FOOTBALL
No censure for Bills
The NFL has determined that the Buffalo Bills acted properly in the aftermath of team president Russ Brandon’s resignation amid allegations he had an inappropriate relationship with a female employee. The league on Friday released a statement saying it would take no further action against the Bills and determined that the team “addressed the matter in a timely, thorough and appropriate manner.” Brandon resigned on May 1 after spending 20 years working up the Bills’ executive ranks. He also spent the past three years serving as president of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, who are also owned by Terry and Kim Pegula. Two people with direct knowledge of the matter said that Brandon’s resignation came after he was confronted about the relationship by the Pegulas. Brandon said he had contemplated stepping down from the job for some time and felt the timing was right following the conclusion of the NFL draft.
WORLD CUP
Doping reporter denied visa
German journalist Hajo Seppelt, who broke the Russian state doping story, has been refused a visa to attend the World Cup, Sport Informations Dienst reported on Friday. “Obviously, the discovery of a state doping system is so far-reaching that Russia thinks it’s necessary to take such measures. That speaks for itself,” the reporter said. The visa application was refused on the grounds that he appears on a list of “undesirable persons” in Russia. FIFA said it had already validated Seppelt’s accreditation request. “In general, the freedom of the press is very important to FIFA and we want to offer media representatives the best possible conditions for them to perform their jobs,” it said in a statement.
WORLD CUP
Alves out for Brazil
Brazil right back Dani Alves is to miss the World Cup, leaving the five-time champions without one of their main leaders. Alves on Tuesday injured his right knee in Paris Saint-Germain’s French Cup Final. Alves was examined by doctor Rodrigo Lasmar, who said he will be sidelined for about six months for a detached anterior cruciate ligament. The date of the operation is to be decided by PSG and Alves, who played for Brazil in the past two World Cups and has made 107 appearances for the team since 2006. “He was upset when he heard [about missing the World Cup], but he immediately turned the page and started thinking of his recovery,” Lasmar said. Brazilian Football Confederation coordinator Edu Gaspar said Alves was teary-eyed, but sent a positive message to his teammates. “We lost a leader, a champion, but he told us to take some positive energy. He doesn’t want people to be upset for him,” Gaspar said, adding that Brazil coach Tite has enough information to pick an adequate substitute at right back. Former Brazil player Junior believes Manchester City’s Danilo is the most likely replacement. “He is the one playing at the highest level at the moment, but he still needs to adapt to the team,” Junior said.
WORLD CUP
Iceland picks injured players
Iceland has selected playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson and captain Aron Gunnarsson in its 23-man squad, even though both midfielders are out injured, the team announced on Friday. Sigurdsson has been out with a knee injury since early March and is to miss the final game of the English Premier League today for Everton. Gunnarsson is recovering after undergoing knee surgery late last month. Iceland is to be in Group D with Argentina, Nigeria and Croatia.
RECORD DEFEAT: The Shanghai-based ‘Oriental Sports Daily’ said the drubbing was so disastrous, and taste so bitter, that all that is left is ‘numbness’ Chinese soccer fans and media rounded on the national team yesterday after they experienced fresh humiliation in a 7-0 thrashing to rivals Japan in their opening Group C match in the third phase of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The humiliation in Saitama on Thursday against Asia’s top-ranked team was China’s worst defeat in World Cup qualifying and only a goal short of their record 8-0 loss to Brazil in 2012. Chinese President Xi Jinping once said he wanted China to host and even win the World Cup one day, but that ambition looked further away than ever after a
‘KHELIFMANIA’: In the weeks since the Algerian boxer won gold in Paris, national enthusiasm is inspiring newfound interest in the sport, particularly among women In the weeks since Algeria’s Imane Khelif won an Olympic gold medal in women’s boxing, athletes and coaches in the North African nation say national enthusiasm is inspiring newfound interest in the sport, particularly among women. Khelif’s image is practically everywhere, featured in advertisements at airports, on highway billboards and in boxing gyms. The 25-year-old welterweight’s success in Paris has vaulted her to national hero status, especially after Algerians rallied behind her in the face of uninformed speculation about her gender and eligibility to compete. Amateur boxer Zougar Amina, a medical student who has been practicing for a year, called Khelif an
Crowds descended on the home of 17-year-old Chinese diver Quan Hongchan after she won two golds at the Paris Olympics while gymnast Zhang Boheng hid in a Beijing airport toilet to escape overzealous throngs of fans. They are just two recent examples of what state media are calling “toxic fandom” and Chinese authorities have vowed to crack down on it. Some of the adulation toward China’s sports stars has been more sinister — fans obsessing over athletes’ personal lives, cyberbullying opponents or slamming supposedly crooked judges. Experts say it mirrors the kind of behavior once reserved for entertainment celebrities before
GOING GLOBAL: The regular season fixture is part of the football league’s increasingly ambitious plans to spread the sport to international destinations The US National Football League (NFL) breaks new ground in its global expansion strategy tomorrow when the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers face off in the first-ever grid-iron game staged in Brazil. For one night only, the land of Pele and ‘The Beautiful Game’ will get a rare glimpse into the bone-crunching world of American football as the Packers and Eagles collide at Sao Paulo’s Neo Quimica Arena, the 46,000-seat home of soccer club Corinthians. The regular season fixture is part of the NFL’s increasingly ambitious plans to spread the US’ most popular sport to new territories following previous international fixtures
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