SOUTH AMERICA
CONMEBOL to back Blatter
The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) will support Sepp Blatter’s re-election bid as FIFA president in May, a CONMEBOL source said on Tuesday. Blatter, who has headed FIFA since 1998, flew into Asuncion on Tuesday to attend CONMEBOL’s congress that will hand its president, Paraguayan Juan Angel Napout, another four-year term. The source, who asked not to be named, was at CONMEBOL’s executive committee meeting on Tuesday where South America gave Blatter its support as he seeks a fifth term in office. The Swiss is running against Michael van Praag of the Netherlands, former Portugal great Luis Figo and FIFA vice president Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan, who are all expected at the congress.
GERMANY
Ticket allocation announced
About one-third of the 70,500 tickets for this year’s UEFA Champions League final in Berlin will be reserved for soccer officials, sponsors and corporate hospitality, UEFA said on Tuesday. European soccer’s governing body said 20,000 tickets would be allocated to supporters of each of the two finalists, with another 6,000 going on sale to neutral fans via UEFA’s Web site. “As usual, fans and the general public are being allocated the majority of the tickets for the final,” UEFA said in a statement. “The remaining tickets are allocated to the local organizing committee, UEFA and national associations, commercial partners and broadcasters, and to serve the corporate hospitality program.” UEFA said prices for the match at the Olympiastadion on June 6 would range from 70 euros (US$78) for category four tickets to 390 euros for category one.
ENGLAND
Terry gets extended deal
Chelsea captain John Terry is to be awarded a contract extension to keep him at the club beyond the end of this season, manager Jose Mourinho said on Tuesday. Terry’s current deal is due to expire at the end of the campaign, but Mourinho said the 34-year-old centerback’s form this season has persuaded the club to offer him a new deal. “What I can guarantee is he will be a Chelsea player next season,” Mourinho told a press conference on Tuesday. “No doubts he’s going to get his contract.” Terry, a graduate of the Chelsea academy, was named man of the match after scoring the opening goal in his side’s 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in Sunday’s League Cup final at Wembley in London.
SPAIN
Pique fined for abuse
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique was fined 10,500 euros (US$11,740) by a judge on Tuesday for abusing police after the car he was traveling in was given a parking ticket. Pique wrote an apology to the court hearing in Barcelona for the public order offense that took place on Oct. 13 last year. Judge Maria Asuncion Gonzalez fined Pique for “disrespectful behavior and being verbally aggressive.” The centerback’s brother was given a ticket for leaving his car in a bus lane.
ENGLAND
Ref East back in action
Referee Roger East returned to action in the Premier League on Tuesday, a day after the Football Association ruled he mistakenly dismissed Sunderland defender Wes Brown at Old Trafford in Manchester on Saturday. East was the fourth official when Southampton hosted Crystal Palace, having come in for heavy criticism for sending off Brown at his former club at the weekend for a foul on Radamel Falcao. Replays showed it was John O’Shea who committed the foul.
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
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
Inter’s defense of their Italian Serie A title was hit with a setback on Sunday as they lost 1-0 at home to AS Roma, while Scott McTominay netted a brace as SSC Napoli beat Torino 2-0 to go top of the table. No fixtures were played on Friday or Saturday because of the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome, meaning the full round of Serie A matches took place on Sunday and yesterday. Matias Soule’s first-half strike for Roma knocked Inter off top spot earlier in the day before new Napoli opened up a three-point buffer with victory in Sunday’s
Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa yesterday set a women’s only world record of 2 hours, 15 minutes, 50 seconds as she won the London Marathon, while Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe put a star-studded men’s field to the sword. For 28-year-old Assefa it was ample compensation for finishing runner-up in London and the Paris Olympics last year — especially as bitter Dutch rival, the Ethiopia-born Sifan Hassan, finished third. Assefa dropped Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei as the race, played out in blazing sunshine and with thousands lining the route, entered its business end. She came home almost three minutes clear of the Kenyan. Hassan, who beat her in
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