Multiplex, the Australian company building the new
Wembley Stadium in London announces that it will lose
£45 million on the project, because of cost overruns and construction delays. The completion date is pushed back three months to March 2006, but the company repeats its assurance that the stadium will be ready to stage next year's
FA Cup final in May. The company's executive chairman quit last Friday when the news first emerged. Multiplex has reduced its 2005 profits forecast from
A$235 million to A$170 million.
(Independent)[dead link],
(Australian Financial Review)
NASCAR:
Jimmie Johnson wins a wild
Coca-Cola 600 on a last lap pass of
Bobby Labonte, becoming the first driver to win the 600 three straight years. The race is marred by 22 caution flags, which sets an all-time record in
Nextel Cup.
In the
Super 12 final at
Jade Stadium in
Christchurch, New Zealand, the homestanding
Crusaders take a 35–6 lead in the second half and ease to a 35–25 win over the
NSW Waratahs, earning their fifth title in the competition. This is the last Super 12 competition, as it will become the Super 14 in 2006 with the addition of two new teams.
(BBC)
Liverpool defeat
AC Milan 3–2 in a
penalty kick shootout. AC Milan are 3–0 ahead after the first half, but Liverpool score 3 goals in the 54th, 56th and 60th minutes to tie the game. It's Liverpool's 5th European Cup title.
Pakistan complete their clean sweep of the
West Indies, winning the third match of the ODI series by 22 runs to take the series by 3–0. Despite the win, they stay fifth in the
ICC ODI Championship, tied on points with South Africa.
Indianapolis 500:
Kenny Bräck qualifies for the Indy 500, his first race since a life-threatening crash at
Texas Motor Speedway in 2003. Bräck, replacing defending champion
Buddy Rice (who, ironically, replaced Bräck in 2004), runs faster than pole-sitter
Tony Kanaan but will start 23rd because he qualified after last Sunday's Pole Day.
(AP/ESPN)
After an accident last week left him unable to qualify this past weekend, defending Indy 500 champ
Buddy Rice will not compete at this year's race.
(Indianapolis500.com)
Defending IndyCar series champion
Tony Kanaan wins the pole position for the 2005 race.
Danica Patrick, 23 years old, earns the best start for a female driver by taking the fourth position.
(Indianapolis500.com)
West Bromwich Albion, which started the day at the bottom of the table, win 2–0
at home over
Portsmouth. Losses by
Norwich City and
Southampton and a draw by
Crystal Palace, combined with the West Brom win, relegate the other three teams and make West Brom the first team in Premier League history to survive relegation after being in last place at Christmas.
(BBC)
Golf:
Tiger Woods misses his first cut in 7 years on the
PGA Tour. Before this, he had made the cut for a tour-record 142 consecutive tournaments.
(ESPN.com)
Highly rated
midfielderMikel John Obi goes missing during a
Norwegian cup match he was watching involving his team
Lyn Oslo. The player had been dropped for the game following death threats he had received after he chose to sign for
Manchester United ahead of
Chelsea. The player, who was under armed guard, is believed to have left Norway accompanied by a football agent.
BBC
Nepal (32pts) beat
the United Arab Emirates (11pts) by 172 runs. However the UAE win the Asian group and progress to the semi-finals in Namibia after Nepal's game against
Hong Kong was ravaged by rain.
In the third-place game,
Panathinaikos erases a 22-point deficit in the third quarter and defeats Final Four hosts
CSKA Moscow 94–91 in double overtime.
(Euroleague.net)
Cricket: A player from
Warwickshire County Cricket Club, the defending County Champions, has tested positive for a recreational drug. He is the second Warwickshire player who has tested positive in seven months.
(Cricinfo)
The
English Football Association confirms that the top four finishers in this season's
FA Premier League will qualify for next season's
Champions League even if
Liverpool F.C. win the CL and finish below fourth in the Premiership. The FA says it will continue to lobby
UEFA for Liverpool to receive a place in the CL should it win the competition and finish below fourth place in the league.
(BBC)
UEFA Cup Semi-finals, 2nd leg (teams progressing to the final in Lisbon in bold).