Spurs rout Heat in Game 3
THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2013
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Rain adds to Aussie woes
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Warner dropped after bar-room attack on Root Page 18
SOLNA: Sweden’s forward and team captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic controls the ball during the FIFA World Cup 2014 qualifying match against Faroe Islands. Sweden won 2-0. — AFP
Ibra steers Sweden to victory PARIS: Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored both goals as Sweden beat the Faroe Islands 2-0 to earn three crucial points in their quest to qualify for the 2014 World Cup on Tuesday, but their Scandinavian neighbors Denmark suffered a crushing 4-0 home defeat to Armenia. Paris Saint-Germain striker Ibrahimovic stabbed home the opener from close range 10 minutes before the interval at the Friends Arena in the Stockholm suburb of Solna, and then added a penalty eight minutes from time. Sweden were ultimately comfortable winners despite the sending-off of Andreas Granqvist towards the end, and Erik Hamren’s side climb back into third place in qualifying Group C. With 11 points from six games, the Swedes are five points behind leaders Germany but level on points with second-placed Austria and the Republic of Ireland in fourth. Their next game is away to Ireland in September. Meanwhile, Denmark’s chances of qualifying for a third consecutive major tourna-
ment finals received a hammer blow as they went down 4-0 to Armenia in Copenhagen. The forward Yura Movsisyan, who once had a spell in the Danish league but now plays for Spartak Moscow, scored twice for the former Soviet republic with Aris Ozbiliz and Shakhtar Donetsk star Henrikh Mkhitaryan also on target. The scoreline equalled Armenia’s biggest ever victory, while for Denmark it was a heaviest defeat in a competitive match since going down 5-1 to Spain at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Their chances of reaching the 2014 finals now appear slim. With four games remaining in Group B, Morten Olsen’s team are eight points behind leaders Italy and four adrift of Bulgaria in second. Armenia, meanwhile, move level on points with the Danes with the two teams due to meet again in September. Elsewhere, in Group I, Finland’s chances of finishing second received a blow as they only managed a 1-1 draw in Belarus, a result that leaves the Finns four points behind France. In Ro de Janeiro, Italy were embarrassed by
Haiti on Tuesday as the unheralded Caribbean side scored two goals in the last five minutes to secure a 2-2 draw in a friendly despite falling behind after 19 seconds. Haiti’s players, who gave Spain a few frights before losing 2-1 to the world champions at the weekend, celebrated deliriously on the pitch at Vasco da Gama’s Sao Januario stadium after shocking their illustrious opponents who slunk quietly away. Italy, playing only 36 hours after arriving in Brazil for the Confederations Cup, went ahead through Emanuele Giaccherini before Haiti had even touched the ball and, after their opponents had wasted several chances to equalise, added a second through Claudio Marchisio in the 72nd minute. They seemed to have survived everything Haiti could throw at them until Davide Astori fouled Jean-Eudes Maurice in the penalty area and Olrish Saurel converted the penalty with five minutes to go. Italy looked dazed and weary when a long ball forward found Jean
Messi, father deny tax crime allegations MADRID: Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi denied stunning allegations yesterday that he and his father engaged in tax fraud worth more than four million euros ($5 million). The 25-year-old Argentina international and fourtime World Player of the year expressed shock at the accusation by Spanish financial crimes prosecutors. “We are surprised about this news because we have never committed any infringement,” the striker said in an English-language statement released on his Facebook account. “We have always fulfilled all our tax obligations, following the advice of our tax consultants who will take care of clarifying this situation,” Messi said. The player said he had just heard of the move against him through the media. Messi and his father Jorge Horacio Messi were accused of fiddling the taxes in a legal filing lodged by financial crimes prosecutor Raquel Amado, a copy of which was obtained by AFP. “It is all a mistake, you have to speak about this to the tax experts and lawyers who need to clear it up,” the player’s father told Spanish sports daily AS. “I don’t understand what is going on. I don’t manage these matters, I am resident in Argentina,” he said. The father said he had not spoken to his son about the reports. “I don’t need to since it is a mistake. Why would I shock him?” The allegations were filed in a court in Catalonia, where Messi is resident, but judges could yet refuse to let it proceed, a judicial source told AFP. If it were to go ahead, it would represent a huge blow to the prestige of Messi, who has long been seen as a more humble figure than most top-class foot-
ballers and particularly his Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi’s achievements on the field have made him one of the most marketable sportsmen in the world, however. Indeed, the Argentine was ranked 10th amongst Forbes’ list of sports stars’ incomes this month with an annual $21m from endorsements alone. The player and his father are accused of three crimes of defrauding the state of taxes related to income from the use of his image from 2006-2009. The allegations centre on tax declarations made in 2007, 2008 and 2009. The striker and his father aimed to “deceive” the taxman by ceding Messi’s image rights to companies based in tax havens such as Belize and Uruguay, the prosecutor’s complaint said. They drew up deals related to his image rights in Britain and Switzerland, ensuring that the income went straight to the tax havens without any tax being paid, it said. Messi and his father acted with “total opaqueness” towards the Spanish authorities, the filing said. The complaint lodged with the court in Gava, near Barcelona, accused them of defrauding the state of 1.06 million euros in 2007, 1.57 million euros in 2008, and 1.53 million euros in 2009. The father was accused of being the brains behind the scheme, allegedly setting it up in 2005 before his son turned 18 on June 24 of that year. The prosecutor said Messi later agreed with his father’s tactics so that he would avoid any taxes on income from the use of his image rights during the period. The income related to his image rights included contracts with FC Barcelona, Banco Sabadell, Danone, Adidas, Pepsi-Cola, Procter & Gamble and Kuwait Food Company. — AFP
Philippe Peguero and he poked it past goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigiu to the joy of the neutrals in the crowd. “We know that 2-2 is a really bad result,” a sheepish Italy coach Cesare Prandelli told RAI television. “We agreed to play this match, we arrived yesterday, we made a lot of changes but we needed to show a different spirit.” “You could see today we lost every single sprint, so we hope in five days the team can begin to deliver.” The sides had met once before at the 1974 World Cup when Haiti memorably took the lead before Italy eventually hit back to win 3-1. Haiti had lost their previous six matches and looked set to continue their run when their static defence allowed Giaccherini to nip in and score Italy’s fastest-ever goal after Antonio Candreva had pulled the ball back. Italy, preparing for the Confederations Cup, began with a second string line-up and failed to build on the goal, struggling to create further chances.
Haiti, ranked 63rd by FIFA, gained confidence and Jeff Louis tested Italy goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu for the first time with a swerving longrange shot. They began to create more chances after halftime as Jean Sony Alceant’s cross flashed across the face of the goal, Kevin La France headed wide from a corner and Maurice fired wide when he should have at least hit the target. Italy then brought on three heavyweights as Riccardo Montolivo, Stephan El Shaaraway and Mario Balotelli entered the fray and quickly added a second. Thinking the ball had gone out of play, the Haiti defence stopped as Balotelli pulled it back from the byline for El Shaaraway and, although his effort was saved, Marchisio slotted home the rebound. Italy seemed to switch off after that and a vibrant Haiti, sensing their chance, kept pouring forward and were rewarded with a memorable draw. — Agencies
Olympic hero Hidayat bids emotional farewell
Argentina’s Lionel Messi
JAKARTA: Indonesia’s former Olympic and world champion Taufik Hidayat bid an emotional farewell yesterday to a colorful career that made him one of badminton’s biggest stars in front of a roaring home crowd. With hundreds of fans cheering “Taufik can” and waving banners that read “Legend”, the 31-year-old played his final professional match at the Indonesia Open, a tournament that he has won six times. While the first-round match ended with his defeat to India’s Sai Praneeth and an early exit from the tournament, Hidayat had not expected to go far against a tough field and still walked off the court a hero to his fans. “What’s really difficult is leaving badminton, a sport I have known for the past 25 years, 18 years as a professional player,” an emotional Hidayat told reporters after the game. Hidayat, once notorious as the bad boy of badminton who was sometimes compared to outspoken tennis great John McEnroe, showed a much softer side as he prepared to hang up his racket. “Henceforth, I will focus on my family,” he said at the post-match press conference, with his young daughter sitting at his side. He did however admit to being disappointed at losing to Praneeth-ranked 20 places below him-and said he hoped the public would not “judge me only in this tournament”.
Hidayat won the first set of the match, which was delayed by several hours, 21-15 with some strong backhand shots and good play at the net. But he began to flag in the second set against an opponent 11 years his junior, and went on to lose the set 12-21. By the final set, Hidayat’s shots were failing to pass the net, and Praneeth won it 21-17. The defeat will come as no surprise, as Hidayat had failed to clinch major titles for several years. His early exit from the tournament is unlikely to overshadow a career that made him into a sporting icon in his home country. With a distinctive, languid style that made the fast-paced game look effortless, he won Indonesia’s first Olympic gold medal at Athens in 2004, famously weeping when he received it, and was crowned world champion in 2005. But he also had his fair share of controversies during his career. He once split from the Indonesian Badminton Association and based himself in Singapore, and on one occasion was ordered off the courts by security staff after a stand-off with officials at the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand. Hidayat reportedly attacked a spectator at the 2001 national championships, and he walked out of a match during the 2002 Asian Games-which he later won in a dispute over line-judging. — AFP