UNITED STATES
Kissinger tapped by FIFA
FIFA president Sepp Blatter is counting on former US state secretary Henry Kissinger to help clean up the tarnished image of world soccer’s governing body through new transparency and corporate governance policies. An avid soccer fan, Kissinger is scheduled to advise FIFA’s ethics committee after months of explosive corruption allegations. “Although Dr Kissinger has not yet received a formal request, he did receive an exploratory letter from FIFA president Blatter ... inviting him to join a ‘council of wisdom,’” Kissinger’s spokeswoman Jessee Leporin said on Thursday. The 88-year-old worked on the failed bid to bring the 2018 or 2022 World Cup to the US.
ARGENTINA
Fan throws punch at Messi
A man threw a punch at Lionel Messi on Thursday as the Barcelona star was signing autographs and meeting with fans in his hometown, according to witnesses. The star forward played down the incident, which took place in the town of Rosario, about 300km north of Buenos Aires, telling local media he didn’t feel a thing and only found out about the punch later. Witnesses said the assailant was among a group of young people who had gathered to get autographs and that he pulled a hood over his head and ran away after the attack. Local residents said he was likely a fan of local club Rosario Central, the archrivals of Newell’s Old Boys, a team Messi, 23, once played for.
ENGLAND
Mark Hughes quits Fulham
Mark Hughes resigned as manager of Fulham on Thursday and immediately brushed off speculation linking him with the vacancy at Premier League rivals Aston Villa. Birmingham club Villa were left without a manager after former France boss Gerard Houllier stepped down on Wednesday following a heart scare. Fulham finished eighth, one place above Villa, last season and Hughes was immediately touted as the man to replace Houllier.
POLAND
Player probed over racism
Prosecutors on Thursday said they had opened a case against Patryk Malecki of newly crowned champions Wisla Krakow over alleged racist abuse against an African player from archrivals Cracovia. “This investigation relates to public insults on the grounds of race,” prosecutors’ office spokeswoman Boguslawa Marcinkowska was quoted as saying by PAP news agency. Malecki’s alleged verbal attack on fellow winger Saidi Ntibazonkiza, who hails from Burundi, came in the opening minutes of the second Krakow derby of the season on May 15. Malecki has already been fined an undisclosed sum by Wisla, who have themselves been hit with a 5,000 zloty (US$1,820) penalty by the first division’s disciplinary body.
ENGLAND
Irons bid no joke: Fernandes
Entrepreneur Tony Fernandes hit back furiously yesterday after West Ham United dismissed his offer for a controlling stake as “two bob” and “bizarre.” Fernandes, who owns budget airline AirAsia and Formula One’s Team Lotus, said his bid — announced on Twitter — was not a joke or a publicity stunt, but would have boosted the team after their relegation from the Premier League. “Make up your mind Sullivan and Gold. One minute you say no offer, then you say it’s a joke offer. It was a good offer with good money and brought in good people,” Fernandes tweeted, referring to co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold.
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
Taiwanese e-sports veteran Lin “ET” Chia-hung yesterday successfully defended his King of Fighters XV title at this year’s Evolution Championship Series: Japan (EVO Japan), securing his second consecutive championship. Lin claimed victory with a 3-1 win over Japanese pro gamer “mok” in the grand final, repeating his earlier 3-1 win against the same opponent in the winners’ final. The 40-year-old earned a ￥1 million (US$6,897) cash prize at the two-day tournament, which drew 294 competitors. Mok, Lin’s toughest rival in the bracket, took home ￥400,000 as runner-up. Lin remains undefeated in match sets against mok in King of Fighters XV, holding a 10-0 record,
Batting great Virat Kohli yesterday announced his immediate retirement from Test cricket, just days before India name their squad for a tour to England. Kohli, who scored 9,230 runs in 123 matches at an average of 46.85, posted his decision on Instagram five days after India captain Rohit Sharma called time on his own Test career. Since making his debut in 2011, Kohli struck 30 hundreds and 31 fifties with a highest score of 254 not out, mainly batting at number four in the order. “It’s been 14 years since I first wore the baggy blue in Test cricket,” the
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