SOCCER
Maradona in hot water
Former Argentina coach Diego Maradona is in hot water after he accused sacked successor Sergio Batista of accepting bribes to include certain players in the team, local media reports alleged on Thursday. Batista was sacked after July’s Copa America flop on home soil having only replaced Maradona following last year’s World Cup, which ended in a quarter-final thrashing by Germany. Batista had already been in the Argentina coaching set-up before taking over from Maradona as coach of the senior side, having led the Olympic squad to glory at the 2008 Games. He said he is taking legal action after Maradona, now coach of United Arab Emirates club Al Wasl, told TyC Sports that “after we [Maradona and his entourage] took over the team there was an end to bribes.” Maradona suggested that certain arrangements had been in place to give certain players guarantees, before he stamped out the practice. Batista strongly rejected Maradona’s allegations and said he would take legal action to counter Maradona’s “falsehoods, [which are] a product of resentment” at being ousted as national coach.
SOCCER
Balotelli visits prosecutor
Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli has been interviewed by the public prosecutor in Naples over links to the local mafia, known as the Camorra, Italian media have reported. Balotelli traveled back to Italy with the Napoli team in the early hours of Thursday morning following Wednesday night’s Champions League clash at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester. On Thursday, he went to the public prosecutor’s office to discuss a trip he took around a notorious Camorra stronghold in Naples called Scampia. Balotelli is said to have been accompanied on his visit, in June last year, by suspected Camorra leader Marco Iorio, who has been arrested for money laundering, amongst other things. The 21-year-old forward previously claimed he did not know who Iorio was. “I didn’t know who those people were, that day in Naples there were always many people around me,” Balotelli said in June this year.
CRICKET
Lancashire claim title
Lancashire won their first English championship title since 1934 when they defeated Somerset by eight wickets on the final day of the county season on Thursday. Steven Croft (40 not out) struck the winning runs to ensure a 10th win of the season and the title for Lancashire with five overs to spare after Warwickshire failed to beat Hampshire at the Rose Bowl. Lancashire have finished second eight times since 1934, five of them in the last 13 years. They shared the title with Surrey in 1950. “The boys have been amazing this year, competitive to the end,” captain Glen Chapple said. “We have played good cricket all the way through, we have won games that maybe some other teams wouldn’t have won.” Lancashire have been based in Liverpool this season while Old Trafford in Manchester is being redeveloped.
TENNIS
Hlavackova ousts Safarova
Andrea Hlavackova ousted second-seeded Czech compatriot Lucie Safarova 7-6 (7/1), 7-5 on Thursday to reach her first career WTA quarter-final at the Quebec City Challenge. Hlavackova, ranked No. 103, booked a last-eight date with sixth seed Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, who ousted Mirjana Lucic of Croatia 2-6, 6-1, 6-3. New Zealand’s Marina Erakovic upset US seventh seed Irina Falconi 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, while top seed Daniela Hantuchova rallied for a 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 6-3 victory over Hungary’s Melinda Czink.
US national team star Folarin Balogun was among the scorers as AS Monaco on Friday won 3-1 at Paris Saint-Germain, dealing a blow to the side from the French capital before they face Chelsea in a crunch UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie. Maghnes Akliouche gave Monaco a first-half lead at the Parc des Princes, and Aleksandr Golovin doubled their advantage early in the second half of the French Ligue 1 clash. Bradley Barcola pulled one back for the reigning European champions, but Balogun struck shortly after with a fifth goal in his last five games as Monaco claimed a precious
Teenage star Lamine Yamal’s superbly-taken goal on Saturday earned Barcelona a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao in Spanish La Liga. The champions restored their four-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid, who had on Friday temporarily closed the gap by beating Celta Vigo. Atletico Madrid tightened their grip on third with an entertaining 3-2 win over Real Sociedad. Yamal, 18, curled into the top corner after 68 minutes to split the sides at Athletic’s San Mames stadium. “We’re already seeing what Lamine can do — he puts it right in the top corner, and there’s nothing the keeper can do,” Barca
Liverpool on Tuesday suffered an embarrassing 2-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers as Andre’s stoppage-time strike sealed a dramatic victory for the English Premier League’s bottom club. Arne Slot’s side fell behind to Rodrigo Gomes’ strike in the closing stages at Molineux. Mohamed Salah hauled Liverpool level with his first goal in 11 top-flight games dating back to November last year. However, Andre’s first goal for Wolves inflicted the latest humbling loss in a chastening season for Liverpool. It was the first time the Premier League’s bottom club had beaten the reigning champions since Crystal Palace defeated Chelsea in 2017. Liverpool
Taiwan yesterday defeated the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks’ farm team 5-1 in their final warm-up game ahead of their World Baseball Classic (WBC) Pool C opener. Taiwan’s bullpen used an unconventional rotation, with a different pitcher throwing each inning for the first seven innings. Together, they combined for eight strikeouts while allowing only four hits. The lone run surrendered came in the bottom of the eighth inning after a pitcher from Japan’s independent league took the mound. The pitching strategy was designed to preserve the arms of the Taiwanese ahead of their game against Australia at the Tokyo Dome tomorrow morning. Taiwanese-American Stuart Fairchild
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