SOCCER
Everton Ribeiro wins award
Cruzeiro’s Everton Ribeiro has been named Brazil’s player of the year, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said on Friday. The attacking midfielder, who is being watched by Manchester United according to media reports, was Cruzeiro’s standout player as they ran away with Brazil’s Serie A title. Cruzeiro dominated the end-of-season awards with their coach Marcelo Oliveira claiming the manager of the year prize and four players making the championship’s team of the season. Goalkeeper Fabio, central defender Dede, and holding midfielder Nilton, all joined Ribeiro in the side. Second-placed Atletico Paranaense, who lost the Brazilian Cup final to Flamengo on Wednesday, had three players in the team and striker Marcelo was named young player of the year. The coaches and captains of Brazil’s 20 first division sides voted, along with top journalists and members of the Brazil international squad.
SOCCER
Trio charged over hacking
Three men including a referee have been charged following allegations of computer hacking and the sharing of private information at the English Football Association (FA), police said on Friday. Dean Mohareb, a 30-year-old referee, has been charged with perverting the course of justice and unauthorized access to computer data, while Liam Cliff, 18, and Vincent Rossi, 46, have been charged with perverting the course of justice. All three live in the Manchester area of northwest England. They will appear at Stockport Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, Greater Manchester Police said. Mohareb, a Football League referee, is national referee development manager at the FA, making him a senior member of the referees department. He was first arrested in October last year over allegations that he hacked a colleague’s e-mails. Mohareb was suspended by the FA in February. It is believed that the other two men are not FA employees. The FA has declined to comment on the matter while legal proceedings are going on.
SOCCER
Incentive scheme agreed
Germany’s players would each earn a payout of 300,000 euros (US$408,300) if they win the World Cup in Brazil. The German Football Federation (DFB) says team captain Philipp Lahm and the rest of the players quickly agreed to keep the same incentive scheme that was in place for last year’s European Championship in Poland and Ukraine. The scheme only kicks in after the second round, with each player receiving 50,000 euros for reaching the quarter-finals, 100,000 euros for reaching the semi-finals and 150,000 euros for the final — doubled if successful.
FORMULA ONE
Malaysian has Mercedes test
Malaysian Jazeman Jaafar carried out a driver evaluation test with the Mercedes team at the Silverstone circuit in England on Friday. The 21-year-old, who is backed by the team’s Malaysian oil company partner Petronas, was at the wheel of a 2011 car that he drove in a Kuala Lumpur street event in March and at a Silverstone filming day in June. “I have always known I want to reach the height of F1 but, if I had any doubts, after today I just want it even more,” said the Malaysian, who has raced in both British Formula Three and Formula Renault 3.5 this year. Malaysia, which hosts a round of the Formula One championship, has only ever had one grand prix driver — Alex Yoong, who competed for now-defunct Minardi without scoring a point in 2001-2002.
BASKETBALL
Jeremy Lin sprains knee
Houston Rockets guard Jeremy Lin is to miss two weeks with a sprained right knee, the team said on Friday. A statement on the team’s Twitter feed said Lin was hurt in the first quarter of the Rockets’ 113-84 victory over Atlanta on Wednesday. Lin, the Taiwanese-American who became an NBA sensation as a Knicks reserve-turned-star in the 2011-2012 season, had started the past three games for the Rockets in place of James Harden, who was nursing a sore foot. In 16 games this season, Lin is averaging 15.3 points and 4.5 assists.
CRICKET
Lackluster England draw
Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar shared seven wickets yesterday to put a positive spin on an otherwise lackluster performance by England in a drawn two-day tour match against a Chairman’s XI. Swann took 4-56 from 23 overs and Panesar 3-41 from 19 as the local side declared on 254-8, in reply to England’s first innings of 212-7 declared. England was 47-1 in their second innings at stumps, with Michael Carberry 37 not out and Gary Ballance 8 not out. The form of Swann and Panesar gives the England tour selectors food for thought as they consider taking two spinners into the second Ashes Test, which starts in Adelaide on Thursday.
GOLF
OneAsia drops tournament
OneAsia have dropped their inaugural Tour Championship from this year’s schedule after failing to secure enough big-name players for the US$2 million tournament. The event was announced in May and scheduled to take place at Mission Hills in Shenzhen, China, next month, but will now be part of an expanded schedule next year, a spokesman for the Asia-Pacific tour said. “The tournament promoters set a high bar for the inaugural championship, but unfortunately several of the targeted players already had commitments, so the first edition has been postponed until next year,” he said.
FOOTBALL
Incognito to get pay
Miami Dolphins lineman Richie Incognito, one of the central figures in a bullying saga engulfing the team, will continue his indefinite suspension, but will now receive pay, the National Football League (NFL) Network reported on Friday. The Dolphins reached an agreement with Incognito to extend the offensive lineman’s ban, while NFL appointee Ted Wells completes his independent investigation into the team’s workplace, according to the network. Incognito was suspended indefinitely by Miami on Nov. 3 for detrimental conduct after being singled out by tackle Jonathan Martin, who left the team in emotional distress over what he later alleged to be bullying and harassment. Incognito, who is losing more than US$235,000 for every game he is suspended, filed a grievance against the Dolphins earlier this month for the indefinite suspension.
FORMULA ONE
Bahrain eyes night race
Bahrain circuit officials were to test a new floodlight system this weekend as part of their plans to turn their 10th anniversary Formula One Grand Prix next year into a night race. Bahrain International Circuit chief executive Salman bin Isa Al-Khalifa said in a statement on Friday that a round of the world endurance championship at the circuit yesterday and today would test the first phase of the project. Singapore currently hosts Formula One’s only full night race.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
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