SOCCER
All White says sorry
Disgraced New Zealand player Ben Sigmund issued a public apology yesterday for stamping on the legs of a United Arab Emirates player as he lay prone on the ground. Sigmund was red-carded after the incident involving Ali Mabkhout in the 89th minute of Monday’s 2-0 loss to the UAE in Saudi Arabia and faces possible further disciplinary action from both world governing body FIFA and New Zealand Football. “I just have to say sorry, it was not acceptable,” Sigmund said on his return home. “My son was watching the telly and that probably hurt me the most for him to say ‘where’s daddy gone?’ It’s not a nice situation and I’m not proud of that,” he said. Sigmund said he acted out of frustration and knows he has to accept any further punishment that comes his way. Former All White Sam Malcolmson said he felt “a bit sick” when he saw the incident. “If he did that to one of my team-mates when I was playing, I’d be livid,” he told the New Zealand Herald.
GOLF
Pressure gets to Shevchenko
Former European Footballer of the Year Andriy Shevchenko plunged to a 12-over-par 84 on his debut on the continent’s second-tier Challenge Tour on Thursday. The former AC Milan and Chelsea striker, who has a handicap of two and plays left-handed, was 20 strokes behind playing partner and compatriot Victor Riu after the opening round of the Kharkov Superior Cup in their native Ukraine. “I am not a big fan of soccer so I didn’t really know much about Andriy, but it was great to play with him,” Riu told reporters after ending the day on top of the leaderboard at the Superior Golf and Spa Resort in Kharkov. “There were a lot of people watching and he was great. Every time I holed a putt he shook my hand or gave me a high-five.” Former Ukrainian international Shevchenko, 36, said he enjoyed the experience despite his poor round. “It’s a completely different game when you are under pressure,” said the 2004 European Footballer of the Year.
TENNIS
Top seed reaches final
Top seed Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia defeated Spain’s Maria-Teresa Torro-Flor 6-2, 6-2 yesterday to reach the singles final of the Tashkent Open. She will play Olga Govortsova in today’s final after the unseeded Belarusian beat another unseeded player, Mandy Minella of Luxembourg, 6-2, 7-5 in the other semi-final. The 21-year-old Serb will be seeking to claim the second WTA title of her career while her 113th-ranked opponent will be hoping to land her first.
SOCCER
Argentina climb rankings
Argentina have climbed to second place behind World Cup winners Spain in the monthly FIFA rankings, released on Thursday. Belgium surged to No. 6 in the world while the US moved up six places to No. 13, their highest position in four years, after joining Argentina in qualifying for the World Cup. The Argentines rose two places from fourth, knocking Germany down to No. 3. Italy also qualified for the World Cup and jumped two spots to No. 4, while Colombia dropped two to fifth. Belgium, Uruguay, Brazil, the Netherlands and Croatia round out the top 10. Taiwan moved up one place to joint-175th. Japan are the top-ranked Asian team at No. 42, despite dropping five places, followed by Iran in 48th position.
A seven-year-old horse had to be euthanized on Friday after breaking its back on the final fence of a Grand National steeplechase race that it won despite sustaining the serious injury. It follows the death of four horses at the Cheltenham Festival last month — including one after the prestigious Gold Cup. Gold Dancer was competing in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase during Ladies Day at Aintree’s Grand National Festival. The horse managed to cross the finish line approximately four lengths ahead of runner-up Regent’s Stroll. “The winner of our second race of the day, Gold Dancer, was pulled up after
Taiwanese gymnast Tang Chia-hung on Sunday topped the men’s horizontal bar event at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) World Cup in Osijek, Croatia, scoring 15.233 to take his third title this season. Tang delivered an outstanding performance in the final, earning a difficulty score of 6.500 and an execution score of 8.633 with a 0.1 stick bonus. His closest competitor was Milad Karimi of Kazakhstan, who finished second with 14.933 points. It was Tang’s third gold medal in the FIG World Cup series this year, following his horizontal bar wins in Azerbaijan on March 8, and in Turkey on March
The Daredevils yesterday took eight catches in the final as they eked out a victory in the Taiwan Cricket Triangular Tournament against PCCT at Yingfeng Cricket Ground in Taipei’s Songshan District. PCCT’s batting lineup collapsed after they asked the Daredevils to bowl in the T20 decider of the weekend tournament that also involved the Formosa Cricket Club. PCCT were bundled out for 76 in 16.2 overs against a disciplined Daredevils attack. Ninad Malwade was the top scorer in the innings with 21, but he was among those who offered chances to the fielders. Shane Ferreira and Jason Cameron took three wickets each, with
This year’s Taiwan Athletics Open, which offers Taiwanese athletes an opportunity to compete against their international peers, would be held under a new name after its organizers had earlier announced the event’s cancelation. In a statement issued yesterday, the Chinese Taipei Athletics Association said the competition would still take place on June 6-7 at Banciao Stadium, but under the name “New Taipei City Athletics Open 2026.” The event was given a new name to emphasize its local identity and conform with the international practice of naming World Athletics Tour events after cities, the association said. It said it would soon
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