Renowned Scottish coach Smith dies at 73

Walter Smith, the Scottish soccer coach who won 10 league titles with Rangers and also led the national team, has died. He was 73.

Rangers announced the death on Tuesday, with chairman Douglas Park saying the “club legend” had been battling illness.

“It is almost impossible to encapsulate what Walter meant to every one of us at Rangers,” Park said. “He embodied everything that a Ranger should be. His character and leadership was second to none.”

Smith had two spells as Rangers manager, the first from 1991-98 when he won seven straight Scottish league titles as well as three Scottish Cups and three Scottish League Cups.

He returned in 2007 and won three straight league titles from 2009, five domestic cups, and guided Rangers to the UEFA Cup final in 2008.

In between his stints at Ibrox, Smith managed Premier League club Everton from 1998-2002, had a short period as assistant to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, and took charge of the Scottish national team from 2004-07.

• The German soccer league (DFL) says more than 90% of players, coaches and staff from the 36 clubs in the Bundesliga and second division have received vaccines against the coronavirus.

The DFL said Tuesday that the figure is based on voluntary information provided by the clubs and that it does not have specific information on individuals, whether they have received one or two doses or which manufacturer’s vaccine they received.

• The owners of Kansas City’s professional women’s soccer team announced they plan to build a $70 million stadium for the team.

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