Vieira not keen to replace Wenger
LONDON • Patrick Vieira says he has no intention of leaving his current job at Major League Soccer (MLS) side New York City FC to replace Arsene Wenger as Arsenal manager.
The former captain told Britain's The Times in an interview that he was enjoying his role with New York, who are owned by the same parent group as Manchester City and are currently top of the MLS Eastern Conference.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
EU court gives Messi trademark clearance
LUXEMBOURG • Barcelona and Argentina star Lionel Messi won a European Union (EU) court battle yesterday to register his surname as a trademark to sell sports goods.
"The football player's fame counteracts the visual and phonetic similarities" with the name of a Spanish cycling gear manufacturer called Massi, which had challenged the trademark, the EU's second-highest court said.
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Lee favours change to scoring system
WUHAN (China) • Former world No. 1 shuttler Lee Chong Wei, 35, said on Wednesday that a new scoring system which uses best of five games and 11 points per game may help to extend his career.
The Badminton World Federation has been considering the new scoring system to reduce the average match length and increase the peak points to create more excitement.
XINHUA
Ibra will not play for Sweden at World Cup
STOCKHOLM • Star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who quit the Swedish national squad in 2016, will not make a comeback for the World Cup in Russia, the Swedish football federation said yesterday.
"Zlatan Ibrahimovic has previously said 'no' to playing on the national team and he hasn't changed his mind," the federation said in a statement after the player dropped numerous hints of a possible return.
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FA ponders details of $1.9b Wembley sale
LONDON • England's Football Association is in negotiations to sell Wembley Stadium to American billionaire Shahid Khan, the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars American football team and English Championship side Fulham.
The British media said the deal could be worth up to £1 billion (S$1.85 billion). Under the plan, the FA would keep Wembley as the main venue for major matches, including England internationals and the FA Cup final, but the national football team could play elsewhere in October and November due to clashes with the US National Football League season.
REUTERS
Nadal sweeps into Barca Open q-finals
BARCELONA• Men's tennis world No. 1 Rafael Nadal of Spain proved too good for compatriot Guillermo Garcia in a 6-1, 6-3 third-round win at the Barcelona Open yesterday.
World No. 5 Grigor Dimitrov and No. 7 Dominic Thiem also progressed, beating Malek Jaziri 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (10-8) and Jozef Kovalik 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 respectively.
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