European Athletics: Lemaitre beats Chambers in 100m

Dwain Chambers missed out on a medal as Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre won the European Championships 100m, with Mark Lewis-Francis taking silver.

Chambers was joint-favourite for gold but after making a fast start he tied up towards the end and finished fifth.

Lemaitre, 20, crossed the line in 10.11 seconds, 0.07s ahead of Lewis-Francis and Frenchman Martial Mbandjock.

Portugal’s defending champion Francis Obikwelu – in fourth – and Chambers were also given the time of 10.18.

Lewis-Francis said: “I was told I wouldn’t make the final. I’m so happy.”

It was Britain’s third medal of the championships and came only after a photo-finish confirmed Lewis-Francis had finished ahead of Mbandjock by 1/1000th of a second.

“Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose but I’m happy for Mark, he has had to fight hard to get here,” Chambers told BBC Sport.

“I had to rely on my experience, which kept me relaxed, but it wasn’t enough to win. I’ve just got to keep ploughing on at it until my opportunity prevails.”
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Diego Maradona’s tenure as Argentina coach ends

Diego Maradona’s reign as Argentina coach has ended, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) has confirmed.

Maradona admitted he wanted to stay in the job ahead of a meeting with AFA president Julio Grondona on Monday.

But, after Maradona rejected demands to change his backroom team, the AFA voted not to renew his deal and made under-20 coach Sergio Batista caretaker boss.

Argentina crashed out of the 2010 World Cup finals at the quarter-final stage, where they lost 4-0 to Germany.

A statement on the AFA website read: “Mr Julio Grondona made the members of the executive committee aware of the conversation with Mr Diego Maradona, setting out the points which had come out from the meeting.

“The executive committee unanimously resolved not to renew the contract with Mr Diego Maradona as coach of the Argentina national football team.”

AFA spokesman Ernesto Cherquis Bialo added: “Maradona’s requirements were very far from the FA’s possibilities.”
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Lorenzo stretches MotoGP lead after Pedrosa crashes out

(CNN) — Jorge Lorenzo stretched his MotoGP championship lead after Dani Pedrosa’s spectacular crash handed him victory at Laguna Seca.

Pedrosa stormed past his fellow Spaniard into turn one at the U.S. Grand Prix in California but faltered on lap 11, allowing Lorenzo to extend his lead at the top to 72 points.

Casey Stoner, from Australia, came in second while World champion Valentino Rossi claimed third place on his second race back after a speedy recovery from a broken leg.

Lorenzo made a slow start as Pedrosa set a fierce early pace, keen to secure back-to-back victories after he edged the Fiat Yahama rider into second place during the previous round in Germany.

Pedrosa charged clear of the pack but Lorenzo ate into his lead before the decisive moment of the race on lap 11, as the race leader crashed on turn five.

Lorenzo took full advantage of Pedrosa’s slip, cruising to his sixth win of the 2010 season and his first on the Laguna Seca circuit.
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Liverpool sign Joe Cole after release by Chelsea

Liverpool have signed Joe Cole on a four-year deal – subject to a medical – following his release by Chelsea.

The 28-year-old England midfielder left Stamford Bridge in June after failing to agree a new contract with the Premier League champions.

He was linked to Arsenal and Tottenham but has opted for Liverpool, who failed to qualify for the Champions League.

Cole’s arrival follows winger Yossi Benayoun’s move from Anfield to Chelsea for an undisclosed fee in July.

The West Ham academy graduate becomes Liverpool’s second summer signing after Serbia forward Milan Jovanovic arrived on a three-year contract from Standard Liege.

Cole joined Chelsea from West Ham for £6.6m in 2003 and scored 40 goals in 282 appearances, winning three Premier League titles and two FA Cups.

In June he claimed unspecified “political rather than footballing reasons” had led to his departure, but he insisted manager Carlo Ancelotti was not the cause of those problems.
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De Rossi saves point for champions

Defending champions Italy had to come from behind to salvage a draw in their World Cup Group F opener against Paraguay in Cape Town.

Having played well in the first half at Green Point Stadium the 2006 winners were shocked when Wigan-bound defender Antolin Alcaraz rose to head home a 39th-minute free-kick.

But Italy’s blushes were spared as Daniele De Rossi slid in to punish a mistake by Paraguay goalkeeper Justo Villar after 63 minutes and take a point from the match. As expected, Italy coach Marcello Lippi had left Serie A’s top goalscorer Antonio Di Natale on the bench, instead selecting Alberto Gilardino with Vincenzo Iaquinta out wide.

Gerardo Martino also opted to leave out his two highest-profile forwards in Benfica’s Oscar Cardozo and Manchester City man Roque Santa Cruz. Instead, Borussia Dortmund team-mates Lucas Barrios and Nelson Valdez were deployed in attack.

Claudio Morel had to be alert to stop Simone Pepe pouncing on a dangerous ball at the back post in the sixth minute as Italy set the early pace. Despite some neat passing moves, chances were few and far between.
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Michael Schumacher escapes Felipe Massa penalty

Mercedes driver Michael Schumacher will not be punished for his part in an incident with Ferrari’s Felipe Massa during the Canadian Grand Prix.

The seven-time champion was referred to the stewards after he made contact with Massa near the end of the race.

The incident damaged the front of Massa’s car, with the Brazilian needing to come in for a new front wing.

Renault’s Robert Kubica and Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari were handed reprimands for two separate incidents.

Kubica was reprimanded for “a dangerous entry to the pits” while Alguersuari was referred to the stewards following his collision with Williams driver Rubens Barrichello.

Schumacher and Massa were battling with six laps to go when the German appeared to cut across the Ferrari as he returned to the racing line at Turn 12.
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Maradona’s Argentina ease to opening victory

(CNN) — Argentina’s star-studded line-up began their World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Nigeria in their Group B opener in Johannesburg.

A goal from defender Gabriel Heinze after six minutes was all that separated the two teams after an inspired display from Nigeria goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama.

He could do little to stop Heinze’s powerful header from a Juan Sebastian Veron corner, but Enyeama kept his team alive with a string of acrobatic saves to deny World Player of the Year Lionel Messi.

Diego Maradona was delighted to secure his first victory as a World Cup coach, but critical of his strikers for failing to make the game safe.

“When you don’t kill things off in front of goal you can pay a heavy price. They almost got a draw — we missed loads of chances,” Maradona told AFP.
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Germany 4-0 Australia

Germany provided a real signal of intent with a thrilling demolition of 10-man Australia to get their 2010 World Cup campaign off to a flying start.

Coming into the tournament without injured talisman Michael Ballack, doubts over the future of coach Joachim Loew and the second-youngest squad in the competition, many might have expected Germany to struggle in South Africa.

But if their effervescent display in Durban is anything to go by, the three-time champions could be real contenders for the title come 11 July.

Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose continued their remarkable scoring record at international level with a goal apiece to take their joint tally to 88, Thomas Mueller and Cacau added the gloss, while in playmaker Mesut Ozil they appear to have found a real superstar.

They were aided by the harsh dismissal of Australia’s key man Tim Cahill, given a straight red card for a clumsy but hardly malevolent challenge on Bastian Schweinsteiger on 55 minutes.

Germany, though, had given notice of their attacking class long before that.
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South Africa denied as World Cup carnival kicks off

(CNN) — Hosts South Africa opened the 2010 World Cup with a 1-1 draw with Mexico on Friday as the world’s greatest sporting spectacle arrived on the African continent for the first time.

An estimated global audience of hundreds of millions watched as the home side’s Siphiwe Tshabalala crashed home the first goal of the tournament early in the second half to send Johannesburg’s Soccer City stadium into ecstatic celebrations.

Mexico’s Rafael Marquez leveled the scores with 11 minutes left, beating goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune from close range. But South Africa’s Katlego Mphela missed a golden opportunity to win the match in the final moments as his shot bounced back off the post.

A deafening drone sounded around the 94,000-capacity showpiece arena as home fans greeted the teams by blowing on vuvuzelas — the plastic horn that has become a symbol of South African football.

South African President Jacob Zuma, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and FIFA President Sepp Blatter were introduced to the two sides before kickoff.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we as a country are humbled by this honor to host one of the biggest tournaments of the world,” Zuma said. “Africa is indeed happy. This is the African World Cup. I declare the 2010 FIFA World Cup open.”
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Nebraska approved by Big Ten

LINCOLN, Neb. — So long, Big 12. Nebraska’s membership in the Big Ten Conference is official.

The Big Ten’s board of presidents and chancellors unanimously welcomed Nebraska to the club on Friday, just a few hours after the school formally disclosed its interest. The move takes effect July 1, 2011.

Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman said the Big Ten offers stability “that the Big 12 simply cannot offer.”

Nebraska is the Big Ten’s first addition since 1990, when Penn State joined, and it comes just six months after the league announced that it was looking at expansion.

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said he presumed there would be a Big Ten championship football game beginning in 2011. He also said the conference would “pause” from further expansion over the next 12 to 18 months. He declined to comment on whether Notre Dame or any other school was on the league’s radar.

Nebraska’s departure is a potentially crippling blow to the Big 12 and the biggest move yet in an offseason overhaul that will leave college sports looking much different by this time next year.

“We’ve had a couple disappointing days with the departure of two valued members,” Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe said during a teleconference. Beebe vowed to work to keep the 10 remaining members together but acknowledged that other Big 12 schools are mulling their options.
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