Soccer Fans Stabbed in Rome
Four Liverpool fans were stabbed before the team’s UEFA Cup game against AS Roma on Thursday night in Rome, the latest outbreak of violence in and around Italian soccer stadiums.
Just before the game, which Liverpool won, 2-0, Roma fans throwing rocks and bottles fought with police outside the stadium and beat up an Associated Press television news crew.
Three Roma supporters attacked two 27-year-old Norwegians outside Olympic Stadium, police said. A British man needed surgery after another attack near the arena, while another Liverpool fan was hospitalized with stab wounds to the arm and thigh from a pre-dawn fight.
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Philip Anschutz became operator of Washington D.C. United in Major League Soccer, giving him control of four of the league’s 12 teams, including the Galaxy. . . . Tony DiCicco, who coached the U.S. to the 1999 Women’s World Cup title, accepted a permanent position as chief operations officer of the Women’s United Soccer Assn.
Tennis
Max Mirnyi of Belarus upset top-seeded Magnus Norman of Sweden, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, in the second round of the Marseille Open at France. . . . Top-seeded Tim Henman reached the quarterfinals of the Copenhagen Open in Denmark with a 7-5, 7-5 victory over George Bastl of Switzerland. . . . Top-ranked Martina Hingis survived a tough opening set to defeat Maria Vento of Venezuela, 7-6 (4), 6-1, and reach the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open at Doha. . . . Italy’s Silvia Farina Elia upset second-seeded Conchita Martinez of Spain, 6-2, 6-2, at the Terazura Open at Nice, France, setting up a quarterfinal match with Germany’s Anke Huber. Huber, seeded fifth, defeated Nathalie Dechy of France, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
Pro Football
Marc Trestman, a veteran NFL offensive coordinator, was hired by the Oakland Raiders as a senior assistant on the coaching staff.
Trestman, 45, spent the past three seasons as offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals. He also served as coordinator for the Cleveland Browns and the San Francisco 49ers.
Miscellany
Former NFL receiver Mark Ingram pleaded not guilty to federal charges of possession of counterfeit money in Miami. Ingram is charged with carrying $3,290 in fake bills when he was arrested for auto theft. He is free on $75,000 bond. No trial date has been set.
For the second time in the last three Presidents Cups, Jack Nicklaus has been appointed captain of the U.S. team for the competition in South Africa in 2002. The PGA Tour also designated Gary Player as captain of the International team.
Curtis Williams, the Washington Husky football player who was paralyzed below the neck while making a tackle in an Oct. 28 game at Stanford, was discharged from the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose. . . . Oregon hired New York Giant assistant Mike Gillhamer to coach the Ducks’ defensive backs. . . . Bill Barnes, UCLA football coach in the 1960s, will be inducted into the Tennessee State Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday in Nashville.
A British promoter has dismissed claims that a Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson heavyweight showdown could take place this summer. Panos Eliades, Lewis’ British promoter, said the earliest the fight could happen would be October.
Spanish cyclist Ricardo Ochoa was killed and his twin brother, Javier, was badly injured when they were hit by a car while training near Cartama, Spain.
The last and fastest of 37 boats competing in Del Rey Yacht Club’s 16th race to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, are scheduled to start at 1 p.m. today in Marina del Rey. Smaller boats and “cruising” classes for more casual racers have been starting since Feb. 9. The 1,125-nautical mile contest is the only major race to Mexico this year. The entries equal the largest fleet for a Mexican race in the last 32 years.
