Best of the Rest
Fiorentina general manager dies:
Fiorentina general manager Joe Barone has died following a cardiac arrest, the club said Tuesday. He was 57.
Barone fell ill on Sunday at the team hotel, shortly before Fiorentina’s match at Atalanta, and was rushed to a hospital in Milan. The Serie A match was subsequently postponed. Barone died at San Raffaele Hospital.
“It is with deep sorrow and immense sadness that Fiorentina confirms the loss of one of its figureheads, a person who has marked the recent history of the club and who will never be forgotten,” the club said in a statement.
“Everyone associated with Fiorentina are utterly devastated by the terrible loss of a man who showed great professionalism and gave his heart and soul for these colors. He was a treasured friend who always stayed strong in the happiest and, above all, the most difficult moments. The entire Viola world sends its heartfelt condolences to Giuseppe’s wife Camilla, his children and the entire Barone family during this time of immense sorrow.”
Barone was born in Italy but raised in New York. His wife, Camilla, rushed up from Florence on Sunday and his four children arrived from the United States on Monday morning.
Two weeks ago, Fiorentina marked the six-year anniversary of the death of captain Davide Astori, who was found dead in his hotel room after a cardiac arrest before a match at Udinese.
Fiorentina’s next match is on March 30 at home against AC Milan. (AP)
❑ ❑ ❑ Mushfiqur out injured:
Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim was ruled out of the test series against Sri Lanka by a broken thumb sustained in their one-day international.
Mushfiqur was busy on Monday making four catches and figuring in a run out, and finishing 37 not out as Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by four wickets to seal the ODI series 2-1.
He made 135 runs in the series but most importantly gave the batting lineup stability in the absence of Shakib Al Hasan.
A test player since 2005, Mushfiqur is Bangladesh’s leading run-scorer with 5,676 runs and 10 centuries in 88 matches.
Bangladesh physio Bayjedul Islam Khan confirmed Mushfiqur incurred a contusion on his right thumb while keeping. X-rays revealed a fracture.
“He is undergoing conservative management for his injury and is expected to be sidelined for around three to four weeks, consequently ruling him out of participation in the test series against Sri Lanka,” Khan said. The first of two tests starts on Friday in Sylhet. (AP)
❑ ❑ ❑ ‘Remove Mazepin from list’:
The General Court of the European Union on Wednesday said ex-Formula One driver Nikita Mazepin should be removed from the EU list of persons subjected to restrictive measures for their role in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Mazepin was added to the list of people sanctioned by the 27-nation bloc two years ago, in the wake of Russia’s invasion, because of his father’s connections to the Kremlin. He subsequently lost his F1 seat with Haas.
The EU has imposed several rounds of sanctions on Russia since President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine. The measures have targeted the energy sector, banks, the world’s biggest diamond mining company, businesses and markets, and made Russian officials subject to asset freezes and travel bans.
Among the individuals targeted are Mazepin and his father Dmitry, the owner and chief executive of the mineral fertilizer company Uralchem.
Nikita Mazepin claimed the EU made an error of assessment when he was sanctioned. The court ruled in his favor, saying in a statement “the family connection with his father, Russian businessperson Dmitry Mazepin, is not sufficient for him to be regarded as being linked to his father by common interests and, therefore, for him to be maintained on those lists.” (AP)