Messi's Legal Troubles and Tennis Match-Fixing in the News of the Week

January 25, 2016 23:45

1/13 Lionel Messi and Javier Mascherano remain legal problems in Spain. In other sports, men's tennis is involved in a major scandal.
2/13 Messi's trial for tax fraud set for three days after Champions League final: Lionel Messi’s trial for tax fraud will start just three days after the Champions League final, a Catalan court decided. The final of European football’s showpiece even will be on May 28 in Milan, with Messi and his father, Jorge, then cited to appear in court between May 31 and June 3. They are accused of defrauding Spain’s tax office of €4.1 million between 2007 and 2009. Jorge Messi is at the centre of the alleged unlawful activities - and he could face a possible prison sentence of 18 months - but authorities claimed the Barca star knew enough to also be named in the case.
3/13 Mascherano confirms tax agreement and will avoid prison sentence: Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano has released a statement in which he says he has reached an agreement with Spanish authorities concerning charges of tax fraud. The Argentina international appeared in court in an effort to avoid a custodial sentence being handed down as a result of two counts of tax evasion. Mascherano had failed to declare earnings in 2011 and 2012 which amounted to €1.5million.
4/13 Sampaoli steps down as Chile boss: Jorge Sampaoli has stepped down as coach of Chile in the wake of a disagreement with newly elected Football Federation of Chile (ANFP) president Arturo Salah. Sampaoli became unsettled following the resignation of former ANFP president Sergio Jadue in November amid a corruption investigation during which he also came under the spotlight.
5/13 Colombia 'great' Yepes retires: Former Colombia team captain Mario Alberto Yepes officially announced his retirement, putting an end to a career of more than 20 years and nine clubs. "I would like to thank all the people who have supported me as a player and now I will look on the horizon for opportunities that may arise," Yepes said during a news conference in Cali.
6/13 Athletic 1-2 Barcelona: Munir & Neymar put Catalans on top after first leg: First-half goals from Munir El Haddadi and Neymar gave Barcelona a slender lead in their Copa del Rey quarter-final tie against an aggressive Athletic Bilbao with a 2-1 first-leg win at the San Mames. Munir slotted home from Ivan Rakitic's exquisite cross with 18 minutes played. Midway through the half Neymar capitalised on goalkeeper Iago Herrerin's failure to claim a pass Aritz Aduriz scored late on to raise Athletic's hopes ahead of next week's return encounter.
7/13 Celta 0-0 Atletico Madrid: All square in tense Copa del Rey clash: A frustrating performance saw Atletico Madrid held to a disappointing 0-0 draw at the hands of Celta in the first leg of their Copa del Rey quarter-final. Atletico found life harder, with the hosts enjoying the better of a tightly contested first half. The 0-0 leaves open the qualifier for the second leg, that will be played at the Calderon.
8/13 PSG 2-1 Toulouse: Ibrahimovic sends holders into last 16: Zlatan Ibrahimovic came off the bench to fire Paris Saint-Germain into the last 16 of the Coupe de France, though the holders had to come from behind to record a 2-1 win over Toulouse. Toulouse shocked their hosts by taking an early lead, defender Francois Moubandje starting and finishing a move that badly exposed PSG's broken offside trap. David Luiz levelled matters with a powerful header before Ibrahimovic grabbed the winner, keeping his cool from the spot after Layvin Kurzawa had been tripped in the area by Uros Spajic.
9/13 Mancini accuses Sarri of racism and homophobia: Inter boss Roberto Mancini accused Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri of using homophobic language during their Coppa Italia quarter-final. The former Manchester City manager also labelled Sarri "a racist" after goals from Stevan Jovetic and Adem Ljajic sent Inter into the semi-finals. Following Ljajic's late strike to seal the win, Mancini and Sarri clashed on the touchline at the San Paolo. Mancini alleged in his post-match television interview that Sarri had used Italian homophobic slurs "frocio" and "finocchio" towards him - describing the Napoli boss as "shameful".
10/13 Sarri handed two-game Coppa Italia ban over homophobic comments: Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri has been given a two-game Coppa Italia suspension and a €20,000 fine for comments made to Inter counterpart Roberto Mancini during their quarter-final meeting. Mancini and Sarri clashed on the touchline in the closing stages of their encounter at the San Paolo after goals from Stevan Jovetic and Adem Ljajic sent Inter into the last four with a 2-0 win. The Inter coach alleged after the game that Sarri had directed Italian homophobic slurs "frocio" and "finocchio" towards him - describing the Napoli boss as "shameful" and "a racist".
11/13 Copa America Centenario Draw date announced: The teams for Copa America Centenario are set, and now we have an official draw date. The teams will be drawn on Sunday, February 21. The draw will take place at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Staged outside of South America for the first time, Copa America will be in the United States starting June 3rd. The tournament will take place in stadiums throughout the United States, culminating in the finals June 26th at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
12/13 16 leading tennis players suspected of match-fixing: There was only one thing on people's lips as the Australian Open first round got underway, before so much as a single serve had been delivered. The subject in question was the seismic match-fixing story broken by BuzzFeed and the BBC, which speaks of a group of 16 leading players - all of whom have been ranked in the top 50 of the world at some point - who have repeatedly been involved in matches considered suspicious.
13/13 2016 NBA All-Star Starters: Finally, Kobe Bryant's contribution to basketball has been recognized by fans after he was selected for the starting berth at next month's prestigious 2016 NBA All-Star Game in Toronto. Joining Bryant on the Western team are Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs. LeBron James will make his 12th All-Star Game appearance for the Eastern Conference. The Cleveland Cavaliers forward will be joined by Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks, Miami Heat's Chris Bosh, Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors and Paul George of the Indiana Pacers.