First Division soccer side Tuen Mun released eight of their players, including captain Li Haiqiang, and all their coaching staff yesterday following the sudden departure of their club president. Chan Keung, the club's major financier, withdrew from his position yesterday. The club gave no reason for his departure. Tuen Mun have been enjoying a fine run this season and are currently fourth in the standings after holding champions Kitchee 1-1 at the weekend. The dismissed players are mostly high-earners such as Li Ming, Yip Tsz-chun, Lin Zhong and their two foreign players, striker Daniel Quevedo who has scored four goals so far and defender Mauricio da Luz. Others have been retained but requested to accept wage cuts. Lo Kwong-chung will take over as head coach from Yan Lik-kin. Chan Kin-wa
 

Bernard Tomic should take a good long rest at the end of a tennis season to forget, former Australia Davis Cup captain Roger Rasheed said yesterday in response to media reports that the 20-year-old had been involved in a brawl on Australia's Gold Coast. Police were called to separate Tomic and a friend in the early hours of Monday morning. Tomic accused Gold Coast police last year of victimising him and he will face a magistrates court hearing on motoring charges stemming from those incidents next week. "I wouldn't hit another ball if I was Bernard Tomic. I would just sort everything out, see where I'm at ... if it took him three months now, six months or whatever it took him," Rasheed said. "You need to sort out the basics and the platform otherwise it'll raise it's ugly head again.." After peaking at 27th in the world rankings in June, however, Tomic has slumped to 49th. Reuters