in November after testing positive for banned stimulant methylhexaneamine during a tour of Ireland and Britain. A SARU statement said a committee comprising two lawyers and a doctor found the stimulant was in a supplement given to the Springboks ahead of a Test against Ireland in Dublin.
SOCCER
Diarra joins Monaco
Real Madrid have agreed to sell Mahamadou Diarra to French side Monaco, the Spanish club said on Thursday “Real Madrid and AS Monaco have agreed the transfer of the player Mahamadou Diarra,” Real said in a statement on its Web site. “The agreement is dependent of the player passing a medical exam, as well as the signing of the contract with his new club.” Diarra had struggled to make the first team this season.
FOOTBALL
Fisher, Titans part ways
Jeff Fisher, who is the longest serving NFL head coach, is stepping down after 16 seasons with the Tennessee Titans. The surprise move comes less than a month after NFL owner Bud Adams said Fisher would be back to coach the Titans another season. This marks the first coaching change for the franchise since it relocated from Houston, Texas, to Tennessee in 1997. Under Fisher’s guidance, the Titans finished with just six wins and 10 losses last season. Fisher had one year remaining on his contract.
BASKETBALL
Mayo suspended 10 games
Memphis Grizzlies guard O.J. Mayo was suspended for 10 games after testing positive for a banned steroid, the NBA said on Thursday. Mayo, taken with the third overall pick in the 2008 draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, said in a statement that the positive test was the result of taking an over-the-counter supplement that contained the banned steroid DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone). “I’m extremely disappointed that I’m going to miss the next 10 games, particularly as our club is making a push for the playoffs,” Mayo said in a statement. “I had no idea that the over-the-counter supplement that I took was a substance banned by the NBA. It was an honest mistake, but I take full responsibility for my actions.” Mayo, the runner-up to the Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose for the Rookie of the Year honors in 2009, has appeared in 45 games this season averaging 12.2 points.
BASKETBALL
Rose blames spicy food
Chicago Bulls scoring leader Derrick Rose is blaming too much spicy food for stomach ulcers that have made it difficult for him to eat, drink or swallow, but he hoped to play against Orlando yesterday. The NBA point guard said he felt tired, but when it came to facing the Magic in Chicago yesterday, he said: “I should be all right.” Rose said he remained uncertain of the exact reason for two ulcers discovered during medical examinations on Wednesday after he began having heartburn symptoms on Monday and thought he had the flu. However, he blamed the internal troubles on spicy food. “That’s the thing I’m going with,” Rose said. Rose is averaging team highs of 24.6 points and 8.1 assists as well as 4.6 rebounds a game for the Bulls, who at 31-14 lead the Central Division by 13 games over Milwaukee, the largest margin by any division leader in the NBA.
FORMULA ONE
Sauber trains on waterfall
Mexican rookie Sergio Perez has been getting in shape for his first Formula One race by climbing a frozen waterfall with his Sauber teammates. The Swiss-based team said on Thursday that the unusual activity formed part of a four-day pre-season fitness camp at a sports facility above Walensee Lake, Switzerland. Perez, who celebrated his 21st birthday on Wednesday, took part in a range of activities with Japanese teammate Kamui Kobayashi and new Mexican test and reserve driver Esteban Gutierrez. “We did a lot of work and I’m quite happy with the shape I am in,” Perez said. “I enjoyed every exercise with my favorites being climbing in a frozen waterfall, followed by cross country skiing. It was also very important and a really nice experience to spend time with my new teammates and build up relationships with them.” The team said the drivers were put through various performance tests at the Swiss Olympic Medical Center to determine their levels of endurance, strength and coordination and to improve reaction times. The activities included bowling and pistol shooting, Kobayashi’s favorite.
A seven-year-old horse had to be euthanized on Friday after breaking its back on the final fence of a Grand National steeplechase race that it won despite sustaining the serious injury. It follows the death of four horses at the Cheltenham Festival last month — including one after the prestigious Gold Cup. Gold Dancer was competing in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase during Ladies Day at Aintree’s Grand National Festival. The horse managed to cross the finish line approximately four lengths ahead of runner-up Regent’s Stroll. “The winner of our second race of the day, Gold Dancer, was pulled up after
Hans Niemann declares he would become a “stone cold killer” in a Netflix documentary released on Tuesday about his feud with five-time classical world champion Magnus Carlsen, a pledge that injects new edge into the lingering fallout from the cheating scandal that shook elite chess. “I’m gonna be a stone cold killer the rest of my life,” the US’ Niemann says in the film. “I’m going to become the best player in the world, and no one is going to believe that now, but this clip will play over and over again in 10 years — just wait.” “I just
The Daredevils yesterday took eight catches in the final as they eked out a victory in the Taiwan Cricket Triangular Tournament against PCCT at Yingfeng Cricket Ground in Taipei’s Songshan District. PCCT’s batting lineup collapsed after they asked the Daredevils to bowl in the T20 decider of the weekend tournament that also involved the Formosa Cricket Club. PCCT were bundled out for 76 in 16.2 overs against a disciplined Daredevils attack. Shahzad Khan was the top scorer in the innings with 21, but he was among those who offered chances to the fielders. Shane Ferreira and Jason Cameron took three wickets each, with
Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung on Sunday topped the men’s horizontal bar event at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup in Osijek, Croatia, scoring 15.233 to take his third title this season. Tang delivered an outstanding performance in the final, earning a difficulty score of 6.500 and an execution score of 8.633 with a 0.1 stick bonus. His closest competitor was Milad Karimi of Kazakhstan, who finished second with 14.933 points. It was Tang’s third gold medal in the FIG World Cup series this year, following his horizontal bar wins in Azerbaijan on March 8, and in Turkey on March
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