Nastase not welcome at Wimbledon
LONDON • Former Romanian tennis player Ilie Nastase will not be welcome at this year's Wimbledon championships and could be stopped at the gate if he tries to attend, the organisers said yesterday.
The 70-year-old former French and US Open champion is provisionally banned from all International Tennis Federation events after hurling allegedly racist and sexist comments during Romania's Fed Cup tie with Britain last month.
REUTERS
UK group slams Muntari's ban
LONDON • Britain's Kick It Out anti-discrimination group called Italy's football authorities "gutless", after Pescara midfielder Sulley Muntari's ban for walking off the pitch at Cagliari after being subjected to racist abuse from the fans.
Serie A's disciplinary committee banned the Ghanaian for one game and also said no action would be taken against Cagliari because only around 10 supporters were involved in abusing Muntari.
REUTERS
New penalty-taking system being tested
ZURICH • A new penalty shootout system, known as ABBA, similar to the tennis tie-break will be tested at the European Under-17 football championship, which began in Croatia yesterday.
It is designed to prevent the team that goes second from the psychological disadvantage of always having to play catch-up - and involves team A taking the first penalty, team B the second and third, team A the fourth and fifth and so on until each team had taken five.
REUTERS
Unwell Lennon being sent for treatment
LONDON • Everton and former England midfielder Aaron Lennon is receiving treatment for a stress- related illness, the English football club confirmed.
The winger was taken to hospital on Sunday to be assessed after police officers assisted him on a busy road in Salford, Greater Manchester.
THE GUARDIAN
Gunners and Spurs eye Nice star Seri
LONDON • Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have both expressed an interest in signing Ivory Coast international Jean Michael Seri.
Seri has been brilliant this season in Nice's surprise challenge for the French Ligue One title and impressed again during the 3-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday.
THE GUARDIAN
