Ice hockey

Timonen out indefinitely

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Flyers' National Hockey League title hopes took a blow Thursday with the news that defenseman Kimmo Timonen will be out indefinitely with a foot injury.

Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren announced the news Thursday, a day before the Flyers were to begin their Eastern Conference finals series against the Pittsburgh Penguins for a berth in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Soccer

15 million for Crouch

LONDON: Liverpool has slapped a 15-million-pound ($30-million) price tag on unsettled England striker Peter Crouch while Tottenham has indicated that its resigned to losing Dimitar Berbatov at the end of this season.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez accepts that Crouch has grown frustrated with playing second fiddle to Fernando Torres at Anfield, but made it clear it would take a significant offer for him to release a player he regards as a valuable squad member.

Atletico closer to CL

MADRID: Atletico Madrid's formidable South American strike pair of Kun Aguero and Diego Forlan fired them one win away from the Champions League with a 2-0 victory over Espanyol on Thursday.

Atletico can now qualify for the Champions League for the first time in over a decade with victory over Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday as they have a superior head-to-head record to fifth-placed Sevilla who are three points behind.

Bayern eyes Gattuso

BERLIN: German champion Bayern Munich is reported to have offered Italian World Cup winner Gennaro Gattuso a contract worth six million euros ($nine million) per year to leave AC Milan, it was reported on Thursday.

German tabloid Bild say Bayern have offered the midfielder, who has one of the most powerful shots in the world, a four-year deal.

Gattuso has been at AC for nine years and is under contract until 2011, but new Bayern coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who takes over from Ottmar Hitzfeld on July 1, is said to have the Italian on his wish list.

Motor Sports

AGF moves to Sepang

The AGF Asian Formula International Open will for the first time roar off in an overseas circuit - the world-famous Sepang Circuit in Malaysia over the weekend.

It is a breakthrough in China's motor racing history as it also marks the first time that a domestic formula event is held abroad.

"Roma is not built in one day. We have been gaining experiences from domestic competitions in the past two years," said Liu Jianquan, secretary of the organizing committee.

"I think 2008 is the right time that the event goes abroad and shows the world how China's motor racing is developing."

This season's races will be held in Zhuhai, Chengdu, Shanghai, Beijing, Malaysia and Macao - two more venues than last year.

To make the event more attractive and competitive, each stage will include three timed and un-timed practices plus one warm-up, along with additional off-track activities.

(China Daily 05/10/2008 page12)