SOCCER
FIFA mulls new laws
FIFA officials could decide this month to let teams use a fourth substitute in extra-time. The rule could take effect in July if agreed to at a meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in Northern Ireland on Feb. 28. FIFA said IFAB could also decide on relaxing a “triple punishment” rule where a defender can make a challenge that results in a penalty kick, a red card and suspension. The panel also plan to begin talks on “the potential use of video replays to support match officials.”
CRICKET
Faulkner faces fitness race
Australia all-rounder James Faulkner faces a race to be fit for the Cricket World Cup after scans yesterday confirmed he suffered a moderate grade abdominal strain in Sunday’s tri-series final against England. Australia team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said Faulkner’s injury is “consistent with a typical fast-bowling side strain injury. He will receive intensive treatment for the next two weeks before we can determine when he can return to batting and bowling. He will travel with Australia’s ICC Cricket World Cup squad to Adelaide on Friday to continue his treatment with team medical staff.”
CRICKET
Stokes proves his worth
Ben Stokes, controversially omitted from the England World Cup squad, struck 15 sixes during an unbeaten 151 to help the England Lions defeat South Africa A on Monday in a one-day match. Batting at No. 5, Stokes also hit seven fours off 86 balls during 117 minutes at the crease, as the visitors triumphed by 89 runs. Stokes was dropped by England after four of seven one-day internationals in Sri Lanka two months ago due to a poor all-round game, particularly his bowling. However, former England stars Ian Botham, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood have criticized his exclusion from the squad for the World Cup.
TENNIS
Stakhovsky wins in Zagreb
Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine defeated Borna Coric of Croatia 6-2, 6-4 to advance to the second round of the Zagreb Indoors tournament on Monday. Stakhovsky, who won the tournament in 2008 as lucky loser, won five games in a row in the first set, and saved a break point before closing the match. Coric held serve only four times and converted two out of 12 break points. “It’s not the first time that I failed to take the chances,” Coric said. Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania also advanced, beating Lukas Lacko of Slovakia 6-0, 6-2 in just 41 minutes. Lacko, a runner-up in Zagreb in 2012, won only 20 out of 71 points and had constant problems returning serve.
TENNIS
Janowicz through in France
Fifth-seeded Jerzy Janowicz of Poland served 14 aces as he rallied to beat Dustin Brown of Germany 2-6, 7-6 (1), 7-5 in the first round of the Open Sud de France on Monday. Janowicz, who dropped serve three times and saved five break points, next plays either Frenchman Benoit Paire or 169th-ranked Nikoloz Basilashvili of Georgia. Seventh-seeded Joao Sousa of Portugal had little trouble getting past wild-card entry Laurent Lokoli, beating him 6-2, 6-4 in just over one hour. He next faces Germany’s Tobias Kamke, who overcame wild-card Vincent Millot of France 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a scrappy contest. Neither managed to serve an ace and they dropped serve six times each.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
Taiwanese badminton superstar Lee Yang broke down in tears after publicly retiring from the sport on Sunday. The two-time Olympic gold medalist held a retirement ceremony at the Taipei Arena after the final matches of the Taipei Open. Accompanied by friends, family and former badminton partners, Lee burst into tears while watching a video celebrating key moments in his professional sporting career that also featured messages from international players such as Malaysia’s Teo Ee Yi, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun-man, and Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. “I hope that in the future when the world thinks about me, they will
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later
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