SportsWorld: Rooney wins libel battle with Vardy

LONDON • Coleen Rooney, the wife of former Manchester United forward Wayne, was right in her 2019 accusation that Rebekah Vardy, the spouse of one of his former England teammates, Jamie, had leaked stories to the media about her, London's High Court ruled yesterday.

Judge Karen Steyn said in her ruling that Rooney had successfully proved her allegation was "substantially true" and that Vardy's libel claim had failed. The legal costs for either party have been estimated at more than £1 million (S$1.7 million).

REUTERS

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Kounde set to be Barca's fifth signing

BARCELONA• • France centre-back Jules Kounde has agreed on a move to Barcelona from La Liga rivals Sevilla, both clubs announced on Thursday, without giving details on the length or cost of the deal.

According to Spanish media, the deal for the 23-year-old, who had been linked with Chelsea, is worth €50 million (S$70.4 million) before add-ons. Kounde will be Barcelona's fifth major summer signing after Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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Fenerbahce fans slammed over chant

ISTANBUL • Ukraine's envoy to Turkey on Thursday expressed "sadness" over a chant in support of Vladimir Putin, following the Russian President's invasion of Ukraine in late February.

The song rang out at a Champions League qualifying-round match in Istanbul involving Dynamo Kyiv and Fenerbahce, who were knocked out 2-1 on aggregate. Uefa said on Thursday it will start a disciplinary investigation against the Turkish club for failing to control their fans.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE