SOCCER
Six arrested for match-fixing
Six men have been charged in a multimillion dollar match-fixing probe into Australian state soccer, including a Malaysian and a Briton, reports said yesterday. The charges relate to the alleged manipulation of results mainly for overseas betting at an obscure second-tier Melbourne side called Southern Stars. The prime accused was identified by local media as Gerry Gsubramaniam, 45, a Malaysian. Police said he faces 10 charges linked to corrupting the outcome of a betting event. Gsubramaniam appeared before a court hearing late on Sunday where detective Scott Poynder described him as the contact point for players. Goalkeeper Joe Wooley, 23 and reportedly a British national, and the team coach were among five men charged on eight counts linked to corrupting the outcome of a betting event. They were all bailed to appear before magistrates on Friday.
SAILING
Kiwis grab back momentum
Emirates Team New Zealand grabbed back the momentum in the 34th America’s Cup on Sunday, inching closer to prying the prized yachting trophy from the hands of Oracle Team USA. The pivotal victory in the 10th race of the series came after the event’s fiercest on-water duel, with the rivals swapping leads repeatedly in a race that was not decided until the Kiwis rounded the final gate. New Zealand kept control over the rest of the battle on San Francisco Bay, crossing the finish 17 seconds ahead of Oracle. New Zealand have notched seven victories and need just two more to wrest the Cup from holders Oracle. They could seize the Cup as early as today, when the next two races are scheduled.
BASKETBALL
Serbia get top seeding
Serbia are heading to the quarter-finals of the European basketball championship as a top seed after finishing top of their second-round group on Sunday. They were joined into the final eight by Lithuania, France and Ukraine. Serbia beat France 77-65 to finish Group E with a 4-1 record. They were paced by 19 points, four rebounds and four assists by Nenad Krstic, while Bogdan Bogdanovic had 14 points and five rebounds. France dropped to 3-2 and finished third, despite Nicolas Batum, Nando de Colo, Alexis Ajinca and Boris Diaw all scoring 12 points. Tony Parker had eight points.
GOLF
Storm postpones final round
A heavy rainstorm on Sunday postponed the completion of the final round of the US$8 million BMW Championship in Lake Forest, Illinois, the penultimate event of the PGA Tour playoffs. Only six players finished their final rounds at Conway Farms, where play was delayed twice before officials halted the round until yesterday morning. There were still 22 players in the field of 70 yet to tee off, including leader Jim Furyk of the US, who matched the Pga Tour record lowest round with a 59 on Friday and followed with a 69 on Saturday to stand on 13-under.
RUGBY UNION
Yellow card an error: IRB
The International Rugby Board (IRB) has found fault with French referee Romaine Poite’s decision to award the first of two yellow cards to Springboks hooker Bismarck du Plessis in Saturday’s Rugby Championship Test against New Zealand. In a statement yesterday, the IRB said the yellow card awarded to Du Plessis for a tackle on New Zealand flyhalf Dan Carter in the 17th minute of the match was “incorrect.” Du Plessis received a second yellow card for foul play in the 42nd minute, which meant he was sent off.
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
INTER AWAIT: Superb saves by PSG ’keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma inspired the victory, as Arsenal were punished for misses, including one by Bukayo Saka Arsenal on Wednesday fell short on the big stage again as their painful UEFA Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options. Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League final for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at Parc des Princes. Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg, but could not convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory. Arsenal were punished for
Taiwanese e-sports veteran Lin “ET” Chia-hung yesterday successfully defended his King of Fighters XV title at this year’s Evolution Championship Series: Japan (EVO Japan), securing his second consecutive championship. Lin claimed victory with a 3-1 win over Japanese pro gamer “mok” in the grand final, repeating his earlier 3-1 win against the same opponent in the winners’ final. The 40-year-old earned a ￥1 million (US$6,897) cash prize at the two-day tournament, which drew 294 competitors. Mok, Lin’s toughest rival in the bracket, took home ￥400,000 as runner-up. Lin remains undefeated in match sets against mok in King of Fighters XV, holding a 10-0 record,
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