Digest

SOCCER

Tang, Wu nominated for Asian player award

China's Tang Jiali and Wu Haiyan are among the 10 nominations for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Best Women's Player in 2020 award.

Striker Tang bagged four goals in the Steel Roses' Tokyo Olympic qualifying campaign against Thailand, Chinese Taipei and Australia, while captain Wu was the backbone of the team's defense. Wu also led Wuhan Jiangda to the 2020 Chinese Women's Super League title with nine clean sheets in 13 matches.

Japan's Saki Kumagai, Yuika Sugasawa and Rikako Kobayashi, Australia's Caitlin Foord, Ellie Carpenter, and Sam Kerr, and South Korea's Ji So-yun and Jang Sel-gi complete the list.

The AFC has also announced a 20-man list for the Best Young Player in 2020. The candidates include Japan's Takefusa Kubo, who is currently on loan at Villarreal from Real Madrid, and South Korean Lee Kang-in, who also plies his trade in La Liga, for Valencia.

Evergrande changes name to Guangzhou FC

Chinese Super League (CSL) giant Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao has completed the registration of its new name－Guangzhou Football Club－according to the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System.

"The new name to be used in the league still needs the approval of the Chinese Football Association (CFA)," a club official said.

"We are optimistic about it because our name is absolutely neutral," he added.

In December, the CFA introduced "neutral name" regulations, which stipulate that all CSL clubs remove any references to investors or team sponsors in their titles. Among the 16 top-flight teams, Dalian Pro was the only club that already had a neutral name and therefore is not required to register a new one.

"In the past, the club owners changed quickly in our leagues and therefore the club names also had to change. It was not helpful to cultivate a football culture in China," said CFA president Chen Xuyuan.

'King Kazu', 53, signs up for another season

New year, new contract for 53-year-old striker Kazuyoshi Miura, one of the world's oldest professional soccer players.

Miura, who turns 54 on Feb 26, will enter his 36th season after signing an extension with J-League club Yokohama FC on Monday, the league said.

Nicknamed "King Kazu", Miura played in only four league games last year and did not score but extended his record as the oldest player in the J-League. He joined Yokohama in 2005.

"Return of the King," the J-League said in its announcement on Twitter. The league's 2021 season is scheduled to begin on Feb 27.

Miura in March 2017 became the oldest player to appear in a professional match at the age of 50 years and seven days, catching global media attention by surpassing England great Stanley Matthews' longevity record.

United draws Liverpool in FA Cup fourth round

Manchester United was drawn to host Liverpool in the FA Cup fourth round on Monday in a renewal of one of English soccer's most intense rivalries.

In another highlight, sixth-tier Chorley, which stunned second-tier Derby County in the third round on Saturday, was rewarded with a home match against Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur were also given away matches against lower-division sides. City will take on fourth-tier Cheltenham Town while Spurs will face Wycombe Wanderers, who are currently bottom of the second-tier Championship.

Defending champion Arsenal must travel to the winner of the Southampton and Shrewsbury Town tie－which was postponed due to several positive COVID-19 tests in the Shrews' squad.

Fourth-round matches will be played over the weekend of Jan 23-24.

The draw for the fifth round was also made, with United or Liverpool set to host either Doncaster Rovers or West Ham United.

MOTOR SPORTS

Al-Attiyah's stage win heats up Dakar battle

Nasser Al-Attiyah's caution on Sunday paid off on Monday when he gained on Dakar Rally leader Stephane Peterhansel by three minutes.

Al-Attiyah put the foot down on the eighth stage from Sakaka to Neom in northern Saudi Arabia, a day after a marathon stage. The Qatari won it, his fifth stage win of this year's competition. Defending champion Carlos Sainz was second, and Peterhansel third after losing his way twice at the end of the 375-kilometer special stage.

"It's really complicated to do a full Dakar without a mistake," Peterhansel said. "For the moment, it's just a small one. I hope that it will be the only one until the end."

Al-Attiyah has won a stage for 14 consecutive Dakars and reached 40 in his career, third in the race history only to Peterhansel (47) and Ari Vatanen (50).

BASKETBALL

Ducks coach banned over sideline tantrum

Beijing Ducks head coach Xie Libin has been hit with a four-game ban after remonstrating with officials in Sunday's defeat to the Shenzhen Aviators.

The Chinese Basketball Association also fined Xie 20,000 yuan (around $3,000). Ducks captain Zhai Xiaochuan was fined 30,000 yuan for his part in the incident, which caused the action to be interrupted for several minutes.

In Sunday's game, Beijing point guard Liu Xiaoyu was ruled to have committed a technical foul with 1.7 seconds left to play following a video review by the referees. The decision triggered furious protests from Xie and Zhai, with the call helping Shenzhen see out a 95-92 victory.

Xie's ban will apply to rounds 30-33 of the league.

The Ducks, who are 13th in the 19-team standings, were fined an additional 10,000 yuan after players were found to have intentionally kicked courtside seats and a drinks dispenser inside the team's locker room was also damaged after the game.

Xinhua - Agencies