SOCCER
Kean on course for title
Former Blackburn Rovers boss Steve Kean remains on course to win his first trophy as a manager after his Brunei DPMM side edged past Geylang International on penalties to reach Friday’s Singapore League Cup final. The Scot, chased out of the English club after some vitriolic abuse from unhappy fans in 2012, could win a rare treble in his first season in Southeast Asia, with Brunei three points clear at the top of the 12-team table and also in the semi-finals of the Singapore Cup. Kean’s side are to face Tanjong Pagar United in Friday’s League Cup final after they downed Geylang 3-0 in the shootout after 120 goalless minutes.
SOCCER
S Korea to overhaul staff
The South Korea Football Association hopes to appoint a new technical chief this week, the first step in a overhaul that will end with a new head coach after the disappointing World Cup showing in Brazil. Former skipper Hong Myung-bo stepped down as coach after the team managed just one point in their group stage exit in Brazil following losses to Belgium and Algeria, with technical head Hwangbo Kwan following him out of the door. The association met on Monday with Hwangbo’s successor the top priority, followed by a restructuring of the technical committee and the inclusion of former national team coaches to it before they appoint a new manager. Former Celtic player and head coach Neil Lennon has been linked with the role as has Croatia’s Robert Prosinecki.
SOCCER
Player attacked in Brazil
Andre Santos, a defender with struggling Brazilian top-flight side Flamengo, was attacked by fans following Sunday’s 4-0 thrashing by Internacional in what his club called a “cowardly” act. The loss left the once proud Rio side bottom of the table after a run of just one win in 11 games. The fans allegedly lay in wait for Santos, who played for English Premier League side Arsenal from 2011 until last year, after the game in Porto Alegre and kicked and punched him as the team prepared to fly back to Rio, the player said. “I was kicked and punched. I was on my own save for a security guard. The police arrived straight away and helped me a lot but I received a lot of blows before I could get into the coach,” he told the Globo newspaper. “There have been various such cases in our country but we have to take them seriously. Yesterday it happened to me — but it could happen to anybody,” Santos said.
BOXING
Dereck Chisora cancels fight
Dereck Chisora has withdrawn from his European heavyweight title fight against Tyson Fury after fracturing his hand during a sparring session. The Londoner was set to meet Fury in Manchester to contest the European belt and the vacant British title on Saturday night, but the fight is now to be rescheduled with a new date to be announced shortly. “I can’t tell you how disappointed I am to have to pull out of the fight against Fury, but it is on the advice of my specialist that I have to do this,” Chisora said on Friday. After a bad-tempered runup to the fight, Fury reacted unsympathetically to his opponent’s withdrawal. “Told you all what would happen find me a real man to fight the furious1,” Chisora tweeted. “If any1 feels like a fight I’m in Bolton town centre& I feel like a rumble.” Saturday’s bout was also set to be a final eliminator for the WBO world title, currently held by Wladimir Klitschko. Chisora and Fury fought three years ago, with Fury winning on points.
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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