Football : The Football Association asks UEFA to grant Liverpool a place in next season's Champions League should they win the competition this year but finish below fourth place in the FA Premier League. UEFA have indicated that they will not allow five teams from one country to take part. The FA could still place Liverpool in the Champions League if they win it – but they would have to deny the fourth placed Premiership club in order to do so.
Basketball: Defending champions Guangdong Southern Tigers defeat Jiangsu Dragons in the fifth and final match of the best-of-five Chinese Basketball Association finals, winning the finals 3 games to 2. Guangdong had a 42-point fourth quarter, overcoming a 14-point deficit in the early minutes of that quarter to win the final match by eight points, 107–99.
*Antonio Margarito retains his WBO world Welterweight title, with a fifth-round knockout win over Kermit Cintron. In the undercard, Shane Mosley returns to boxing with a ten-round decision win over David Castillo.
*Wladimir Klitschko returns to the ring, with a fourth-round knockout over Eliseo Castillo.
**Yorkshire beat Somerset by an innings and 44 runs
Rugby union, Heineken Cup semifinal: Stade Français 20, Biarritz 17 at Stade de France, Saint-Denis, metro Paris. Stade advances to the final to be held 22 May at Murrayfield, Edinburgh.
*Auburn has four first-round picks, with Brown and Williams joined by cornerback Carlos Rogers and QB Jason Campbell.
*Cal QB Aaron Rodgers, who was regarded by many as a possible top overall pick until a week before the draft, freefalls through the first round all the way to the 24th slot. The Green Bay Packers pick Rodgers, who now stands to be the eventual successor to Brett Favre.
Major League Soccer: The Los Angeles Galaxy defeats C.D. Chivas USA 3–1 in an inter-city match. A strange delay occurs in the 41st minute when the "SkyCam", a movable TV camera suspended above the ground on a cable, that ESPN2 is using crashes to the ground, sparking a -minute stoppage. The camera is removed at halftime. No one is injured when it falls.
22 April 2005
2005 English cricket season:
*National League, Division One
**The match between Glamorgan and Essex was abandoned without a ball being played
*Olympic champion Tyler Hamilton is banned for two years for blood doping, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency reports. Hamilton forfeits all competitive results since the Tour of Spain where he tested positive last 11 September.
Football : UEFA hands down its punishment to Internazionale for the unruly behaviour of their fans during their Champions League match against AC Milan. AC has been awarded a 3–0 victory in the match and will advance to the semifinals to face PSV Eindhoven. In addition, Inter must play their next four UEFA home matches in an empty stadium, with the possibility of two more empty stadium matches if fans cause more trouble during a three-year probation period.
*During the 8th inning of a Yankees/Red Sox game, a fan hits right fielder Gary Sheffield in the face while in foul territory. Security guards quickly intervene to prevent a major skirmish. In the game itself, the Red Sox win 8–5.
Football: UEFA Champions League, Quarter-finals, second leg, progressing teams in bold:
*Bayern Munich 3 – 2 Chelsea
*Inter Milan – AC Milan – match abandoned after 75 minutes because of fan unrest, when AC Milan were leading 1–0. Result is pending decision of the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body, which may either let the result stand, or award the match 3–0 to AC Milan. Regardless of UEFA's final decision, AC Milan advance.
*England has the largest contingent, with 20 players; 14 of them played on the 2003 World Cup champions. Six Nations winner Wales has 10 players, Ireland has 11, and Scotland has three.
*England icon Jonny Wilkinson has been left off the team due to his current injuries, but may be added if his health and form allow.
*England's veteran back row of Lawrence Dallaglio, Neil Back and Richard Hill received their third Lions callups. Both Dallaglio and Back were called back from international retirement, and the 36-year-old Back becomes the oldest Lion ever.
Cricket: The first round of games in the 2005 English cricket season ends, with the most notable result being the MCC's victory over the Champion County, Warwickshire by 7 wickets at Lord's in what was effectively a Test trial.
* Buzzard's Bay, a 30–1 longshot, wins the Santa Anita Derby by a half-length over General John B. Sweet Catomine, a hopeful for the Kentucky Derby, finished fifth.
Ice hockey – Women's World Championship: The United States defeat Canada 3–1 in a penalty shootout to win the women's world hockey championship. It is Canada's first loss to the US in the history of the championships. The loss brings to an end their streak of eight consecutive championships. A ninth consecutive championship would have tied the Soviet men's team for most consecutive championships in ice hockey.
8 April 2005
Cricket:
* The 2005 English cricket season officially starts, as the champion county, Warwickshire take on the Marylebone Cricket Club at Lord's.
* The first Test cricket match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka at Napier ends in a draw after bad light stops play on the fifth day.
Football : As an April Fool's joke, Bayern Munich announces on its website that it is set to sign Real Madrid and England superstar and cultural icon David Beckham. A Bayern spokesman freely admitted to the hoax.
