Inter Milan fires Mazzarri
Milan: Inter Milan has fired coach Walter Mazzarri after the team won only two of its last seven Italian league matches and slipped to ninth in the Serie A. Inter says "the club thanks Mazzarri for the work, and the dedication and professionalism with which he led the team in these 17 months."Inter's next match against local rival AC Milan. Mazzarri joined Inter in 2013 from Napoli, which he had just led to second place in Serie A. Roberto Mancini, who spent four years in charge at Inter, is reportedly lined up to replace Mazzarri.
Wu re-elected as president
JEJU, South Korea: C.K. Wu was re-elected unopposed as president of the International Boxing Association for a third consecutive four-year term on Friday. At its congress, Wu, from Taiwan, said one of the priorities of his new term will be a continued expansion of the World Series of Boxing and the new AIBA Pro-Boxing competition, as the organization pivots from overseeing amateur boxing to incorporating professionals into the Olympic Games and world championships. He also said he would like to see more women in leadership positions, and funds directed toward grassroots development.
Khade bags second title
Kolkata: Asian Games bronze medallist Virdhawal Khade won gold in 50m butterfly event on a day when two national records were set in the 68th Senior National Aquatic Championship at the Subhas Sarobar, here Friday. Returning to the pool after about two years, Khade was not in his best elements to better his previous record but his timing of 24.95 in his pet event was enough to beat Sarma S P Nair to add a second title to his kitty on Day 3 of the meet. Continuing their overall supremacy, Railways quartet to Anoop Augustine, Sandeep Sejwal, Sajan Prakash and Aaron D'Souza set a national mark in the medley relay with a timing of 03:51.48 that bettered their last year's mark of 03:53.87. For this year's Asian Games bronze medallist Sejwal it was his third title from the meet.
Pele undergoes procedure
Sao Paulo: A Brazilian hospital says Pele has successfully undergone a surgical procedure to remove kidney stones. The Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo says the 74-year-old Pele is "clinically stable" and "recovering" from Thursday's procedure. Pele was hospitalized Wednesday evening after cancelling his appearance at an event at the Pele Museum in the coastal city of Santos because of stomach pain. Doctors said in the hospital's statement that tests conducted after Pele was admitted showed that the kidney stones were "obstructing" his urinary tract. The hospital did not say when Pele was expected to be released.
Vijender backs Sarita
New Delhi: As Sarita Devi awaits "strict punishment" for refusing to accept her Asian Games medal after a controversial loss, the veteran has found support from the biggest name in Indian boxing, Vijender Singh, who feels the world body should review its officials' conduct instead of banning her. "I can understand why she reacted the way she did. As a boxer I know how tough it is to be denied like that. It was an emotional reaction to a very disappointing loss," Vijender said. Sarita's fate is expected to be decided during the ongoing AIBA Congress where the body's disciplinary committee would be giving its report on the matter after the Indian offered an unconditional apology for her actions.
Caterham to race in Abu Dhabi
london: Formula One team Caterham will compete in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next week after a successful crowd funding campaign. Caterham, which has been taken over by insolvency specialists while it seeks a new buyer, has missed the last two races in the United States and Brazil. Caterham administrator Finbarr O'Connell said Friday that the team had raised enough money through a crowd funding program to race in Abu Dhabi. He says the initiative has raised 1.87 million pounds ($2.92 million) so far. The final target is to raise 2.35 million pounds ($3.7 million). O'Connell says "in only a week the fans have made the impossible, possible" but that "we still need to raise a bit more cash."
German coach fired by Wigan
Wigan: German coach Uwe Rosler has been fired as manager of Wigan after a dreadful start to the second-tier English club's latest bid to return to the Premier league. Wigan has won one of its last 12 games and is third from last in the 24-team league Championship. Rosler was hired in December 2013 and guided the team into last season's FA Cup semifinals, where it lost to Arsenal. Wigan owner Dave Whelan says Thursday "the situation we find ourselves in at the moment, and the run of results in recent months, really has been alarming. Something is clearly not working." Wigan is in its second season in the league Championship following relegation from the Premier league in May last year.
Zico impressed with Indians
New Delhi: Foreigners are doing the bulk of scoring in the Indian Super league but according to Brazilian legend and F C Goa coach Zico that does not make them better than their Indian counterparts, few of whom have left him quite impressed. Zico feels the ISl has thrown up some good Indian talent which has caught his eye. "I really liked the Kerala player (Chinadorai) Sabeeth. I also liked Cavin lobo, who scored two goals against us and Durga (Boro) of NorthEast United FC. It's a pity that we don't have Indian strikers in our team. Zico firmly believes that the Indian Super league would go a long way in helping the game in the country but he feels the event needs to join forces with I-league to ensure that local players exceed the number of foreigners currently on show. "They can improve the format of the league, since in this format the matches are in a gap of 2-3 days and due to which the players get injured.”