SOCCER
Del Bosque stays with Spain
Vicente del Bosque on Thursday confirmed his intention to stay on as coach of Spain, despite their disappointing performance at the World Cup in Brazil. “I have been in contact with federation president [Angel Maria Villar], as well as the secretary-general [Jorge Perez], and I think we are a stable federation and the last six years as a whole have counted for more than the last two games that eliminated us from the World Cup,” Del Bosque said. “They valued my work and we are going to carry on as always.” Del Bosque’s contract runs through to the end of Euro 2016 and his announcement will end speculation that had been mounting since Spain were knocked out of the World Cup following back-to-back defeats against the Netherlands and Chile. After Spain bowed out of the tournament in Brazil by beating Australia 3-0, he said: “We will look for the best decision for our football, with sense and without drama.”
BASEBALL
US All-Stars to play Japan
Hiroshima Carp pitcher Kenta Maeda will take the mound for Japan against a team of All-Stars from Major League Baseball in a six-game series in November. Maeda, who is 9-4 this season with a 2.08 ERA, was one of six players listed for the series on the national team Web site yesterday. The remainder of the squad is to be named later. The All-Stars will be visiting Japan for the first time since 2006. With the start of the World Baseball Classic that year, Japan’s players’ association decided to skip the series and the All-Stars have not returned since. The series is set to begin on Nov. 12 at the Osaka Dome and will be followed by three games at the Tokyo Dome, before wrapping up with games in Sapporo and Okinawa.
MOTOR RACING
Nico Rosberg bows to FIFA
Formula One leader Nico Rosberg ditched plans to put an image of the World Cup trophy on his helmet for the upcoming German Grand Prix following a complaint from FIFA. The German driver wanted to commemorate his country’s World Cup win with a specially designed helmet that also featured the German colors, but FIFA complained that featuring the trophy on the helmet would breach its intellectual property rights. “We appreciate Nico Rosberg’s desire to congratulate the German team and have therefore been in discussions with the Rosberg team, who have now found a solution whereby he will still be able to show his support for Germany without using FIFA’s intellectual property in a commercial context,” FIFA said in a statement on Thursday. “FIFA brands cannot be allowed to be shown on a commercially branded helmet.” Rosberg is to race instead with a modified helmet featuring four golden stars, one for each of Germany’s World Cup wins.
ATHLETICS
Cameroon wrestler found
A Cameroon Commonwealth Games athlete reported missing earlier this week has been found safe and well. Two Cameroonian wrestlers, aged 26 and 31, vanished from their country’s pre-Games training camp in Aberdeen, Scotland, earlier this week. They were reported missing on Tuesday after being last seen at the Hillhead Halls of Residence on Sunday, but Police Scotland confirmed on Thursday that one of the unnamed male athletes had been found in London. It is not yet known whether he is the 26-year-old or the 31-year-old. In a statement, the force said: “Police Scotland can confirm that one of the athletes reported missing from Aberdeen has been traced safe and well in London. Inquiries are continuing to locate the other athlete.”
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
Yassine Bounou on Wednesday saved two penalties, while Youssef en-Nesyri netted the decisive spot-kick as hosts Morocco secured a 4-2 shoot-out victory over Nigeria following a 0-0 draw in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final in Rabat. Morocco, seeking their first continental title in 50 years, are to face 2021 winners Senegal in Sunday’s decider in Rabat, while Nigeria take on Egypt in the third-place playoff tomorrow. The 120 minutes before the shoot-out had few clear-cut chances for either side, but it was Morocco who created more opportunities, although they were denied by some fine saves from Nigeria goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali. Nigeria
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
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