FA issues apology to women footballers
LONDON • The Football Association made a public apology to England women's football internationals Eniola Aluko and Drew Spence yesterday for discriminatory comments made to them by former manager Mark Sampson.
The apology came just as a parliamentary inquiry was beginning in London, with senior FA officials facing questions over Sampson's alleged racism and bullying of Aluko.
Yet the statement also said that a probe found that Sampson, who was sacked by the FA last month for "inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour" in a previous job, was not racist.
REUTERS
Coach Zaccheroni takes over UAE reins
DUBAI • Former AC Milan and Japan football coach Alberto Zaccheroni is the new head coach of the United Arab Emirates.
Zaccheroni, who won the Italian Serie A title in 1999 with Milan and steered the Japanese to Asian Cup success in 2011 and the World Cup Finals in 2014, will take over from Argentina's Edgardo Bauza, who quit last month to take charge of World Cup-bound Saudi Arabia.
REUTERS
Beitia hangs up her high jump spikes
MADRID • Spanish high jumper Ruth Beitia, who wrote her name into the history books by becoming the oldest winner of an Olympic jumping event at Rio 2016, announced she was retiring yesterday.
The 38-year-old told a press conference in Santander, northern Spain that she had pushed her "body to the limit on many occasions" throughout her 21-year career.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Wallabies to play 3 Irish Tests next June
MELBOURNE • The Wallabies will host Ireland in three Tests next year, the Australian Rugby Union told reporters yesterday, marking the final June series before a shake-up of the global rugby calendar.
There will be no June Tests in 2019 due to the Rugby World Cup in Japan that autumn and the new global schedule comes online the following year, pushing the Test window to July to allow the Super Rugby tournament to be completed prior to the internationals.
The Wallabies will play the Irish, making their first trip Down Under since 2010, in Brisbane on June 9, Melbourne on the 16th and Sydney on the 23rd.
REUTERS
