The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

Schumacher hands Monaco pole to Webber

Sat, 26 May 2012 14:30:00 GMT

MONACO, May 26 – Michael Schumacher rolled back the years in electrifying fashion to qualify fastest for the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix today, only to be deprived of a sensational pole position by a five place grid penalty. Red Bull’s Australian Mark Webber, who was second, inherited the top slot – which will make it the second time in two ...

Maldonado crashes in final Monaco practice

Sat, 26 May 2012 10:44:21 GMT

MONACO, May 26 – Pastor Maldonado created work for his Williams mechanics by crashing in final practice for the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix today. While long-term Monaco resident Nico Rosberg lapped fastest for Mercedes, ahead of Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Red Bull’s world champion Sebastian Vettel, the focus was on the Venezuelan. The winner of ...

Prost pessimistic on French GP future

Sat, 26 May 2012 10:10:14 GMT

MONACO, May 26 – France’s sole Formula One champion Alain Prost fears the chances of the country hosting a grand prix again in the near future have receded. “I am not optimistic,” Prost (picture) told reporters at the Monaco Grand Prix, where Lotus driver Romain Grosjean has a real shot at becoming the first French winner since Olivier Panis in ...

F1 chairman puts brake on IPO talk

Sat, 26 May 2012 07:49:57 GMT

MONACO, May 26 — Businessman Peter Brabeck, celebrating his appointment as Formula One chairman yesterday, said the motor racing series had not made a decision on whether to proceed with a much discussed US$10 billion (RM31.5 billion) listing on the stock market in Singapore. Speaking to Reuters over a trackside lunch with Formula One commercial ...

Wheldon’s death lingers over Indy 500

Sat, 26 May 2012 07:31:05 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS, May 26 — The Indianapolis 500 will roar into its second century tomorrow with one eye on the future and another on the past. The emergence of a new and exotic crop of thrill-seeking drivers, representing the increasing globalisation of America’s greatest race, offers a tantalising glimpse at the road ahead for a race that began 101 ...

Heat coach Spoelstra fined for criticising officials

Sat, 26 May 2012 04:45:16 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 26 — Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has been fined US$25,000 (RM78,800) for publicly criticising the officiating during his team’s playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, the National Basketball Association said yesterday. Spoelstra made his comments to the media after Miami’s shootaround on Thursday, before they beat ...

Sizzling Dufner takes control at Colonial

Sat, 26 May 2012 04:33:06 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 26 — Red-hot Jason Dufner remained on track for a third PGA Tour victory in just four weeks by surging into a two-shot lead in yesterday’s second round of the Colonial Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas. The laid-back American, who won his second title on the US circuit at the Byron Nelson Championship on Sunday, fired a flawless ...

Guardiola ends Barca reign with King’s Cup win

Sat, 26 May 2012 02:27:29 GMT

MADRID, May 26 — Barcelona gave Pep Guardiola a fitting end to his glittering four-year reign as coach winning the King’s Cup final against Athletic Bilbao 3-0 yesterday to send him off with a 14th trophy under his arm. Pedro scored a brace and the outstanding player of the Guardiola era, World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, added the other to ...

Lotus Group CEO Bahar suspended

Sat, 26 May 2012 00:36:44 GMT

MONACO, May 26 — Dany Bahar, the chief executive with ambitious plans for British-based sports car maker Lotus in Formula One and US-based IndyCars, has been suspended by the new Malaysian owners of Group Lotus. Group Lotus said in a statement yesterday that the move followed an operational review, with Bahar temporarily suspended from his role in ...

Wigan’s Martinez made offer by Liverpool, says Wigan chairman

Fri, 25 May 2012 14:28:20 GMT

LONDON, May 25 — Wigan Athletic's Roberto Martinez has been "made an offer" by Liverpool's American owners who are searching for a new manager after sacking Kenny Dalglish, Wigan chairman Dave Whelan said on Friday. Martinez flew to Miami after holidaying in Barbados to meet Liverpool's principle owner John Henry and, according to Whelan, is set ...

F1 feels at home in Monaco

Fri, 25 May 2012 14:11:52 GMT

MONACO, May 25 — It is hard to improve on Nelson Piquet's description of the Monaco Grand Prix as like trying to ride a bicycle around his living room. Not only are the twisting, metal-fenced streets of the principality narrow and lined with numerous hazardous obstacles ready to trip the unwary, but they bring with them an unexpected ...

Martinez talks to Liverpool owners — Whelan

Fri, 25 May 2012 10:21:12 GMT

LONDON, May 25 — Wigan Athletic's Roberto Martinez has flown to Miami to talk to the American owners of Liverpool about the vacant manager's job at Anfield, Wigan chairman Dave Whelan said on Thursday. "Roberto is in Miami today and you can only assume what he's gone there for," Whelan told the BBC. "He is honest and up front and I expect to hear ...

Blatter calls for alternative to penalty shoot-outs

Fri, 25 May 2012 09:44:34 GMT

BUDAPEST, May 25 — FIFA president Sepp Blatter has called on Germany's World Cup winner Franz Beckenbauer and his panel of football experts to try to come up with an alternative to penalty shootouts to settle drawn matches. Blatter was speaking to delegates at the FIFA Congress on Friday less than a week after Chelsea beat Bayern Munich on ...

James and Durant headline All-NBA selections

Fri, 25 May 2012 06:01:36 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 25 — Most Valuable Player LeBron James of the Miami Heat and top scorer Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder headlined the list of players selected for the All-NBA team, the league said yesterday. Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers joined James ...

Wade takes charge as Heat reach East final

Fri, 25 May 2012 05:46:23 GMT

MIAMI, May 25 — Dwyane Wade turned on the style as the Miami Heat clinched a place in the NBA Eastern Conference finals with a 105-93 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game Six yesterday. The Heat sealed the best-of-seven semi-final series 4-2 and will face Boston or Philadelphia for the conference title. The Celtics and 76ers play a deciding Game ...

Guardiola calms waters ahead of Cup final and exit

Fri, 25 May 2012 01:36:21 GMT

MADRID, May 25 — Outgoing Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola sought to make the succession of his No. 2 Tito Vilanova as smooth as possible as he gave his last Nou Camp news conference yesterday, ahead of the King’s Cup final. Guardiola has the chance to exit the club with the 14th trophy of his four-year reign if Barca can beat Athletic Bilbao at the ...

Torres excited about future after Chelsea talks

Thu, 24 May 2012 23:49:17 GMT

MADRID, May 25 — Chelsea striker Fernando Torres has put a difficult season behind him and is itching to be part of the European champions’ future plans, the player said yesterday following talks with the club’s hierarchy. Torres voiced his concerns after being left out of Chelsea’s starting line-up for last weekend’s Champions League final ...

Hodgson a better communicator than Capello, says Lescott

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:46:36 GMT

LONDON, May 24 — England coach Roy Hodgson has made an instant impression on his players simply by speaking in his mother tongue after Fabio Capello's struggle to get to grips with the English language. According to defender Joleon Lescott, Hodgson is a better communicator than his Italian predecessor whose stumbling, truncated sentences remained ...

England friendly to trial goalline technology

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:41:04 GMT

LONDON, May 24 — England's home friendly against Belgium at Wembley next month will be used to test the Hawk-Eye goalline technology system, world governing body FIFA said on Thursday. Independent testers from EMPA (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology) and representatives from FIFA will monitor the system although it ...

Feigning injury could cause tragedy, says referee Webb

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:59:45 GMT

BUDAPEST, May 24 — Howard Webb, the referee when Bolton Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch with a cardiac arrest and nearly died in March, has warned players that feigning injuries could risk lives. Webb (picture) said in an interview that the Muamba incident during an FA Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur and his ...

McIlroy out of bounds and out of luck at PGA event

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:49:48 GMT

VIRGINIA WATER, England, May 24 — Rory McIlroy tossed his club to the ground after going out of bounds at the 12th hole as the world number one launched his PGA Championship challenge with a frustrating 74 at Wentworth on Thursday. His two-over-par effort was two strokes better than his first-round 76 in the 2011 edition of the European Tour's ...

Nadal clouds Djokovic’s bid to match Laver

Thu, 24 May 2012 10:43:56 GMT

ROLAND GARROS, May 24 — Novak Djokovic will arrive at Roland Garros seven wins away from becoming the first man for 43 years to hold all four grand slam titles concurrently - the only trouble is one of his victims will probably have to be claycourt king Rafa Nadal. The 25-year-old Serb will be seeded one at the French Open, courtesy of the top ...

FIFA Congress set to accelerate Blatter’s reforms

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:47:30 GMT

BUDAPEST, May 24 — Sepp Blatter’s reform of FIFA will continue tomorrow when delegates at the 62nd FIFA Congress review a set of proposals aimed at modernising the way world soccer’s governing body is run. In an interview with Reuters this week, the 76-year-old Swiss, whose organisation was battered by a series of scandals last year, said he was ...

Unhappy Anelka in the dark over possible replacement

Thu, 24 May 2012 06:36:10 GMT

SHANGHAI, May 24 — Shanghai Shenhua player-coach Nicolas Anelka has said there would be a problem if the Chinese club replaced him with former Argentina boss Sergio Batista. Local media in China have reported that struggling Shanghai will name the 49-year-old former Argentine midfielder as manager, with Anelka reverting back to a sole playing ...

Istanbul, Madrid, Doha still in running for 2020 Olympics

Thu, 24 May 2012 05:37:52 GMT

QUEBEC CITY, May 24 — The chase to host the 2020 Summer Games was reduced to a three horse race between Istanbul, Madrid and Tokyo after Doha and the Azerbaijan capital Baku were dropped from the running by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) yesterday. The announcement in a packed Quebec City ballroom brought smiles but few cheers from the ...

Philadelphia 76ers force Boston Celtics into decider

Thu, 24 May 2012 03:13:08 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 24 — The Philadelphia 76ers ground out an 82-75 win over the Boston Celtics yesterday to force a deciding Game Seven in their Eastern Conference second-round playoff series. Philadelphia’s season-saving victory was far from pretty, but they avoided elimination with a gritty effort to tie the best-of-seven series at 3-3 and set up ...

McLaren drivers enjoying Monaco’s sunny side

Thu, 24 May 2012 02:57:41 GMT

MONACO, May 24 — McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button are living the Monaco dream after swapping Swiss isolation and Guernsey rain for Mediterranean sunshine. Sunday’s grand prix in the tiny principality will be a “home” race for both Britons for the first time after recent moves and both said they were feeling the benefits of their ...

Uncertainty shrouds Gasol’s future with Lakers

Thu, 24 May 2012 01:26:14 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 24 — Pau Gasol expressed uncertainty about his future with the Los Angeles Lakers after his postseason exit interview with general manager Mitch Kupchak at the team’s training facility yesterday. The Lakers were eliminated from the Western Conference semi-finals by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday after an erratic playoff run ...

Uefa may review rule that hit Spurs’ Champions League bid

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:29:54 GMT

BUDAPEST, May 24 — The Champions League rule that denied Tottenham Hotspur a place in next season’s competition because Chelsea won Saturday’s final could be reviewed by Uefa’s executive committee, president Michel Platini said yesterday. Chelsea automatically qualified for next season as European champions despite only finishing sixth in the ...

QPR’s Barton hit with further eight-game ban

Wed, 23 May 2012 23:24:42 GMT

LONDON, May 24 — Queens Park Rangers midfielder Joey Barton will serve a 12-game ban after he was suspended for a further eight matches yesterday having been found guilty of violent conduct, the FA said in a statement. He was also fined £75,000 (RM375,000). Barton was sent off for elbowing Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez and then kicked Sergio ...

Race leader Rodríguez wins stage 17 of Giro d’Italia

Wed, 23 May 2012 15:47:55 GMT

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, May 23 – Overall race leader Joaquím Rodríguez won the mountainous 17th stage of the Giro d’Italia today after a six-man sprint, the Spaniard’s second stage win in this year’s race. Double Giro winner Ivan Basso of Italy finished second having upped the pace on the final climb, the Passo Giau, following a fast descent to Cortina ...

Hamilton bids to make it six of the best

Wed, 23 May 2012 13:28:07 GMT

MONACO, May 23 — Formula One will chalk up a notable first if Lewis Hamilton finishes first in Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix. Never before has the glamour sport seen six different winners in the first six races of a season and McLaren’s 2008 world champion has yet to open his 2012 victory account going into his favourite race. Hamilton, winner in the ...

Bayern back Robben after fans jeer winger

Wed, 23 May 2012 12:14:04 GMT

BERLIN, May 23 – Bayern Munich jumped to winger Arjen Robben’s defence today after he was jeered by the club’s fans in a friendly match, days after missing a penalty in their Champions League final defeat to Chelsea. Many fans among the 33,000 crowd at yesterday’s friendly between Bayern and Netherlands in Munich vented their frustration at losing ...

Heskey released by Aston Villa

Wed, 23 May 2012 10:47:41 GMT

LONDON, May 23 – Former England striker Emile Heskey has been released by Aston Villa, bringing to an end his three-and-a-half-year stay at the club. The 34-year-old (picture), who managed just one goal in 29 appearances for the Midlands club this season, joined Villa from Wigan Athletic in 2009 after spells at Liverpool and Birmingham ...

Barca seek winning end to Guardiola era

Wed, 23 May 2012 10:15:53 GMT

MADRID, May 23 – Barcelona have the chance to end the Pep Guardiola era in precisely the same way it began, with a King’s Cup final win over Athletic Bilbao on Friday. A drained Guardiola (picture) is to step aside and hand over the reins to his close friend and assistant Tito Vilanova for next season, but will hope to walk away with a 14th trophy ...

James and Wade on fire as Heat scorch Pacers

Wed, 23 May 2012 06:04:38 GMT

MIAMI, May 23 — With LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on fire, the Miami Heat pounded the Indiana Pacers 115-83 yesterday to take a 3-2 lead in their NBA Eastern Conference playoff semi-final. James had 30 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists while Wade put up 28 points as Miami took command of the best of seven series with the club’s third-biggest ...

Chong Wei sad unable to help Thomas Cup teammates

Wed, 23 May 2012 03:34:33 GMT

WUHAN, May 23 — Injured Malaysian singles ace Datuk Lee Chong Wei is sad and disappointed that he is unable to help his teammates at the Thomas Cup badminton championships at the Wuhan Sports Centre. This is all the more when the national team are up against top-seeded China in a quarter-final match tonight. “My leg is very painful. I thought I ...

Blatter says FIFA is sailing into calmer waters

Wed, 23 May 2012 02:32:23 GMT

BUDAPEST, May 23 — FIFA is heading into calmer waters after a series of corruption allegations over the past two years, its president Sepp Blatter said yesterday. “I am an optimist,” Blatter told reporters ahead of the annual congress of the world football body. “I am sure you will see at the congress that we are back in the harbour, not heaven ...

Spain’s Villa fails to recover in time for Euros

Wed, 23 May 2012 01:25:47 GMT

MADRID, May 23 — Barcelona striker David Villa yesterday ruled himself out of the running for a place in Spain’s squad for Euro 2012 after failing to fully recover from a broken leg. Villa, Spain’s all-time leading scorer, broke his left leg while competing in the Club World Cup with Barca in December, and has not played a competitive match since ...

Solskjaer turns down Aston Villa manager’s job

Tue, 22 May 2012 23:33:03 GMT

STOCKHOLM, May 23 — Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has turned down the chance of managing Aston Villa, a spokesman for the English Premier League said yesterday. “Solskjaer is no longer an alternative for Aston Villa,” Bryan Doogan told Norway’s TV2 Sport. “He has said no for family reasons.” TV2 Sport said the Molde manager told Aston Villa, who fired boss ...

Mourinho extends contract with Real

Tue, 22 May 2012 15:01:02 GMT

MADRID, May 22 — Jose Mourinho has agreed a two-year contract extension with Real Madrid which ties him to the club until 2016, the Spanish champions said today. Mourinho, the self-styled Special One, joined Real from Inter Milan in 2010 on a four-year deal and led them to victory in the King’s Cup final in his first season, the club’s first cup ...

Malaysia pedals hard for elusive Games gold

Tue, 22 May 2012 13:58:54 GMT

MELBOURNE, May 22 − Aspiring Malaysian track cyclists have had to contend with infrastructure issues and the national obsession with football and badminton but coach John Beasley believes he has a team that could deliver the country’s first Olympic gold medal. Up-and-coming cyclists have a choice of two velodromes across the steamy Southeast Asian ...

Ankle injury rules Chong Wei out of Thomas Cup

Tue, 22 May 2012 10:31:55 GMT

YUHAN, May 22 — World number one Lee Chong Wei limped off in tears after suffering a serious ankle injury during a Thomas Cup match today, leaving his dream of an elusive Olympic gold medal hanging in the balance. The 29-year old Malaysian landed awkwardly after just five minutes in the match against Denmark’s Peter Gade and was forced to ...

Blackrock, others buy US$1.6b stake in F1, say sources

Tue, 22 May 2012 06:52:20 GMT

HONG KONG, May 22 — Private equity firm CVC Capital has sold a US$1.6 billion (RM5 billion) stake in Formula One to three investors including BlackRock ahead of the motor racing company’s planned US$3 billion initial public offering in Singapore, sources said today. The pre-IPO deal cuts CVC’s stake in Formula One to about 40 per cent from 63.4 ...

Drogba to leave Chelsea at the end of June

Mon, 21 May 2012 23:42:17 GMT

LONDON, May 22 — Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba will leave Chelsea when his contract expires at the end of June, the Premier League club said in a statement today. Drogba, 34, joined Chelsea from Olympique Marseille in 2004 and scored 157 goals in 341 appearances for the club. “I wanted to put an end to all the speculation and confirm that I am ...

Nadal beats Djokovic to regain Rome title

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:00:09 GMT

ROME, May 21 – Rafa Nadal enjoyed the perfect fillip ahead of his French Open defence with a commanding 7-5 6-3 victory over world number one Novak Djokovic in the delayed Rome Masters final today. Beaten surprisingly early on Madrid’s blue clay earlier this month, the 25-year-old Mallorcan was at his destructive best to claim the title in the ...

Grappling with gender bias, London beckons Geeta

Mon, 21 May 2012 07:02:06 GMT

PATIALA, India, May 21 — As Geeta Phogat completes her sprint at a sprawling sports campus in Punjab state, one of her coaches nods approvingly at her stopwatch, another rushes to check her pulse, and a third ushers her towards the gym for a bout of wrestling. Such attention and encouragement is routine for a top athlete, but it is unusual for ...

Sparkling Spurs sweep Clippers to advance to finals

Mon, 21 May 2012 06:23:56 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 21 — The red-hot San Antonio Spurs steamrolled their way into the Western Conference finals by beating the Los Angeles Clippers 102-99 yesterday to complete another series sweep. Tony Parker was the difference for the Spurs, landing two key baskets in the final two-and-a-half minutes to overturn a one-point deficit and seal an ...

Heat overpower Pacers to tie playoff series

Mon, 21 May 2012 01:35:19 GMT

NEW YORK, May 21 — The Miami Heat bounced back yesterday from their back-to-back defeats to the Indiana Pacers to win Game Four of their Eastern Conference semi-final and tie their best-of-seven series at 2-2. LeBron James scored 40 points and had 18 rebounds and nine assists in Miami’s 101-93 victory away from home. Dywane Wade, who struggled in ...

Fingers of blame wag as Lakers on brink of playoff exit

Sun, 20 May 2012 23:36:03 GMT

LOS ANGELES, May 21 — With the Los Angeles Lakers’ NBA playoff season seemingly crumbling around them, team unity is showing signs of cracking as they prepare for today’s crucial Game Five in Oklahoma City. The Lakers blew a 13-point lead over the Thunder at home on Saturday, a heart-breaking 103-100 loss putting them on the brink of elimination ...