PORTUGAL
Mourinho to be honored
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is to get a street in Setubal named after him in honor of his sporting achievements, the town hall of his hometown said on Thursday. Mourinho, the 50-year-old self-styled “Special One,” is arguably the most successful ever Portuguese coach. He has won league titles in four different countries with Porto, Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid, and has led teams to two UEFA Champions League trophies. Setubal town hall said in a statement it had made the decision because of Mourinho’s “extraordinary role in international sport.” “He is, in all fairness, one of the coaches in the world with the most prestige and qualification,” it said. The exact street or avenue has not yet been chosen, but the town hall’s general assembly voted unanimously to approve the naming.
ENGLAND
City youth player jailed
A Manchester City youth player broke down in tears on Thursday as he was jailed for 16 months for killing a brother and sister while speeding in his Mercedes in Manchester. A Manchester court heard that 18-year-old Courtney Meppen-Walter was driving at nearly double the speed limit of 30mph (48kph) when he hit a car carrying Kulwant Singh, 32, and his 37-year-old sister, Ravel Kaur. Both siblings, who hailed from the Manchester area, were killed, while Ravel Kaur’s two sons, aged 16 and 17, were injured. Meppen-Walter, who was also the captain of the England under-18 side, will serve half his sentence in custody, but may be released early and obliged to wear an electronic tag. The judge also banned him from driving for three years and ordered the sale of the car, with the proceeds to go to the injured passengers.
ITALY
El Shaarawy inks new deal
AC Milan have tied Stephan El Shaarawy to an improved deal that will see the club’s top striker remain with the Rossoneri until 2018, the Serie A club announced on Thursday. “Stephan El Shaarawy and Milan have confirmed today that the young striker’s contract has been extended,” a statement issued by the club said. El Shaarawy has been one of the few standout performers this season for a team that lost its backbone during a turbulent summer transfer period for the seven-time Italian champions. The scorer of 16 league goals so far, the Italy international — who has an Egyptian father and an Italian mother — helped keep Milan afloat during their worst ever start to a season in Serie A. Massimiliano Allegri’s side have since battled their way back up the table in recent months and now sit in fourth place ahead of their match with third-placed SS Lazio today.
ENGLAND
Injured toe rules out Nolan
West Ham United captain Kevin Nolan is set to miss today’s trip to Stoke City with a toe injury, the Premier League club’s assistant manager said on Thursday. The prolific 30-year-old midfielder aggravated the problem, which has plagued him all season, in Monday’s 3-2 home league defeat by Tottenham Hotspur. “We’re still waiting for the results to come back, his toe is very, very sore,” assistant manager Neil McDonald told the club’s Web site. “He’s had problems in the past with it, all season really, and he got a really good kick on it, so I imagine he won’t be available for Saturday, and then we’ll see how the results come back and see where he’s at.” Nolan had to be substituted 10 minutes before halftime against Spurs after struggling on for almost half an hour following a foul by midfielder Mousa Dembele, who was booked.
Shaquille O’Neal is staying with TNT Sports on a new contract worth more than US$15 million per year, Front Office Sports reported on Friday. The news means the cast of Inside the NBA is staying together even as TNT is set to license out the show to ESPN starting next season. TNT was the odd network out in the NBA’s recent TV rights negotiations, as NBC and Amazon joined previous rightsholder ESPN in inking deals for basketball games. That left TNT without a need for pregame and postgame NBA shows. In a trade with ESPN, TNT is licensing Inside the NBA to the
Juventus on Sunday stopped Inter from replacing SSC Napoli at the top of Serie A by beating their fierce rivals 1-0 and moving into the UEFA Champions League positions. Francisco Conceicao made sure that Napoli would stay two points ahead of reigning champions Inter by classily tucking home the winning goal 16 minutes before the end of an entertaining contest in Turin. Portugal attacker Conceicao netted his fourth goal of the season in all competitions after brilliant work from Randal Kolo Muani to give Juve a third straight league win. Juve are in fourth place on 46 points, ahead on goal-difference from SS
Eugenie Bouchard already has her own signature pickleball paddle. She is No. 17 in the pickleball rankings and constantly appears on the main court at events because she is always a big draw. However, just to be absolutely clear, she is not retired from tennis. The 2014 Wimbledon finalist still practices on the tennis court, still competes at tennis events and still has a Women’s Tennis Association ranking (No. 1,288). The Canadian standout just has a new sport that has caught her attention. Bouchard is one of several familiar tennis names — like Jack Sock and Donald Young — crossing over to
Stephen Curry and Jayson Tatum on Sunday combined for 27 points as Shaquille O’Neal’s “Team Shaq” cruised to victory in the new-look NBA All-Star game in San Francisco. Curry, playing on his home court at Golden State’s Chase Center, reeled off a string of trademark three-pointers to help his star-studded lineup coast to a 41-25 victory over Charles Barkley’s “Team Chuck.” Boston Celtics star Tatum finished with 15 points after delivering a dominant performance in a starting lineup that also included Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and James Harden. Team Shaq’s preparations for the game had been dealt a blow shortly before tip-off when