FROM THE WORLD OF FOOTBALL
1 USWNT lifts CONCACAF Gold Cup
USWNT beat Brazil in the final and lifted the inaugural CONCACAF Women’s Gold Cup in California. Skipper Lindsey Horan headed home in first-half injury time and scored the solitary goal of the night courtesy of an inviting deep cross to the back post by Emily Fox.
2 Messi’s Barcelona contract napkin on auction
The napkin, which has the contract that secured 13-year-old Lionel Messi for Barcelona, will now be sold in an online auction at Bonhams, a privately owned auction house based in London, on behalf of Argentine agent Horacio Gaggioli. The auction is set to begin on March 18 and will run until March 27. The starting bid is about $380,000 and the prized possession is expected to fetch up to $635,000.
3 PSG’S third draw in a row comes after a disappointing stalemate against lowly Reims
Ligue 1 leader Paris Saint-germain was held to a 2-2 home draw by ninth-placed Reims. Coach Luis Enrique benched top-scorer Kylian Mbappe, who played only the last 20 minutes. This was the third league draw in a row for the French giant as it lost crucial points in the table.
4 Ancelotti accused of alleged tax fraud
Spanish state prosecutors have accused Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti of alleged tax fraud, claiming he set up a “confusing” system of shell companies to hide his extra earnings during his first stint at the club.
Prosecutors are accusing Ancelotti of two accounts of tax fraud having defrauded 1 million euros in 2014 and 2015, which would be punishable with four years and nine months of prison.
“I already paid the fine, the money is with them, and now the lawyers are talking to try to find a solution,” says Ancelotti.
5 Klopp vs Guardiola, one final time
The two coaches met for possibly the last time in the Premier League in a nail-biting 1-1 stalemate at Anfield between Liverpool and Manchester City. The legendary rivalry began in the Bundesliga during Klopp’s tenure at Borussia Dortmund and Guardiola’s at Bayern Munich, extending to the Premier League until Klopp’s imminent departure from the Reds at the end of this season.
6 Kane hat-trick breaks records as Bayern humbles Mainz 8-1
Harry Kane scored a hat-trick in Bayern Munich’s 8-1 demolition of Mainz 05 to set several Bundesliga records. Kane became the first man to score four hat-tricks and also the first player to score at least twice in eight different games in a debut Bundesliga season.
He also equalled Uwe Seeler’s record for most goals in a debut Bundesliga campaign by lifting his tally to 30.
7 Italian Football Federation president Gravina under investigation
Gabriele Gravina, the president of the Italian Football Federation, is under investigation by prosecutors for suspected embezzlement and money laundering related to the auction of TV rights.
Gravina is accused of illegally using money from the TV rights auction in 20182, when he led the third division, for the sale of a collection of medieval books and the purchase of a home in Milan.