SOCCER
Pele back in hospital
Brazilian legend Pele, 74, was back in hospital in Sao Paulo having undergone spinal surgery, TV Globo announced on Saturday. The Albert Einstein Hospital did not make any comment on the request of the family, but Globo said that Pele underwent the operation on Thursday and was recovering well. He is expected to be discharged today. According to the Globo Esporte Web site, Pele underwent arthrodesis, a procedure used to treat pain caused by the motion or instability of the spine. The site added that he has already recovered muscle strength and that the pain is under control. Pele was suffering from compression of two vertebrae which had made him lose the strength in his legs, especially in his right leg. Pele, the only player to win the World Cup three times, was reportedly due to undergo an operation on the problem last year, but other health problems forced him to put off the surgery.
SOCCER
Barca’s Bartomeu re-elected
Josep Maria Bartomeu was re-elected as president of European and Spanish champions Barcelona after seeing off rival Joan Laporta. Bartomeu, 52, polled 25,823 votes (54.63 percent) with Laporta, a former president, winning 15,615 votes (33.03 percent). Other contenders were businessman Agusti Benedito who garnered 3,386 votes (7.16 percent) and lawyer Toni Freixa with 1,750 votes (3.70 percent). With 47,720 votes counted, the election had the third-highest turnout in Barcelona’s history — only 2010 with 57,088 votes and 2003 with 51,618 had been greater. Bartomeu, who took over as president early last year after his predecessor Sandro Rosell stepped down, is to lead Barcelona for the next six years. Barcelona, just like their great rivals Real Madrid, but in contrast to other leading European clubs, are owned by their members.
RUGBY UNION
Genia, Horne to miss Test
Australia scrumhalf Will Genia and winger Rob Horne have been ruled out of next week’s Rugby Championship Test against Argentina after being injured in Saturday’s victory over South Africa. Genia started the match against the Springboks, but was forced off at halftime because of an injury to his right knee, while Horne aggravated a calf problem during the Wallabies’ last-gasp 24-20 win at Lang Park. Coach Michael Cheika said neither player would travel with the squad to Argentina today, but was confident they would be available to face the All Blacks in the first of back-to-back Tests against the world champions in Sydney on Aug. 8. Cheika has summoned winger Nick Cummins and scrumhalf Nic White back from the US, where they have been promoting Australia’s World Cup warm-up match in Chicago, to provide cover.
TENNIS
Errani to face Schmiedlova
Top seed Sara Errani of Italy ruined Romanian hopes when she beat Monica Niculescu 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 to reach the Bucharest Open final on Saturday. Errani was due to face seventh seed Anna Karolina Schmiedlova yesterday in their second final of the year. Errani beat the Slovakian in straight sets in the Rio de Janeiro final in February. That was Errani’s eighth career title. Schmiedlova finally broke through for her first in April in Katowice, Poland. Schmiedlova beat unseeded Polona Hercog of Slovenia 6-4, 6-3 in 35?C heat. Errani played an hour longer to overcome Niculescu. Errani had to save 11 of 15 break points to end Niculescu’s run to the semi-finals for a second straight year in her adopted hometown.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
After fleeing Sudan when civil war erupted, Al-Hilal captain Mohamed Abdelrahman and his teammates have defied the odds to reach the CAF Champions League quarter-finals. They are today to face title-holders Al-Ahly of Egypt in Cairo, with the return match in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, on Tuesday next week. Al-Hilal and biggest domestic rivals Al-Merrikh relocated to Mauritania after a power struggle broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force. The civil war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than 12 million people, according to the UN. The Democratic Republic of the Congo-born Al-Hilal
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
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