Bafana Bafana arrived in Pointe Noire for Sunday’s key African Nations Cup qualifier against Congo and soon a storm of discontent had enveloped the South African camp. Coach Carlos Albert Parreira was fuming over the failure of the Congolese to provide his players with the kind of ball that will be used in Sunday’s game.
The South African Football Association (Safa) was on Saturday embroiled in a dangerous confrontation with South Africa Football — its satellite wing delegated to handle the financial affairs of the country’s international teams. The new organisation has been perceived as usurping the functions and responsibilities of Safa itself.
Lewis Hamilton continues to rampage through his rookie season in Formula One, following up his fantastic performance in Canada last weekend by claiming pole position for Sunday’s United States Grand Prix. The English sensation recorded his first pole and then his maiden victory in Montreal.
Audi took a firm grip on the Le Mans 24-Hour Race on Saturday as Peugeot’s return to the classic endurance event threatened to turn into a nightmare. After nine hours, the Audi of Tom Kristensen, who is seeking an eighth victory, Allan McNish and Rinaldo Capello led teammates Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner by three laps.
Aaron Baddeley grabbed a two-stroke lead in the third round of the United States Open on Saturday, but must defy Tiger Woods if he wants to record a second straight win for an Australian. The two will comprise the final pairing on Sunday when the world number one goes for his third US Open win.
The All Blacks left for South Africa on Sunday and a telling Tri-Nations clash with the Springboks feeling more contrite than confident after a stumbling 64-13 win over Canada. New Zealand looked anything like world champions in waiting as they took a 26-13 lead into half-time at Hamilton.
Like many good stories, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter begins on a dark and snowy night. But, unlike most first novels from barely known authors, the book has gone on to be one of the biggest hits in recent American publishing. It has sold more than 3,5-million copies in the United States and is due for publication in at least 15 other countries.
The skulls, bones and tattered clothing of a team of Iraqi martial-arts experts have been found more than a year after they disappeared, presumed kidnapped, in an al-Qaeda stronghold west of Baghdad. At least 13 bodies were found in a ditch out in the desert about 96km west of Ramadi in Anbar province.
She’s ahead in the polls and on course to become the Democrats’ presidential candidate for 2008. So it is no surprise that a right-wing smear campaign is gathering speed to derail United States Senator Hillary Clinton’s bid for the White House. Top of the list is a movie being filmed by veteran Republican operator David Bossie.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy looked set to win a sweeping mandate for his ambitious programme of reforms on Sunday as the French went back to the polls to elect a new National Assembly, the lower chamber of Parliament. About 35-million registered voters began choosing deputies in 467 constituencies.