WORLD OF SPORT
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Ronaldo reveals why he bought Spanish team Former Real Madrid and Brazil forward Ronaldo has opened up about his decision to purchase Spanish side Real Valladolid earlier this year. The former Fifa world player of the year purchased a 51 percent stake in the club in September and admits it was a perfect fit from the off. “I was looking for something to do for two years, I looked for a team to buy in Spain and England, and Valladolid was like a gift,” he said. “Not only is it a club with 90 years of history behind it, it’s a city with 300,000 inhabitants and is a place that breathes football and all this means it has huge potential. To be able to inspire people is better than score a hattrick against Barcelona. I found exactly what I wanted and I’ve got a lot to give them, too.” Meanwhile, he confessed that he is trying to use his contacts at former club Real to secure some signatures, not least that of Vinicius Junior, the Brazilian teenager, on loan. “I’ve asked Florentino Perez if we can have him, but I think it might be difficult!”
French rugby club ‘in mourning’ after death
A teenage rugby player with French side Stade Francais has died after breaking his neck during a game on Sunday. Nicolas Chauvin, 19, suffered the injury after a tackle early in a youth match at Bordeaux. The injury led to Chauvin suffering a cardiac arrest due to a lack of oxygen, and, despite being taken to hospital to undergo emergency surgery, he died on Wednesday. A statement released by Stade Francais read: “It is with great sadness that the Stade Francais Paris announces the death of Nicolas Chauvin, young hopeful of the club, who died tonight at CHU Pellegrin in Bordeaux. Stade Francais Paris is in mourning.”
Women now back on track for the Cresta Run
Women will now be allowed to race down the iconic Cresta Run track in Switzerland this season after an 89-year ban was overturned. They had been allowed to race on equal terms with men until the 1920s when it was deemed too dangerous. However, at a St Moritz Tobogganing Club meeting members voted by a two-thirds majority to allow women to ride the Cresta Run again and become members. “It’s a good step forward,” GB skeleton racer Jerry Rice told BBC Sport. “They are moving forward and I agree that it’s time for the women to be able to slide like the men. I look forward to seeing women on the run. It’s a nerve-wracking experience. I got into Cresta through my dad, who was a member and had been for a number of years. That’s how I got into skeleton.”