BASEBALL
Sanchez traded to Royals
Pitcher Jonathan Sanchez, who threw a no-hitter in 2009, was dealt by the San Francisco Giants to the Kansas City Royals for outfielder Melky Cabrera on Monday. The 28-year-old left-handed starter was key part of the Giants’ rotation when they beat the Texas Rangers to win the World Series last year. He had four wins and seven losses this season with a 4.26 ERA, but he missed the final month of the season with a left ankle sprain. Kansas City also got left-handed minor league pitcher Ryan Verdugo in the three-player deal. “He’s a very dynamic left-handed pitcher,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said of Sanchez. “His hit rates are very low, his strikeout rates are very high, his walks aren’t something we’re overly excited about, but at the same time he’s very young. He’s somebody our scouts feel is a breakout candidate moving forward into 2012.”
SOCCER
Mihajlovic gets the boot
Sinisa Mihajlovic was sacked as coach of Serie A side Fiorentina on Monday and replaced by Delio Rossi, the club announced. Mihajlovic, 42, had come in for some heavy criticism already this season and Sunday’s 1-0 defeat by Chievo Verona — which left them 11th in the table — proved the final straw for the club’s board. The Serbian — who had previously coached Bologna and Catania in Serie A after a distinguished playing career which saw him win the European Cup with Red Star Belgrade in 1991 — had been in charge since the beginning of last season when Cesare Prandelli left to coach the national side. Rossi is best known for two spells coaching Palermo in the past two seasons, guiding then on both occasions to a Europa League place. However, the 51-year-old fell foul of the so called “coach eater” Palermo owner Maurizio Zamparini, who refused to renew his contract in the summer and only last season sacked him after a 7-0 humbling by Udinese, before rehiring him a month later.
SOCCER
Alcaraz charged for spitting
Wigan Athletic’s woeful start to the season got worse on Monday when Antolin Alcaraz was charged by the Football Association (FA) with spitting at Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Richard Stearman during Sunday’s 3-1 defeat. The 29-year-old Paraguay international defender, signed from Belgian side Club Brugge KV last year after an eye-catching World Cup campaign, has only just returned to action after being out with a torn leg muscle. “Wigan Athletic’s Antolin Alcaraz has today been charged by the FA for spitting at an opponent,” an FA statement said. “The incident, which was not seen by the match officials but caught on video, relates to his side’s game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.” If Alcaraz admits to the offense he will receive a three-match ban, but he risks a lengthier ban if he appeals and is found guilty at a hearing.
RUGBY UNION
New tournament launched
Southern hemisphere rugby body SANZAR has relaunched its annual Test tournament as the Rugby Championship, replacing the Tri-Nations and reflecting the inclusion of Argentina. Argentina have been confirmed alongside South Africa, New Zealand and Australia to play from next year in the new Rugby Championship. SANZAR chief executive Greg Peters said yesterday that the regular participation of Argentina in a top-level tournament is “long overdue and we are excited about their inclusion.” Union Argentina de Rugby president Luis Castillo described the Pumas’ inclusion as an “historic moment for rugby in Argentina.”
RECORD DEFEAT: The Shanghai-based ‘Oriental Sports Daily’ said the drubbing was so disastrous, and taste so bitter, that all that is left is ‘numbness’ Chinese soccer fans and media rounded on the national team yesterday after they experienced fresh humiliation in a 7-0 thrashing to rivals Japan in their opening Group C match in the third phase of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The humiliation in Saitama on Thursday against Asia’s top-ranked team was China’s worst defeat in World Cup qualifying and only a goal short of their record 8-0 loss to Brazil in 2012. Chinese President Xi Jinping once said he wanted China to host and even win the World Cup one day, but that ambition looked further away than ever after a
‘KHELIFMANIA’: In the weeks since the Algerian boxer won gold in Paris, national enthusiasm is inspiring newfound interest in the sport, particularly among women In the weeks since Algeria’s Imane Khelif won an Olympic gold medal in women’s boxing, athletes and coaches in the North African nation say national enthusiasm is inspiring newfound interest in the sport, particularly among women. Khelif’s image is practically everywhere, featured in advertisements at airports, on highway billboards and in boxing gyms. The 25-year-old welterweight’s success in Paris has vaulted her to national hero status, especially after Algerians rallied behind her in the face of uninformed speculation about her gender and eligibility to compete. Amateur boxer Zougar Amina, a medical student who has been practicing for a year, called Khelif an
Taiwanese badminton superstar Lee Yang broke down in tears after publicly retiring from the sport on Sunday. The two-time Olympic gold medalist held a retirement ceremony at the Taipei Arena after the final matches of the Taipei Open. Accompanied by friends, family and former badminton partners, Lee burst into tears while watching a video celebrating key moments in his professional sporting career that also featured messages from international players such as Malaysia’s Teo Ee Yi, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun-man, and Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. “I hope that in the future when the world thinks about me, they will
GOING GLOBAL: The regular season fixture is part of the football league’s increasingly ambitious plans to spread the sport to international destinations The US National Football League (NFL) breaks new ground in its global expansion strategy tomorrow when the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers face off in the first-ever grid-iron game staged in Brazil. For one night only, the land of Pele and ‘The Beautiful Game’ will get a rare glimpse into the bone-crunching world of American football as the Packers and Eagles collide at Sao Paulo’s Neo Quimica Arena, the 46,000-seat home of soccer club Corinthians. The regular season fixture is part of the NFL’s increasingly ambitious plans to spread the US’ most popular sport to new territories following previous international fixtures
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