WORLD OF SPORT

Controversial managerial dismissal of the day

The Football Federation of Greenland (GBU) has denied dismissing the national manager of Eritrean origin because of racism, according to local media. GBU President John Thorsen told the Greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq that Tekle Ghebrelul was let go of because a majority of the board ruled that he did not conduct an “exemplary sporting performance”, in line with the federation’s guidelines. But Ghebrelul, who served as manager for four years, has criticised his dismissal as “unjustified” and having “racist motives”. The GBU announced that Ghebrelul was fired last Thursday. Accused of assaulting a minor, Ghebrelul told Sermitsiaq that the allegations were “a pretext” to sack him in order to silence his criticism against the “hostility” he experienced in the North Atlantic autonomous Danish territory, which he moved to 14 years ago.

Innovative sports promotion of the day

Commuters in Taiwan yesterday pretended to hit a ball with a bat, swim and run on a Taipei subway train as part of a campaign to promote the capital’s Summer Universiade games this month. The floors of the sports-themed train were covered to resemble a swimming pool, football field, basketball court, baseball diamond and track field. The 3D ripple effect of the swimming pool floor caught the attention of many commuters, some of whom wore swimsuits and posed for photographs. “It’s uncanny,” said Yuki Chou, who was costumed as a mermaid. “You feel like you’re actually there. So, I really feel like jumping in for a swim.” Staged in summer and winter phases once every two years, the Universiade draws student athletes from universities around the world to compete.

Put-down of the day

Former West Ham United and Chelsea striker Carlton Cole is to be sacked by Indonesia’s Persib after failing to find the net since his arrival in March, the team’s manager said yesterday. Cole has played “very badly” and will be replaced for the second stage of the season, which starts on Saturday, Persib manager Umuh Muchtar said. “It’s the management’s decision to dismiss him, we will have a new player in the second round of the season,” Muchtar said. “He plays very badly compared to the other [foreign players] who have joined Persib. He had the worst performance,” Muchtar added. Cole joined Persib two weeks after his former Chelsea teammate Michael Essien in what was a buying spree for the Bandung-based club.