SOCCER
No alternative to Brazil: FIFA
Soccer’s world governing body FIFA has not contemplated an alternative stage for next year’s World Cup in Brazil, FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke said on Monday. “The World Cup will be played in Brazil in 12 cities,” Valcke told reporters. “There is no plan B.” His comments came as this month’s Confederations Cup, a dry run for the World Cup, has been played against the backdrop of nationwide protests, with tear gas and rubber bullets being used by police against demonstrators. Some of the protests have been held near stadiums being used for Confederations Cup matches. The money spent on the stadiums is among the protesters’ many grievances. Valcke also rejected a suggestion from Brazilian Minister of Sports Aldo Rebelo, sitting next to him at a news conference, that other countries had expressed an interest in staging the World Cup if Brazil pulled out. Rebelo said he had read in the media that the US, England, Germany and Japan had all put themselves forward. “I have never received any official offer from any other countries around the world to stage the World Cup in 2014,” Valcke said. Colombia was the last country to pull out of staging the World Cup when it withdrew in 1984, two years before the tournament, which took place in Mexico instead.
SOCCER
Mertens completes transfer
Belgium international winger Dries Mertens has completed a transfer to SSC Napoli, the Italian Serie A side said on Monday. A statement on the club’s Web site (www.sscnapoli.it) said it had secured the 26-year-old former PSV Eindhoven player on a five-year deal. Napoli owner Aurelio de Laurentiis welcomed Mertens to the club on his official Twitter account saying: “I am happy to tell you that a few minutes ago I closed the deal with PSV for Dries Mertens. In the last few days, Dries has been in Naples. He told me that he fell in love with our city, with its greatness. Welcome Dries.” Mertens has 19 senior international caps for Belgium, scoring twice, and spent the past two seasons at PSV, where he made 62 appearances.
RUGBY UNION
Bulls’ Spies out for season
Bulls captain Pierre Spies was to have surgery on a torn bicep muscle yesterday and miss the remainder of the season, the Super Rugby side said in a statement. The loose-forward picked up the injury playing for South Africa in their 56-23 victory over Samoa in Pretoria on Saturday and after being assessed by two specialists it has been decided he will need to go under the knife. Bulls team doctor Org Strauss confirmed in a statement that the recovery period would rule the 28-year-old out for the rest of the season. Spies’ absence means the Springboks must find another option at No. 8 for the Rugby Championship later this year, while it is also a blow to the Bulls’ chances in Super Rugby, where they are currently placed third.
BASKETBALL
Shaw to coach Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets have hired Brian Shaw as their new coach, the Denver Post reported on Monday, giving the long-time assistant his first top job in the NBA. The 47-year-old spent the last two seasons on the Indiana Pacers coaching staff after serving the six previous years with the Los Angeles Lakers under Phil Jackson. He will take over from Coach of the Year George Karl, who was let go at the end of a season that saw the Nuggets eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.
Fenerbahce on Thursday earned a rare 2-1 win in England, but were still knocked out of the UEFA Europa League by Nottingham Forest in the playoffs. Forest entered the second leg with a healthy 3-0 lead from the opener in Istanbul — where Vitor Pereira made an impact in his first game in charge — and that proved enough to advance to the round-of-16 with a 4-2 aggregate score. The result was a boost for Forest, struggling at 17th place in the Premier League, in their return to Europe after three decades. They next face Real Betis Balompie or Kerem Akturkoglu gave Fenerbahce
Soccer officials yesterday offered “full support and assistance” to the Iranian team in Australia for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup after the US and Israel launched massive attacks on their homeland. Iran’s 26-strong squad arrived on the Gold Coast days before the strikes on Saturday killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as Washington and Tel Aviv seek to topple the Islamic republic. They are due to open their tournament today against South Korea. The AFC in a statement said it “continues to closely monitor the recent developments in the Middle East during this challenging period.” “The AFC’s foremost priority remains the welfare, safety and
ROAD RASH: Marc Marquez retired after a crash, marking the first time after 88 consecutive races stretching back to 2021 that a Ducati bike failed to make the podium Marco Bezzecchi yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening grand prix in Thailand from pole position as defending world champion Marc Marquez retired late with a buckled wheel. Aprilia’s Bezzecchi led from start to finish to top the podium in Buriram, with KTM’s Pedro Acosta second and Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez third. Ducati’s Marquez is chasing a record-equaling eighth world title this season, but he exited the race in dramatic fashion while in fourth place with five laps to go. The Spaniard, who started from second on the grid, took a corner wide, with the jolt to his bike dislodging the rear tire, badly damaging his
EVERY DAY A VICTORY: Players on the women’s team faced pressure from society just getting out onto the field as they prepare for their first Women’s Asian Cup game today Bangladesh’s national soccer team face daunting odds at their first-ever Women’s Asian Cup, but have already scored a major victory by qualifying. In the South Asian nation of 170 million, social stigma, family expectations, poverty and religious hardliners have long relegated women and girls to sports sidelines. The first women’s soccer league matches took place in 2011 and the squad, known to fans as the Red and Green, have kept pressing forward despite deeply embedded prejudices. “Many more girls would have joined us if the community had been even slightly supportive,” captain Afeida Khandaker told AFP ahead of her side’s March 3
RSS