Maracana: from populist temple to elitist arena

The Maracana stadium, a footballing theatre which every fan dreams of visiting, has morphed into an ultra-modern, sustainable and safe arena, albeit one with elitist traits, compared to the populist temple it once was.

Mourinho rues friendly fire

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was left to rue the performance of the club's own goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, after its Champions League semifinal elimination by Atletico Madrid.

NBA sets wheels turning for Clippers sale; Oprah in wings

Several luminaries from sports and show business, Oprah Winfrey among them, signaled interest on Wednesday in buying the Los Angeles Clippers as the NBA set a first meeting to weigh removing Donald Sterling as owner over racist remarks attributed to him.

LA lakers coach d'antoni resigns

Mike D'Antoni has resigned as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, ending an unhappy two-season tenure with the struggling NBA franchise.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Guardiola takes blame for Real rout

Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola has admitted he was at fault as the holder suffered a historic 4-0 drubbing in the Champions League semifinal, second leg to Real Madrid.

Ronaldo sets scoring record

Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday broke the record for the most goals in a European Cup or Champions League season in his side's 4-0 semi-final second-leg victory over Bayern Munich.

Sterling's lifetime ban leads to uncertain future

While Donald Sterling's lifetime ban from the Los Angeles Clippers was greeted with widespread acclaim on Tuesday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver's decision raised a host of new questions for the owner's long-troubled franchise.

Monkeys and bananas campaign fruit of PR firm

Dani Alves' inspired moment of improvisation in defusing a racist gesture by picking up a banana and calmly eating it is becoming a social media phenomenon.

Score board

Baseball

IN BRIEF (Page 11)

Xi'an steps forward to help revive Silk Road

Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province, is expected to play a bigger role in the Silk Road economic belt development strategy as a linking hub between China and Europe.