SOCCER
Abidal to undergo surgery
Barcelona’s France international Eric Abidal is to undergo surgery for a liver tumor, the club said late on Tuesday. The 31-year-old will undergo the operation tomorrow at a Barcelona hospital, the Spanish champions announced in a brief statement on their Web site. The club said: “A liver tumor has been detected in the player Eric Abidal and he will be treated surgically next Friday.” The central defender, who signed from Olympique Lyonnais in 2007, played in both legs of Barcelona’s Champions League round-of-16 victory over Arsenal. Gunners captain Cesc Fabregas reacted to the news on Twitter, saying: “Much encouragement and a lot of strength to Eric Abidal. Bad news for football.” Real Madrid’s Brazilian playmaker Kaka also wrote on Twitter: “What sad news about Eric Abidal, tumor in the liver! Let’s pray for him ... God bless!!” Abidal has been capped 52 times by France, having made his debut for his country in 2004. He has played in two World Cups, helping France reach the final in 2006.
SOCCER
I was beaten, Nikezic says
Former Montenegro international Nikola Nikezic has complained to FIFA and UEFA, alleging that he was forced to end his contract with Russian Premier League club Kuban Krasnodar after being beaten up and threatened with a gun. “I feared for my life,” Nikezic, 29, was quoted as saying by local media on Tuesday. The forward added that he was invited into a room at the training ground last week and was met by “two strong men.” “After I had initially refused to annul my contract, one of the men punched me, while the other took off his jacket and I saw he had two guns,” Nikezic said. “Then I was punched again. The whole thing lasted about 20 minutes. I was scared and agreed to sign whatever they asked.” Kuban have strongly denied the allegations. Nikezic, who represented Serbia and Montenegro at the 2004 Athens Olympics, said he had written to FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA chief Michel Platini, asking for help.
SOCCER
Ref banned for two months
Bulgarian referee Nikolay Yordanov has been banned for two months for making mistakes in champions Litex Lovech’s 2-1 win at second-from-bottom Pirin Blagoevgrad on Saturday. Yordanov’s ban, imposed by the Bulgarian Football Union on Tuesday, came after a furious protest from Pirin over his failure to penalize Litex’s Brazilian winger Doka Madureira for a head-butt on Anton Kostadinov early in the second half. Later on Tuesday, a disciplinary commission also banned Doka for four matches.
RUGBY UNION
Williams out with injury
Wales winger Shane Williams has been ruled out of their final Six Nations match against France on Saturday with a knee injury. Williams, 34, picked up the injury in last Saturday’s 19-13 win over Ireland and is set to be sidelined for up to two months. Williams announced last year that he would retire after this year’s World Cup, so he is likely to have played his last Six Nations game.
MOTOGP
Japanese race postponed
The Japanese round of the MotoGP championship has been postponed until October because of the earthquake and tsunami, the sport’s governing body said on Tuesday. It is the second year in a row that the race could not go ahead as scheduled. Last season’s race was postponed because of travel disruption caused by an ash cloud from an Icelandic volcano.
After letting another big lead slip with an error-strewn performance at the French Open on Wednesday, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka felt like getting as far away from the courts as possible. “Just want to quit tennis right now,” Sabalenka said after wasting a lead of a set and two breaks in a 3-6, 7-5, 6-0 loss to Diana Shnaider in the women’s singles quarter-finals. “We’ll see in few days. Hopefully I’ll get back on track mentally.” Sabalenka’s wait for a first French Open title continues despite the four-time major winner leading 4-1 in the second set and being two points from victory while
BIG NAMES GONE: Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title, reaching semi-finals for the fifth time in six years and finishing second on three occasions Alexander Zverev on Tuesday breezed past Rafael Jodar to stay on course for an elusive Grand Slam title at the French Open, while Jakub Mensik halted Joao Fonseca’s scintillating run in the quarter-finals. Zverev, the highest-ranked player left in the men’s draw, put an end to Spanish teenager Jodar’s impressive Roland Garros debut, easing into the semi-finals with a 7-6, (7/3), 6-1, 6-3 win. The 29-year-old Zverev is the clear favorite for a maiden Grand Slam title. He has finished runner-up on three occasions, including at the 2024 French Open. “I want to win the matches that are ahead of
Liverpool are in advanced talks with former AFC Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola as they seek a replacement for Arne Slot, reports said on Tuesday. Iraola has emerged as Liverpool’s top target to replace Slot, who was sacked on Saturday last week after a turbulent second season in charge. Liverpool have reportedly agreed a deal in principle to bring the Spaniard, who left Bournemouth at the end of this season, to Anfield. Sporting director Richard Hughes was heavily involved in hiring Iraola during his time at Bournemouth and is again spearheading the recruitment of the highly rated coach. The Reds are
KNICKS TAKE LEAD: San Antonio put on a 9-0 run to be up 95-94 with just over 2 minutes to play, but the rest of the game belonged to the New York Knicks It was past five minutes through the third quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday and the New York Knicks’ 11-game winning streak was in major jeopardy. The Knicks missed nine of their first 10 shots in the early part of the period and trailed the San Antonio Spurs by 14 points. They were floundering. Then something crazy happened. The Knicks found new life from an unlikely source: The Spurs. New York rallied to tie the game by the end of the period, gave up the lead briefly late in the fourth quarter, and pulled away late for a 105-95
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