SOCCER
Injury costs rise
Injuries across Europe’s top five leagues rose by 20 percent in the 2021-2022 season, according to a study published on Wednesday. The study by insurance brokers Howden found that clubs paid a record-high price for injuries of ￡513 million (US$560 million) last season. Injury cost was calculated by multiplying the cost per day of a player by the number of days they were unavailable because of an injury. World players’ union FIFPRO has said that structures must be put in place to limit player workloads. The Premier League had the highest injury cost of any of the top five divisions at nearly ￡185 million, with La Liga in Spain a distant second on ￡109 million.
SOCCER
Hitches mar women’s game
Arsenal’s progress to the group stage of the Women’s Champions League did not come without a couple of bizarre hitches. The team advanced by beating Ajax 1-0 on Wednesday for a 3-2 aggregate victory, but only after pre-match shenanigans that saw the goalposts needing to be adjusted because they were too short and a late-game incident when Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall said he was incorrectly told he could make a concussion substitution. “It’s been a very weird experience being here,” Eidevall said. Staff brought out a ladder and were seen changing the height of the goal frame before kickoff after Arsenal officials made it known the crossbar was 10cm too low, British media reported. The crossbar was measured again at halftime. “Playing against a big club like Ajax where we had to measure the goals before the start of the game ... I have never experienced anything like it,” Eidevall said. The Swedish coach also said that he was told by the fourth official that he could replace Beth Mead with a concussion substitute after she needed to be taken off following a clash of heads. “We were preparing Lina Hurtig [to come on as a substitute], then when we are going to do it she [the fourth official] says no,” Eidevall said. “We were getting her ready for two or three minutes. We would have spent that time speaking to the players about how we could defend with 10 players. That misinformation from the referee. I honestly don’t know why and how that could be. It’s such a simple question to answer yes or no.” There are no concussion substitutions in UEFA-organized competitions.
RUGBY UNION
Tupaea out for nine months
New Zealand center Quinn Tupaea faces nine months out of the game due to a knee injury he sustained during a clear-out by Australia’s Darcy Swain in Melbourne earlier this month. The team yesterday said that further scans on the anterior cruciate ligament injury revealed “more extensive damage” that would require surgery, extending Tupaea’s period on the sidelines by six months. The 23-year-old Waikato Chiefs midfielder will now miss the entirety of next year’s Super Rugby season and could face a challenging time getting back into All Blacks reckoning in time for the World Cup in France. Swain was shown a yellow card for clattering into Tupaea’s extended leg and later cited after officials said the incident met the red-card threshold. The lock was suspended for six weeks, but will miss only three Tests after his inclusion in an Australia A side for a tour of Japan.
The Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday emphatically got back to winning ways in the NBA, coasting to a 109-94 victory over the New York Knicks as their recent star signing, James Harden, scored 20 points. The Cavs took the lead barely a minute into the game with an Evan Mobley three-pointer and never gave it up in a thoroughly comfortable night for the red-hot Ohio franchise. Former NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Harden, who was brought in from the Los Angeles Clippers this month, has never won a championship, despite being one of the most decorated players in the league. That was a key
Fenerbahce on Thursday earned a rare 2-1 win in England, but were still knocked out of the UEFA Europa League by Nottingham Forest in the playoffs. Forest entered the second leg with a healthy 3-0 lead from the opener in Istanbul — where Vitor Pereira made an impact in his first game in charge — and that proved enough to advance to the round-of-16 with a 4-2 aggregate score. The result was a boost for Forest, struggling at 17th place in the Premier League, in their return to Europe after three decades. They next face Real Betis Balompie or Kerem Akturkoglu gave Fenerbahce
LATE RALLY FAiLS: Jalen Duren led a late Detroit Pistons fightback, but it ultimately fizzled as a resolute San Antonio Spurs saw out the game Victor Wembanyama on Monday led a defensive masterclass as the San Antonio Spurs outmuscled the Detroit Pistons 114-103 in an intense and aggressive clash between the NBA’s two most in-form teams. Sitting second in the Western Conference, the Spurs were pushed hard for their ninth straight victory by the East-topping Pistons, who had entered the home court matchup on a five-game winning streak of their own. Defenses dominated the first meeting between the two sides this season, with Wembanyama making six blocks and 17 rebounds to fuel transitions as the Spurs pulled clear in the latter stages. While the Pistons’ shooting was at
HAT-TRICK: In the other games, Newcastle United and Leverkusen also advanced, as did Atletico Madrid, with Alexander Sorloth scoring three goals What a difference a year makes. Or nine months to be precise. Last season, Inter reached the UEFA Champions League final in style, with thrilling victories over Bayern Munich and Barcelona, but on Tuesday, the Italian giants limped out of the competition with a disappointing 2-1 loss at home to Bodo/Glimt — knocked out in the playoff round 5-2 on aggregate — in what is being labeled as one of the biggest upsets in Champions League history. It was not the first major upset the tiny Norwegian team have pulled off this season after wins over Manchester City and Atletico Madrid, and
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