WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 2014 SPORTS Iranian president leads Turkey’s Belozoglu gets Okocha blames Nigeria praise for team’s draw a suspended jail term coach for a bore draw ISTANBUL: Turkish footballer Emre Belozoglu was handed a TEHRAN: ranian President Hassan Rouhani took to Twitter yesterday to two-month 15 days suspended jail sentence yesterday for a ABUJA: Former captain Jay-Jay Okocha blamed Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi for the praise his country’s 0-0 draw with Nigeria, after a lackluster football World racist slur he used against Ivory Coast midfielder Didier Zokora African champions dropping two points in a 0-0 draw against unfancied Iran in their Cup opener for Team Melli in Brazil.”Proud of our boys who secured our first opening World Cup match. “We were poor but we hope to get better as the tourna- point-hopefully the first of many more to come,” Rouhani tweeted on his during a match in 2012. The court sentenced the Fenerbahce and Turkey national team midfielder on the grounds that the act ment progresses,” said Okocha, who is on the technical committee of the Nigeria English-language account, alongside a picture of him in tracksuit bottoms Football Federation (NFF). and a sports shirt adorned with the national flag. constituted an insult crime of “religious, racist, ethnic, sexist or It was a rare casual image of the president, who is normally seen in a for- sectarian discrimination.” “This was a must-win for Nigeria but we did not take it. We did not do enough in mal robe and white turban, sitting alone on a sofa watching the match on The incident, in which Zokora accused Belozoglu of calling terms of our tactical play. Keshi did not do enough work on the team. The tactical play of Eagles was so bad, I hold Keshi responsible for this.” Okocha, who netted television with a glass of tea and some pistachios. Rouhani’s optimistic take him the “N” word, occurred in April 2012 at a playoff match 14 times during a 13-year career for the national team, blasted the on the match was at odds with supporters in Curitba, who booed Iran off the between Fenerbahce and Trabzonspor. pitch after a defensive performance. However coach coach for replacing Liverpool’s Victor Moses early in the second half Carlos Queiroz said the crowd had to be realistic about The sentence was suspended by the court as Belozoglu had with Shola Ameobi, who parted company with Newcastle this sum- what his side could achieve. “The spectators maybe not had any previous incidents of a racist nature, the judge said, mer. “Osaze (Peter Odemwingie) was more creative when he came in, didn’t see it this way, but in football when you play and on belief that he would not repeat his behavior. Belozoglu and we needed more in this game,” the midfield playmaker added. with attitude, soul, emotions, tension it can also be an was accused of racism three times during his three-year career Jonathan Akpoborie, a forward for the Super Eagles mainly in the late attractive game and that is what happened,” said the at Newcastle United, but the English FA’s investigations failed to 1990s, said the side were held by Iran because their tactics went in the former Real Madrid boss. Iranian media also circulated prove the accusations. Belozoglu became the first Turkish foot- bin when they began to get impatient. “Well, the game did not go pictures of Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his nuclear negotiating team watching the match baller ever to have been handed a prison sentence for racism. well for us as a team, but I believe we lost formation too early in a in Vienna, where the Islamic republic is in talks with Zokora, in Brazil now for the World Cup, had previously played in game we ought to have controlled fully and we started playing world powers. — AFP England for Tottenham Hotspur. — Reuters long balls which was not our style,” he said. — AFP Kaymer success barely registers in soccer-mad Germany BERLIN: As Germans celebrated a 4-0 World that Kaymer’s victory had been “buried” in an of the team’s World Cup bid”. On Monday, seven US Open. German Golf Association chairman would be rooting for his friends on the German Cup win over Portugal and welcome news avalanche of news about Germany’s bid to end times Formula One champion Schumacher, who Marcus Neumann added that the lack of media squad, like Bastian Schweinsteiger, who sat out regarding the health of Formula One legend an 18-year soccer title drought. suffered severe head injuries in a skiing accident attention would not diminish the scintillating Monday’s game, and Lukas Podolski, who Michael Schumacher, one major sports story It was “bad timing”, said Christian Hansel, a last year, had come out of a coma and was trans- return to form for Kaymer, whose rise to the tweeted about Kaymer’s “legendary perform- appears to have gone largely unnoticed - a first 38-year-old product manager. He was not a golf ferred to a Swiss medical centre, officials said, number one ranking after winning the 2010 ance” just before the match against Portugal. US Open golf title. Martin Kaymer’s eight-stroke fan but did remember Bernhard Langer, who without giving details of his condition. PGA Championship proved short-lived. “For the Kaymer is due to play at the BMW International victory in North Carolina on Sunday was greet- along with Kaymer is the only other German to golfing world itself, it doesn’t matter; for Open in Cologne next week and despite the ed with widespread praise within golfing circles, have won two majors, with Masters titles in Return to form Kaymer it doesn’t matter. He will pass into golf tournament taking place during the World Cup, but the 29-year-old’s runaway triumph barely 1985 and 1993. The top-selling German daily Despite the other big stories, the German history and in a few years nobody will talk Neumann still expects to see an increase in registered in soccer-mad Germany as the World Bild, which runs a “winner” and “loser” column golfing community did pay attention to about it coinciding with the World Cup,” public and media interest thanks to his US Cup kicked off in Brazil. “I feel nothing about his on its front page, put Kaymer in both categories Kaymer’s win, according to Timo Schlitz, who Neumann told Reuters. Open victory. “The parking lots in Cologne are win... no sorrow, no happiness,” said Berlin on Tuesday, remarking that “Germans are only covers the sport on the Golf.de website, telling He believed that Kaymer - who himself going to be crowded with spectators,” accountancy firm employee Anne Ihle, adding talking about the Schumi-wonder and the start Reuters that traffic rose substantially during the wanted to be a professional soccer player - Neumann said. — Reuters Kingman reigns at Royal Ascot ASCOT: Arab dominance of the racing scene in when Hughes launched his challenge, although Britain was evident when horses owned by a there was never much doubt he would land the Saudi Arabian prince and a brother of the Emir spoils. of Qatar grabbed the headlines on the opening Sheikh Joaan purchased Toronado 18 day of Royal Ascot yesterday. Prince Khalid months ago, since when the horse has lurched Abdullah’s Kingman was a majestic winner of between brilliance and disappointment. Hughes the feature event, St James’s Palace Stakes, after believes the horse has now matured into the Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al Thani started the real deal. The sheikh was still beaming with meeting by winning the first two races. A rela- delight when he returned to the winner’s circle tive newcomer to the British turf, Sheikh Joaan 35 minutes later after The Wow Signal respond- was celebrating an inaugural Royal Ascot tri- ed to Frankie Dettori’s urgings to win the umph. Abdullah, by contrast, has been a regular Coventry Stakes. It was a 48th Royal Ascot tri- visitor to the hallowed winner’s circle ever since umph for the popular jockey, who is retained by Abeer won him the Queen Mary Stakes in 1979. Sheikh Joaan. The alliance has excellent Abdullah’s silks will forever be associated prospects of supplementing its laurels when with Frankel, his unbeaten champion and win- Treve, last season’s champion racehorse, con- ner of the St James’ Palace Stakes three years tests the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes on Wednesday. ago. And while Kingman is unlikely to emulate The Wow Signal won by 1æ lengths from Frankel, he is a supremely talented horse in his Capella Sansevero, who was bought by three of own right. This was his fifth win from six career Sheikh Joaan’s cousins, among them Sheikh starts to date - and much the most impressive. Fahad, for £1.3 million ($2.2million) at an auc- Restrained towards the rear by James Doyle, tion in the grounds of Kensington Palace, Kingman cruised up to long-time leader Night London, just 24 hours earlier. But the race was Of Thunder before accelerating clear in a hand- marred when Case Statement had to be ful of strides to win by 2º lengths, with Outstrip humanely destroyed after he suffered a fracture back in third place. to his left front leg that proved beyond repair. ‘He has an electrifying turn of foot,’ the win- ‘The nature of the injury was such that there was BOSTON: Minnesota Twins’ Brian Dozier fields the infield single by Boston Red Sox’s Xander Bogaerts during the sixth inning of baseballa game ning trainer, John Gosden, said afterwards.