SOCCER
Poland manager resigns
Poland manager Michal Probierz yesterday resigned following a row over his decision to replace the country’s record goal-scorer Robert Lewandowski as captain. Lewandowski, 36, on Sunday said he would no longer play for the national team with Probierz at the helm, and on Monday told a Polish news site he was hurt by the way the manager had told him he was being replaced with Piotr Zielinski. “I have come to the conclusion that in the current situation, the best decision for the good of the national team will be my resignation from the position of coach,” Probierz said in a statement.
MOTORSPORTS
Driver dies while testing car
Italian rally driver Matteo Doretto died on Wednesday morning in an accident while testing his car in Poland, the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) said in a statement. Doretto was conducting a private test session for the upcoming Rally Poland “when he lost his life in an accident,” the statement said. It added that codriver Samuele Pellegrino was unhurt. The Automobile Club of Italy said Doretto hit a tree while testing his Peugeot 208 car in northeastern Poland. The 21-year-old Doretto was the Italian junior champion last year and was in his first season in the ERC. He was fourth in the junior standings. “With potential in abundance, Matteo was polite, engaging but, above all, modest,” the ERC said.
SWIMMING
McIntosh breaks world record
Summer McIntosh on Wednesday bagged her third world record in a week, clocking 4 minutes, 23.65 seconds to better her own 400m medley record at the Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria. The 18-year-old Canadian prodigy, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, laid down another impressive marker ahead of next month’s World Aquatics Championships in Singapore with a dominant performance. McIntosh’s blistering time beat her old mark of 4:24.38 set in Toronto in May last year at the Canadian Olympic trials. “Going into tonight, I knew I could do something really special because this has probably been the best meet of my career,” McIntosh said afterwards in a pool deck interview. “World records are made to be broken. So by the time I leave this sport, I want to make sure that that record is as fast as possible.”
SOCCER
US to deploy ICE in Miami
US immigration and border agents are to be deployed at venues hosting FIFA Club World Cup games when the tournament starts this weekend, a US media report said on Wednesday. The National Broadcasting Co’s Miami affiliate reported that members of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) along with US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) would be on duty at tomorrow’s opener between Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and Egypt’s Al-Ahly. The report cited a CBP post on social media — since deleted — that said agents would be on the ground during the first round of games in the tournament. “CBP will be suited and booted and ready to provide security for the first round of games,” the post said. ICE raids carried out in Los Angeles last week as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown have triggered angry protests in the city.
IN-HOUSE BUSINESS: LA Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said that the reason for the team’s poor form was not due to Paul, but the player was not a good fit for them Chris Paul’s return stint with the Los Angeles Clippers has come to an abrupt and stunning end, with the franchise parting ways with one of its greatest players in a late-night meeting on Wednesday that adds another layer of drama to the team’s terrible start this season. The news was delivered in a meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, that ended at about 2am, Clippers basketball operations president Lawrence Frank said. Frank said he made the decision to sever ties with Paul on Sunday then told the franchise’s career assist leader that he needed to see him on Tuesday in Atlanta. Frank did not confirm
Kylian Mbappe on Wednesday scored twice and had an assist as Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 to end a three-match winless streak in La Liga. Eduardo Camavinga also found the net for Madrid as they moved back within one point of Barcelona, who beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 on Tuesday. Both 19th-round matches were moved forward because Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Club and Atletico Madrid are to play in the Supercopa de Espana semi-finals in Saudi Arabia next month. Real Madrid were coming off league draws against Girona, Elche and Rayo Vallecano. It was their second win in their past six matches in
There was another win for Arsenal in the Premier League on Wednesday, but more misery for Liverpool and their under-fire manager, Arne Slot. While Arsenal accelerated their title charge with a 2-0 victory over Brentford to regain a five-point lead, Liverpool needed a late own-goal just to salvage a 1-1 draw with Sunderland AFC at Anfield. Slot is back under pressure, with his team languishing in eighth place in a disappointing title defense and his decision to leave star forward Mohamed Salah out of the starting lineup for a second straight game likely to be heavily scrutinized. “It’s clear that teams that play
The Olympic flame for the Milan Cortina Winter Games landed in Rome on Thursday following a handover in Greece. The flame was carried in a small lantern aboard an ITA Airways flight between the Greek and Italian capitals. Tennis player Jasmine Paolini — an Olympic gold medalist — and local organizing committee president Giovanni Malago carried the flame off the plane. “I feel honored. It’s an incredible emotion,” Paolini said in brief remarks before the lantern was driven away toward the presidential palace. A 63-day torch relay covering 12,000km is to start in Rome today and wind its way through all 110 Italian provinces
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