Dynamo Moscow’s president has vowed to find and punish fans who shot at players using paintball rifles at the soccer club’s training ground on Friday.
“They are idiots,” Gennady Solovyov told local media after a group of fans in camouflage arrived at the club’s base in the town of Novogorsk, just north of Moscow, and fired a barrage of paintballs at players and staff.
“I have no other words to describe those who could do such things. I promise I’ll do my best to try to find and punish those responsible for these actions,” said Solovyov, a retired KGB general.
Dynamo midfielder Alan Gatagov said: “I was hit in the back of the head when they shot at us. Lots of players were also hit. I just can’t find the right words. What are we supposed to do now? Should each of us hire a personal bodyguard?”
Reports said fans also scattered leaflets addressed to the club’s foreign players such as former Germany striker Kevin Kuranyi, Australia international Luke Wilkshire, Hungary’s Balazs Dzsudzsak and Ecuador’s Cristian Noboa, warning them to boost their performances or pay the consequences.
“This is the final warning. We’re not going to support these losers anymore,” said the leaflet, which carried a picture of Kuranyi, Dzsudzsak, Noboa and Argentina’s Leandro Fernandez. “They are killing Dynamo’s football, get rid of them.”
Friday’s incident was the latest in a series of protests by Dynamo fans, dissatisfied with the club’s dismal results this season.
“We are certain it was a planned and organized action,” the club said on their Web site.
Dynamo, the country’s oldest football club who have never been relegated, were bottom of the league after losing seven of eight games at the start of the season.
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
Aaliyah Edwards on Monday pulled off the stunner of the opening round of the Unrivaled one-on-one tournament, beating top-seeded Breanna Stewart 12-0. The tournament to be played over three days featured 23 of the WNBA’s 36 players. A few had other commitments and a couple others were out with injuries. Stewart got the ball first against Edwards and missed a contested layup. Edwards then hit a three-pointer from the corner and a jumper from the elbow to go up 5-0. The player who scores keeps the basketball. Edwards hit two layups and a three-pointer to seal the win. Stewart, a two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player,
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38