Digest

SOCCER

China names squad for Women's Asian Cup

China on Tuesday announced a 23-woman squad to travel to India for the 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup, with several veterans returning to the roster.

China has been preparing for the tournament at a training camp since December, under the guidance of new head coach Shui Qingxia.

Veterans Li Ying, Zhao Lina and Li Jiayue have earned recalls after missing the disappointing Tokyo Olympics campaign last summer.

The squad features a strong mix of experience and youth, ranging in age from 20(Zhang Linyan) to 32(Zhang Rui).

The Women's Asian Cup takes place in India from Jan 20 to Feb 6, with the Chinese squad departing for the tournament on Saturday.

China has been drawn in Group A along with Chinese Taipei, Iran and India.

Group B consists of Australia, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, while defending champion Japan is in Group C with South Korea, Vietnam and Myanmar.

The top five teams excluding Australia will qualify directly for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

Dalian players, officials punished for ref abuse

The Chinese Football Association on Tuesday announced hefty fines and bans for Dalian Pro players and officials involved in an incident that saw a referee assaulted and subjected to prolonged verbal abuse.

Zheng Long was slapped with a six-game ban and a fine of 60,000 yuan ($9,400), while his teammate Yang Haoyu was suspended for 12 months and fined 200,000 yuan ($31,400).

Dalian Pro officials Wang Zhong, Liu Peng, Jiang Zongyan, Fan Hongji and Xu Fei also received bans of between five and eight games, with fines ranging from 50,000 yuan ($7,900) to 80,000 yuan ($12,600).

Dalian Pro was also fined 200,000 yuan and criticized in a circulated notice.

In the 90th minute of Saturday's Chinese Super League game against Chengdu Better City, Zheng rushed onto the pitch and verbally abused the referee. Two minutes later, Liu followed suit and received a red card, after which he continued to curse at the match official. After the final whistle, Gao, Wang, Jiang, Fan, and Xu surrounded and cursed at the referee, with Yang rushing toward the ref and punching him in the face, according to the statement.

Broadcaster ordered to pay league $213m

A Chinese broadcaster has been ordered to pay the English Premier League at least $213 million by the High Court in London over the collapse of one of the competition's most lucrative international rights agreements.

The league terminated the deal last year after PPTV failed to pay two installments of the rights fees owed, citing a change to the schedule caused by the 100-day pandemic-enforced pause in fixtures in 2020 and the lack of fans in stadiums when games resumed in June.

Given the season concluded eventually, the judge rejected the arguments made by the streaming service, which is owned by Suning, the Chinese retail giant that also controls Italian champion Inter Milan.

The judge said the league payments of $210.3 million and $2.673 million should be made by the broadcaster's parent company, PPLive Sports International, along with interest and legal costs.

BASKETBALL

Morant leads Grizzlies to 10th straight win

Ja Morant scored 29 points, including five in the final minute, and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Golden State Warriors 116-108 Tuesday night for their 10th straight win.

"I just like having that pressure," Morant said of his scoring down the stretch. "I feel like that's when I shine the most. I like to be the one taking that shot, hit or miss."

Ziaire Williams and Tyus Jones had 17 points each, Williams recording a season-high in points. Jones keyed a fourth-quarter rally that put the Grizzlies ahead for good. He finished 6 for 8 from the field, including connecting on all five of his 3-point attempts.

Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for his second triple-double of the season. Klay Thompson finished with 14 points. Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II scored 13 each.

Xinhua - Agencies