SPAIN
Doping claims withdrawn
A Spanish radio station has withdrawn an item broadcast last year in which it alleged Barcelona players were involved in illegal doping and has agreed to pay the club 200,000 euros (US$268,500) in damages. Cadena Cope published a statement on its Web site, www.cope.es, on Tuesday saying the allegations, made in March last year, had proven to be untrue and had come from an unverified source. “It is recognized therefore that an unlawful interposition against the honor of the club in question was committed,” the statement said. The allegations, which Barca denied and demanded be withdrawn, were particularly controversial as local media reported that the source was an unidentified official at Barca’s archrivals, Real Madrid.
GERMANY
Podolski linked to Arsenal
Experienced German striker Lukas Podolski is close to joining English Premier League side Arsenal from Cologne, German daily Bild said on its Web site on Tuesday. The 26-year-old — capped 95 times and a veteran of two World Cups and Euro 2008 — has apparently already agreed personal terms with Arsenal, though, the two clubs have yet to agree a fee. Podolski’s contract with Cologne, a club he adores as he grew up in the city after his family moved there from Poland, runs till next year and the Bundesliga outfit had been trying to get him to sign an extension. Although presently out injured he has scored 15 goals out of the 30 the club has netted in the Bundesliga, in which they lie fifth from bottom and battling against relegation.
ARGENTINA
Injured coach quits
Nestor Gorosito handed in his resignation as coach of Argentine first division side Argentinos Juniors from a hospital bed after suffering multiple injuries in a car crash. The 47-year-old crashed his pickup truck in the early hours of Saturday on a highway on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, hours before his team lost a league match against San Lorenzo. “Today, the coaching staff led by Nestor Gorosito handed in their resignations to the board. These will be evaluated jointly with the coach given the time that his recovery requires,” the club said on Tuesday on their Web site, www.argentinosjuniors.com.ar. The former Argentina midfielder decided to resign after learning he would have to remain in hospital for at least two months to recover from intestinal damage and a fractured vertebra. Club president Luis Segura confirmed on La Red radio station that Gorosito’s life was not in danger and the board would take two to three days to decide whether to accept his resignation. Picking up a team with no wins in seven matches in September, Gorosito steered them to five victories and three draws in 11. Argentinos have picked up only one point from three matches in the Clausura championship.
FRANCE
Armand Penverne dies at 85
Former France skipper Armand Penverne has died aged 85, a source close to him said on Tuesday. Penverne captained France in seven of the 39 internationals he played between 1952-59 including most famously the 6-3 whipping they doled out to the Germans in the 1958 World Cup third place match. Penverne, a midfielder, won the French league title four times and the French Cup twice with the great team of that epoch, Reims. Penverne, who also played for Limoges and Red Star, was also part of the Reims side that reached the European Cup final twice where they lost on both occasions to Real Madrid, 4-3 in 1956 and 2-0 in 1959.
New Taipei Kings guard Jeremy Lin on Friday was named the Taiwan Professional Basketball League’s (TPBL) Player of the Month, the first domestic player to win the award, while the Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers are to welcome their third head coach in less than a year. Lin averaged 22 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists over five games in October and last month, helping the Kings to second in the standings with a 4-2 record as of Friday. The Kings last night defeated the Lioneers 96-78 to move level with the top-of-the-table Formosa Dreamers (5-2), while in the night game, the New Taipei
LIVERPOOL WIN: The 50th Champions League goal by Mohamed Salah helped the leaders of the Premier League to keep their perfect record intact Real Madrid’s big stars on Tuesday turned on the style to revive the Spanish giant’s faltering UEFA Champions League title defense. Galacticos Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all scored in a thrilling 3-2 win against Serie A leaders Atalanta BC. However, Madrid still had to ride their luck as Mateo Retegui fired over from in front of goal in stoppage-time when handed a golden chance to level the game. It was only Madrid’s third win in the competition’s revamped league phase and leaves the 15-time champions in the unseeded playoff positions in 18th place. “It’s a very important win. Not everyone wins
TO NO AVAIL: The Denver Nuggets’ Serbian center Nikola Jokic surpassed his 53-point performance in the 2023 Western Conference semi-finals against Phoenix The Washington Wizards withstood a 56-point explosion from Denver star Nikola Jokic to beat the Nuggets 122-113 on Saturday and snap their 16-game NBA losing streak. Jokic, who won his third NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award last season, posted a career scoring high — surpassing a 53-point performance in game four of the 2023 Western Conference semi-finals against Phoenix and a 50-point regular-season best against Sacramento in 2021. The Serbian big man added 16 rebounds and eight assists, but it was all to no avail as Washington, buoyed by 39 points from Jordan Poole, won for the first time
Taiwan on Wednesday finished with 15 medals at the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Hong Kong, taking home four gold, five silver and six bronze medals across the age group divisions. Taiwan ranked third on the medal table after South Korea with 17 golds and the US with eight golds at the five-day competition. “Your athletes have proven themselves as the best in the world,” World Taekwondo president Choue Chung-won said at the closing ceremony of the martial art contest that was attended by a record 1,727 athletes from around the world. On the first day of the competition at the Hong Kong
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