Barcelona's ANDRES INIESTA held off "a strong challenge" from LIONEL MESSI and CRISTIANO RONALDO
to be named UEFA's Best Player in Europe last season. The 28-year-old
won the live poll, conducted by journalists from each of UEFA's 53
member countries during the Champions League draw ceremony (REUTERS, 8/30).
OFF THE TEAM: Austrian Olympic swimmer DINKO JUKIC has been suspended for a year after making violent threats to team officials during the European Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. (KURIER, 8/29). ... Danish Cycling Union official SÖREN SVENNINGSEN "was fired after he failed a doping test at a senior cycling race" on June 30. The 47-year-old Svenningsen "had three forbidden substances in his system:" testosterone, corticosteroid and steroids (SÜDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG, 8/30). ... A performance by world-famous French tenor ROBERTO ALAGNA will open the Second Kazan Fall Int'l Opera Festival, which will launch a series of autumn music festivals that will form part of the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad (Sochi 2014). ... A hacker, who calls himself Padorowsky, has "breached the Twitter accounts of several football players," including Barça players DANI ALVES and JAVIER MASCHERANO. The hacker also appeared to access the accounts of ManU goalkeeper DAVID DE GEA and Manchester City striker SERGIO AGUERO (AP, 8/30). ... English footballer WAYNE ROONEY responded to rumors he may be leaving ManU by calling them "absolute rubbish" in a tweet. The tweet also suggested that the striker "sees his long-term future being at Old Trafford." Rooney posted: "Read the nonsense in the papers and heard what people have to say.absolute rubbish" (London GUARDIAN, 8/29).
