SOCCER
PSV ban fan for 40 years
A man who last month attacked Sevilla goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic during PSV Eindhoven’s UEFA Europa League match has been banned from entering the club’s Philips Stadium for the next 40 years, the Dutch side said on Monday. The match in Eindhoven was halted during the closing stages after the supporter ran onto the pitch and assaulted Dmitrovic, punching him in the face before being wrestled to the ground by the Serbian goalkeeper. The 20-year-old supporter was handed a three-month prison sentence, with one month suspended. “He has also received a two-year area ban around the Philips Stadium from the Public Prosecutor’s Office,” the Eredivisie side said in a statement. “At the time, due to a stadium ban for previous misconduct, he should not have been present at all.” The man was already serving a national stadium ban until 2026 imposed by the Royal Dutch Football Association, but entered with a ticket bought by a friend.
BASKETBALL
Shaq hip surgery confirmed
Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal has had hip surgery, broadcaster TNT said on Monday, after the four-time NBA champion gave fans a fright by posting a photograph of himself lying in a hospital bed. The 15-time All-Star and analyst for Inside the NBA is absent from the broadcast booth while he recovers, but on Sunday sent out a note of support for the job being done by his fellow sportscasters, Ernie Johnson and Candace Parker. “I’m always watching... Miss y’all,” the 51-year-old wrote on Twitter, with a photograph of himself in a hospital gown.
TENNIS
Nadal out of top 10
Rafa Nadal’s absence from Indian Wells saw the 22-time Grand Slam champion on Monday slip out of the top 10 for the first time since 2005, but the Spaniard is still likely to be the man to beat at the French Open if he can get back to full fitness. Nadal was forced to skip the Masters 1000 event in California, where he reached the final last year, as he continues his recovery from a hip issue that ended his Australian Open title defense in the second round in January. Unable to defend the 600 points from Indian Wells resulted in Nadal dropping four places to 13th in the rankings, ending his record 912-week stay inside the top 10, which began when current No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz was not even two years old.
SOCCER
Mitrovic faces long ban
Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic is facing a lengthy ban after England’s Football Association said the standard punishment for his dismissal during their 3-1 FA Cup quarter-final defeat by Manchester United would be “clearly insufficient.” Fulham coach Marco Silva was also charged on Monday. During the second half of Sunday’s tie, a confrontation broke out after Fulham’s Willian was red-carded for handling the ball in the box following a video assistant referee review. During a chaotic few minutes, Silva angrily addressed the fourth official before being shown a red card. Serbian forward Mitrovic was also red-carded after confronting referee Chris Kavanagh and shoving him with his shoulder. “It’s alleged that Marco Silva used abusive and/or insulting words, and/or gestures and/or behaviours towards the fourth official prior to his dismissal and ... after being sent off,” the FA wrote in a statement.
Yu Yao-hsing on Tuesday nabbed Taiwan’s only goal in the final round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, as they fell 3-1 to Sri Lanka at Taipei Municipal Stadium. Early goals from Sri Lanka in the first half left Taiwan struggling to get on the board, and Christopher Tiao’s own goal at 53 minutes sealed the team’s fate in the third round of qualifiers. While acknowledging that the defeat, Taiwan’s sixth in Group D, was disappointing, head coach Matt Ross said he saw reasons to stay positive about the team’s development. “There were lots of positive signs in terms of the
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
INDIGESTION: Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time after a 4-1 defeat to Bosnia on penalties in a loss Gattuso said was ‘difficult to digest’ Coach Graham Arnold on Tuesday challenged his players to “shock the world” after Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup with a nerve-shredding 2-1 win over Bolivia in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also secured their places at the finals. Iraq, whose preparations were disrupted by the war in the Middle East, sealed their first appearance at the finals in 40 years and are to play in Group I against France, Senegal and Norway. Goals from Ali al-Hamadi
Teng Kai-wei, the only Taiwanese player on an opening-day roster in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season, took his first win of the year with the Houston Astros in his season debut. Teng entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, with the Astros trailing 5-0. He pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as Houston scored 11 runs during his outing to snatch an 11-9 comeback victory. The win is the Astros’ first of the season and the third of Teng’s MLB career. “It’s my first time pitching for the Astros, so
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