Wellington, New Zealand Japan defender Hiroki Sakai has joined new A-League side Auckland FC, whose coach said Thursday it was a signing “coup” ahead of their inaugural season. The 34-year-old, who has enjoyed spells at Germany’s Hannover 96 and Marseille in France, joined from Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds, where he had been captain. Sakai has...
Paris, France The mayor of the French capital Anne Hidalgo is set to splash into the murky waters of the Seine on Wednesday to demonstrate that the river is clean enough to host the outdoor swimming events at the Paris Olympics later this month.Despite an investment of 1.4 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to prevent sewage leaks...
Miami, United States Colombian Football Federation president Ramon Jesurun was arrested in Miami during an incident at Sunday’s Copa America final, according to a police report issued on Monday. A Miami-Dade County police file indicated Jesurun was arrested on charges of “assault on officer/employee” on Sunday night at Hard Rock Stadium. There was chaos as spectators...
Berlin, Germany Spain coach Luis de la Fuente thanked his players for delivering a record fourth European Championship on Sunday, saying they always believed in him, while others didn’t. De la Fuente replaced Luis Enrique after Spain crashed out of the 2022 World Cup in the last 16 but many doubted whether the 63-year-old had the...
New York, United States Sophia Smith scored the only goal as the United States warmed up for the Olympics with a 1-0 victory over Mexico in New Jersey on Saturday. Portland Thorns striker Smith rounded off a superb team move with an emphatic finish on 64 minutes to seal a deserved win for Emma Hayes’s youthful...
San Francisco, United States Klay Thompson paid tribute to his former Golden State Warriors team-mates on Friday in a heartfelt farewell to the club.Thompson, 34, left Golden State this week in free agency after spending the entirety of his 13-season NBA career with the team. A key part of Golden State’s championship-winning seasons in 2015,...
Gelsenkirchen, Germany Willy Sagnol said Wednesday that Georgia will put up a fight against Spain after his team made history by progressing to the last 16 of Euro 2024. Georgia face a daunting tie with in-form Spain, after beating Portugal 2-0 in Gelsenkirchen and qualifying from Group F in their first-ever appearance in a major international...
Jakarta, Indonesia Indonesian fans and leaders hailed their football team after they booked a place in the third round of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers for the first time after beating the Philippines on Tuesday. The Indonesian team has only been represented once at a World Cup, in 1938, when it was still under colonial rule...
Dallas, United States Rishad Hossain produced a brilliant spell of leg-spin as Bangladesh fought back to restrict Sri Lanka to 124-9 in their Group D T20 World Cup match at Grand Prairie on Friday. Sri Lanka made a fast start, rattling their way to 53-2 in six overs and they progressed to 100-3 after 14 overs...
Paris, France Roberto Martinez has given Cristiano Ronaldo his full backing since taking over as Portugal coach and he will be hoping that faith helps provide the nation a second European Championship title, while Georgia make their first major tournament appearance in Group F. Ronaldo has taken his men’s international records to 206 appearances and 128...