The former Chinese owner of AC Milan has been added to China’s blacklist of untrustworthy individuals over millions of dollars in unpaid debt, according to a local court, which ordered that his passport be confiscated.

Li Yonghong emerged from obscurity to purchase one of Europe’s most high-profile and decorated football clubs from former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi in 2017.

He was one of dozens of wealthy Chinese investing in or simply buying up some of the sport’s biggest clubs after President Xi Jinping declared he wanted to turn China into a football superpower.

But Li’s control of AC Milan was plagued from the start and this summer a creditor took over the club.

The order from the Jingmen City Intermediate People’s Court in central China this autumn, made public in October, is the latest indication of Li’s declining fortunes.

Li was on the hook for 60 million yuan ($8.7 million) in unpaid debt to a Hubei province investment company, and a 12 million yuan ($1.7 million) penalty, according to the court.

But the court found no assets to seize and repay the creditor as Li had no bank deposits or cars registered in his name.

Instead, Li’s name was added to China’s national blacklist of untrustworthy individuals, which restricts people from travel by high-speed train and airplane, staying in pricey hotels, or getting a credit card.

As a Hong Kong resident, Li’s passport was ordered confiscated and he was prohibited from entering or exiting China, though his current whereabouts are unknown.

The $740 million deal for AC Milan faced payment problems, with Li’s bid secured only by a last minute, high-interest loan from a US hedge fund.

In July, Li’s group was unable to repay the loan and the hedge fund Elliot Management took control of the club.

Source: AFP

The IOC has picked its first African host of any Olympics, formally awarding the 2022 Youth Games to Senegal.

Senegal President Macky Sall was present on Monday to see International Olympic Committee members confirm the executive board’s preference from four candidates.

Senegal will host the youth games in three places: Dakar; a new city of Diamniadio, close to the capital; and the coastal resort of Saly.

Sall said a 50,000-seat Olympic Stadium will be built for the government-backed project.

The games budget is estimated at $150 million, the IOC executive director of Olympic Games, Christophe Dubi, said at a news conference.

Senegal’s games are likely to be held in late May. This would be at the end of the dry season to “greatly reduce the prevalence of tropical diseases,” IOC vice president Ugur Erdener told the membership.

Erdener pointed to Senegal’s “booming economy” and better conditions than the other bidders from Botswana, Nigeria and Tunisia.

The construction project includes a rail link and an athletes village which will become university accommodation.

“It is not required to have a detailed budget at this stage,” Erdener said, though noting that Senegal’s government has “full understanding of the magnitude” of its task.

One IOC member from Africa said the whole continent would share the responsibility of its first Olympics, comparing it to soccer’s 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

“In Africa, when a family organizes a party all the neighbors chip in and they help organizing the event,” said Lydia Nsekera of Burundi, who also sits on FIFA’s ruling council, responding to a fellow IOC member’s question about Senegal’s economic indicators.

“It doesn’t matter, everyone will be there to help President Macky Sall organize and stage these games.”

Nsekera is a candidate to lead the African group of national Olympic bodies, ANOCA, in an election next month.

The 2022 decision was taken at a two-day IOC meeting on the sidelines of the Buenos Aires Youth Olympics.

In reports by past and future Olympic organizing committees about their work, the Pyeongchang Winter Games reported an operating profit of $55 million.

Pyeongchang organizing president Lee Hee-beom said the games in South Korea beat its target from sponsorship and donations, and raised almost $1 billion.

The IOC executive board has agreed to give its share of the surplus to sports in South Korea.

Three Pyeongchang venues still lack a long-term plan for use, including two skating arenas and the Alpine skiing downhill course. The slope at Jeongseon was promised to be replanted with trees and restored as a forest.

“This obviously has always been a concern,” Dubi said of the legacy planning. “It has been the case for many months and it will continue to be the case.”

Organizers of the 2024 Paris Olympics said they hope to propose new sports for its medal program to the IOC “early next year.”

AP

Brighton and Hove Albion player Gaetan Bong has pleaded guilty to speeding at 90mph in a 70mph zone.

Crawley magistrates heard the 30-year-old was caught breaking the limit in his Land Rover on the A27 in Shoreham, West Sussex on 29 December.

The court was told the defender, from Cameroon, was travelling back from training. His solicitor pleaded guilty on his behalf as he was not in court.

Bong was fined £667 plus costs, and given three points on his licence. He already had six points before this offence.

‘Too fast’

In court, Bong’s solicitor Mark Haslam said the footballer “offers his apologies”.

“He was travelling back from training in the middle of the day,” said Mr Haslam. “He was driving too fast – I accept that on his behalf.”

Another charge – of failing to respond to a court summons – was dropped after it emerged that while Bong had submitted paperwork to the court, the details had not been logged.

Bong joined Brighton from Wigan in July 2015 and has since made 72 league appearances. He has also played for Olympiakos and Valenciennes in Greece and France respectively.

Source: BBC

Seventeen people including 15 cyclists, one driver and one race commissioner were injured after a coaster bus transporting international cyclists, Honore Yossi, president of Cameroon Cycling Federation said on Saturday.

The accident occurred early Saturday at a place called “Memiam” on the Mbalmayo-Zoetele highway, Yossi said.

“The 17 victims were immediately transported by ambulances of the caravan to Mbalmayo District Hospital where they were placed under the care of doctors and nurses. No one died. The victims sustained minor injuries,” Yossi said.

He said, the incident will not interrupt the competition.

“The teams from Rwanda and Burkina Faso have left the hospital and are now observing in Yaounde. The Ivoirians have decided to continue the race. The competition continues for the other runners,” Yossi said.

The 18th edition of the International Cycling Tour of Cameroon dubbed Grand Prix Chantal Biya started on Wednesday. 10 teams from Europe and Africa are taking part in the competition that ends on September 30.

The tour is organized by Cameroon Cycling Federation under the supervision of International Cycling Union.

Source: Xinhuanet

Croatian international and Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has been named the best footballer for the year 2018 by football’s world governing body, FIFA. Modric beat off competition from Egypt and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and his former teammate and Portuguese captain Cristiano Ronaldo.

Modric, was an integral part of Madrid’s Champions League winning team, before leading his national side to runners-up position at the 2018 World Cup. He has adjudged the best player at the tournament in Russia.

It is the second major award that Modric has beaten the duo to. In August this year at an event in Monaco, Modric was named Europe’s best player.

The awards were presented at this season’s Champions’ League group-stage draw. The trophy returned to Madrid given that the holder till then was Ronaldo, who left Madrid to join Turin side, Juventus.

The Portuguese, who has three wins in total, and is the only player to have made the shortlist every year since UEFA created the award in 2011.

Salah’s one win, double loss

Egyptian international Mohamed Salah won the best goal award at the 2018 FIFA top awards ceremony. The event took place in London on Monday evening.

The Liverpool player’s goal against Merseyside rivals, Everton, in the Premier League was adjudged the best goal and winner of the Puskas Award.

The FIFA Puskás Award is an award established on 20 October 2009 at the behest of then-president Sepp Blatter, in order to award the player, male or female, judged to have scored the most aesthetically significant, or “most beautiful”, goal of the year.

Others awards given out so far are:

Didier Deschamps, Winner of #TheBest FIFA Men’s Coach 2018

Thibaut Courtois, Winner of #TheBest FIFA Goalkeeper 2018

Reynald Pedros, Winner of #TheBest FIFA Women’s Coach 2018

Kylian Mbappe, Winner of #TheBest FIFA Young Player 2018

Peru fans, Winner of #TheBest FIFA Fan Award 2018

Lennart Thy, Winner of The FIFA Fair Play Award 2018

Marta, Winner of #TheBest FIFA Women’s Player 2018

Culled from Africa News

Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge has set a new marathon world record, winning the Berlin race in 2 hours, 1 minute and 39 seconds on Sunday.

The Kenyan defended his title in the German capital, pulling ahead of his competitors early on amid perfect running conditions.

He broke the previous world record set in Berlin by fellow Kenyan Dennis Kimetto in 2014 by 1 minute and 18 seconds. Race organizers initially timed Kipchoge a second slower, but later corrected the time.

Berlin debutant Amos Kipruto came second in 2 hours, 6 minutes and 23 seconds, followed by a third Kenyan, former world-record holder Wilson Kipsang, who was 25 seconds behind.

“I lack words to describe this day,” Kipchoge said after winning the race.

“They say you miss two times but you can’t miss the third time,” he said in reference to his two previous failed attempts to break the world record in Berlin.

Shogo Nakamura of Japan narrowly missed setting a new national record with a time of 2 hours, 8 minutes and 16 seconds.

Gladys Cherono won the women’s race in 2 hours, 18 minutes and 11 seconds, a new women’s record for the Berlin marathon. The Kenyan finished ahead of Ethiopians Rutia Aga and Tirunesh Dibaba.

(AP)

An Australian cartoonist faced withering criticism on Tuesday for portraying tennis superstar Serena Williams using — what Harry Potter author JK Rowling described as — “racist and sexist tropes”.

Mark Knight’s caricature, published in Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper on Monday, showed a butch and fat-lipped Williams throwing a temper tantrum at the US Open.

In the midst of losing Saturday’s final, the 23-time Grand Slam champion smashed her racquet and called the umpire a “thief” and a “liar”.

She was deducted a point and received a US$17,000 fine, stirring the tennis world and sparking a broader debate about double standards toward men and women in the sport.

In Knight’s cartoon, Williams was seen jumping up and down having spat out a dummy as the umpire asks Haitian-Japanese tournament winner Naomi Osaka “can’t you just let her win?”.

Knight, who has a reputation for controversial cartoons, was pilloried from far and wide for his portrayal — including by a member of the US Congress and a large portion of the 22,000 people who commented on his Twitter post showing the drawing.

The detractors included author JK Rowling, who said: “Well done on reducing one of the greatest sportswomen alive to racist and sexist tropes and turning a second great sportswoman into a faceless prop.”

Knight responded to the criticism by pointing out that he had drawn an unflattering portrayal of Australian male tennis star Nick Kyrgios “behaving badly”.

“Don’t bring gender into it when it’s all about behaviour,” he said. Michael Miller, executive chairman of News Corp Australasia, which publishes the Melbourne’s Herald Sun, defended his cartoonist.

“Criticism of Mark Knight’s Serena Williams cartoon shows the world has gone too PC & misunderstands the role of news media cartoons and satire,” he said.

“Poor behaviour in any sport needs to be called out.”

The Washington Post ran a searing post about Knight’s cartoon, calling it “racist” and reminiscent of the era of racial segregation in the United States.

“Knight draws facial features reflecting the dehumanizing Jim Crow caricatures so common in the 19th and 20th centuries,” commentator Michael Cavna wrote.

Other US media pointed out that Osaka was portrayed as petite and feminine with jet blonde straight hair — in real life she has dark curly hair with blonde streaks and is taller than Williams.

Australia is a highly multicultural country, but also sees frequent public dust-ups about the use of racially and sexually loaded language. William’s loss cost her a chance to equal Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam titles.

During the match she was given three code violations by Carlos Ramos — the first for receiving coaching, the second for racquet abuse and the third for verbal abuse of the umpire. The second and third violations earned Williams a point penalty and then a game penalty, giving Osaka a 5-3 second-set lead that effectively gifted her the title.

AFP

Voices in the tennis world have spoken out both in support and condemnation of US tennis champion Serena Williams after the angry outburst that cost her a game, and possibly the match, during her US Open final on Saturday.

Williams’ behaviour divided the tennis world after she called the chair umpire a “liar” and a “thief” and said he treated her differently than male players during her loss to Naomi Osaka of Japan.

Rallying in support of the 23-time Grand Slam champion, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) on Monday called for the equal treatment of all tennis players, male or female.

“The WTA believes that there should be no difference in the standards of tolerance provided to the emotions expressed by men vs. women and is committed to working with the sport to ensure that all players are treated the same. We do not believe that this was done last night,” CEO Steve Simon said in a statement.

Williams, who was seeking a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam singles title on Saturday, was given three code violations by chair umpire Carlos Ramos in her 6-2, 6-4 loss to Osaka. The six-time US Open champion was handed a warning for a coaching violation before being deducted a point for smashing her racquet. She then had a heated argument with Ramos, which cost her a game.

Williams, who has since been fined $17,000 by the United States Tennis Association for the violations, vigorously disputed each of them during the match.

Support and condemnation

In the wake of Osaka’s first Grand Slam triumph, there were messages of support for Williams as well as those condemning her behaviour and agreeing with the umpire’s calls.

Tennis great Billy Jean King wrote on Twitter: “When a woman is emotional, she’s ‘hysterical’ and she’s penalized for it. When a man does the same, he’s ‘outspoken’ and there are no repercussions. Thank you, @serenawilliams, for calling out this double standard. More voices are needed to do the same.”

Yet Australian Margaret Court, whose tally of Grand Slam singles titles is being chased by Williams, had little sympathy for the 36-year-old American former world number one.

“We always had to go by the rules,” Court, who dominated tennis during the 1960s and early 1970s, said according to a report in The Australian.

“It’s sad for the sport when a player tries to become bigger than the rules. “Because the young player outplayed her in the first set, I think pressure got her more than anything.”

Racquet smash

The drama started when Ramos handed Williams a coaching violation early in the second set because of hand gestures made from the stands by her coach Patrick Mouratoglou. He later admitted the offence, which is not allowed in the sport but is rarely punished.

When the violation was announced Williams approached Ramos to insist she never takes coaching and would rather lose than “cheat to win”.

Things seemed to settle down as Williams went on to break Osaka for a 3-1 lead, but she gave the break right back in the next game with a pair of double faults, prompting the former champion to smash her racquet on the court.

That resulted in a second violation, meaning Osaka was awarded the first point of the sixth game. Williams, who was under the impression the first violation had been rescinded, returned to Ramos to seek an apology for saying she had received coaching earlier.

During a changeover, Williams resumed her argument with the umpire, this time saying he was attacking her character and was a “thief”. That triggered a third violation, which resulted in a game penalty that gave Osaka a 5-3 lead.

From there, Williams summoned the tournament referee to the court and said male tennis players are not punished for similar offences.

‘Williams was wrong’

Tennis great John McEnroe, one of the game’s most tempestuous characters in his playing days, said the sport must find a way to allow players to express feelings and inject their personality into the game while adhering to certain rules.

According to McEnroe, Ramos should not have given Williams a violation for breaking her racquet and should have warned her early on about what would happen if she did not move on.

“I’ve said far worse,” McEnroe, a seven-times Grand Slam singles winner, said on ESPN. “She’s right about the guys being held to a different standard, there’s no question.”

Yet Richard Ings, a former professional chair umpire who also used to be the ATP Tour Executive Vice-President, Rules and Competition, felt it was Williams who needed to apologise.

Ings once issued a warning, point penalty and a game penalty against McEnroe at the 1987 US Open for obscenities directed at the umpire.

“We should not let her record, as glowing as it is, overshadow the fact that on this day, in this match Williams was wrong,” Ings wrote in The Sydney Morning Herald.

“The decisions made by Ramos had nothing to do with sexism or racism. They had everything to do with observing clear breaches of the grand slam code of conduct and then having the courage to call them without fear or favour.”

(FRANCE24 with Reuters and AP)