Two Soccer Fans Killed in Violence
Soccer violence left two fans killed and dozens of others injured over the weekend in the Netherlands, Argentina and England.
In Den Bosch, Netherlands, violence erupted Sunday for a second day after the mayor canceled a soccer match because of the police shooting of a soccer fan Saturday morning.
Mayor Ton Rombouts said a police officer was forced to shoot Pierre Boulay, 31, twice in the chest after Boulay came at him with a large knife. Police had been called in to investigate a quarrel between neighbors, the Dutch national news agency ANP said.
ANP said Boulay had been banned from Den Bosch stadium last year after attacking an usher.
In Argentina, a teenager died Saturday during a confrontation between fans and police during a match in Isidro Casanova, Buenos Aires province.
The youngster died of wounds from rubber bullets fired on fans when police lost control of the crowds. Another fan was in a serious condition after being shot by a firearm.
The incidents caused the match to be suspended and led to 20 arrests and 25 injuries.
In a separate incident Saturday, another 29 were arrested and 23 injured in a game between Buenos Aires rivals and neighbors, Independiente and Racing.
Police and fans clashed when 1,000 Racing fans tried to break through a police line separating the two teams’ fans.
In Sheffield, England, police used riot gear, tear gas and batons to disperse a group of about 300 rival soccer fans in the downtown area Saturday, then arrested 33.
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Danny Murphy scored in the 43rd minute at London as Liverpool defeated Manchester United, 1-0, the league leaders’ first loss at home in a league match in nearly two years. . . . Sidelined striker Ronaldo, recovering from a severe right knee injury, is expected to begin light training this week in Rio de Janeiro. He is not expected to return to action until next year. . . . Groups of fans of defending league champion Lazio displayed racist stripes and booed some Brazilian defenders of AS Roma during the “Roman” derby at the Olympic stadium in Rome.
Winter Sports
Austrian skiing star Hermann Maier was barred from racing in Thursday’s giant slalom in Italy and fined $15,625 after taking an unauthorized run on a course before the start of a race in Val d’Isere, France.
Maier was disqualified from Sunday’s slalom for breaking a time limit on his morning inspection run. He went two minutes beyond the one-hour limit, an official said.
In the race, Bode Miller became the first American man in 16 years to finish in the top three at a World Cup GS by finishing third in 2 minutes 31.98 seconds.
Michael Von Gruenigen of Switzerland won in 2:31.33.
Olympic champion Catriona LeMay-Doan of Canada stayed unbeaten in the women’s 500-meter speedskating World Cup, winning in 38.68 seconds at Nagano, Japan, for her fourth victory this season. . . . World Cup overall champion Renate Goetschl won a downhill in 1:36.49 at St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Miscellany
Only days after Lance Armstrong threatened to skip next year’s Tour de France, his team manager, Mark Gorski, promised that the defending champion will try for a third consecutive title. Armstrong voiced his frustrations amid an investigation into the possible use of illegal substances by his team.
Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig suffered a broken left kneecap after slipping on the ice in his driveway in Milwaukee. Selig, 66, will undergo surgery at Sinai Samaritan Medical Center today. Chuck Poulson, a nursing supervisor at the hospital, said Selig was expected to be admitted late Sunday night. . . . The Florida Marlins reached a tentative agreement with Miami-Dade County and city officials to build a $385-million, state-of-the-art 40,000-seat ballpark in downtown Miami.
Martina Moravcova of Slovakia broke a European record and finished with three gold medals in the European short-course championships at Valencia, Spain. Moravcova set a short-course record of 57.54 seconds in the 100 butterfly, shaving 0.01 seconds from the mark she set at the world short-course championships at Athens in March. She also won the 200 freestyle in 1:56.51. . . . Donald Johnson of Chapel Hill, N.C., and Piet Norval of South Africa defeated Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi of India, 7-6 (8), 6-3, 6-4, to win the ATP Tour world doubles championship at Bangalore, India. . . . Top-seeded Todor Enev defeated 14th-seeded Bruno Soares, 7-5, 6-2, at Miami to become the first Bulgarian to win the Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships. In the girls 18-under singles final, 14th-seeded Vera Zvonareva of Russia defeated 10th-seeded Edina Gallovits of Romania, 7-6 (4), 6-4. . . . Paul Ingle, an English boxer knocked out in his featherweight title defense, was making “satisfactory progress” after a blood clot was removed from his brain in Sheffield, England. Ingle, 28, was stopped in the 12th round Saturday by South African Mbulelo Botile. . . . Jacques Goddet, founder of the sports newspaper “L’Equipe” and the Tour de France’s director general for four decades, died Friday. He was 95.
