Redknapp charged

LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp was charged with tax evasion on Thursday, a spokesman for English prosecuting authorities said. The charges, which relate to Redknapp’s time in charge of Premier League strugglers Portsmouth, have come about as a result of a 26-month police and tax inquiry into alleged corruption in English football. “Henry (Harry) Redknapp, the former football manager of Portsmouth Football Club, has today been charged with two counts of cheating the public revenue,” a Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said on Thursday.

Robben fit to play

BERLIN: Bayern Munich’s Dutch winger Arjen Robben is fit to face Hoffenheim when the Bundesliga resumes after the winter break, the German giants announced on Thursday. The 25-year-old injured an ankle at Bayern’s training camp in Dubai earlier this month, but coach Louis van Gaal insists the Netherlands star is “100 per cent” fit. Robben sat out Bayern’s 3-1 win over Swiss side Basel in a friendly on Tuesday, but will take on Hoffenheim with his side third in the table and two points off leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

Inamoto returns

KAWASAKI: Japanese international midfielder Junichi Inamoto has signed a three-year contract to play for J-League first division club Kawasaki Frontale with his eyes set on the World Cup. Inamoto, who failed to make an impact at French first division outfit Rennes before returning home, made his J-League debut in 1997 and scored 16 goals in 118 games for Gamba Osaka before joining Arsenal in 2001. After Arsenal, he moved on to Fulham and also saw service in Britain with West Brom and Cardiff, then with Turkish giants Galatasaray and German team Eintracht Frankfurt.

Schietekat shoots 62

JOHANNESBURG: International golf unknown Neil Schietekat of South Africa fired nine-under 62 on Thursday to take a one-stroke first round lead in the Joburg Open. Seeking his first professional victory, the 24-year-old from the Free State town of Harrismith snapped up nine birdies and did not drop a shot as he lowered the tournament record by one stroke. The last of four tournaments on the South Africa leg of the European Tour produced a flurry of low scoring despite wet, stormy conditions at Royal Johannesburg and Kensington Golf Club. It is one of only three European events staged in more than one course and the shorter west layout was Schietekat and most of the other leaders made the low scores.