Bundesliga Borussia Dortmund star player MARIO GÖTZE "will transfer to Bayern Munich in the summer." The Bundesliga champion will pay a transfer fee of €37M ($48M) for the 20-year-old midfielder. Götze "has reportedly signed a long-term contract with the Munich team" (BILD, 4/23). ... Bayern Munich President ULI HOENEß "has showed a first sign of remorse" after he indicted himself for having a Swiss account. Hoeneß: "I've realized I made a big mistake, and with the self-indictment I try to rectify it. I want to clear things up. The law offers this possibility" (BILD, 4/23). ... New Zealander JOE SCHMIDT "appears set to get the Irish rugby coaching job, confirming a positive interview and a liking for the terms that come with the position." British media "are suggesting an appointment could be confirmed by the end of the week" as Ireland looks to replace rugby coach DECLAN KIDNEY (FAIRFAX NZ NEWS, 4/23). ... EPL Queens Park Rangers goalkeeper JULIO CESAR "is facing a hefty fine after being pictured wearing a Chelsea shirt" at Chelsea defender DAVID LUIZ’s birthday party. On Monday, Luiz "celebrated turning 26 with several team-mates and fellow Brazilian Cesar in attendance" (London EVENING STANDARD, 4/23). ... Thai football club BEC Tero Sasana has sacked coach STEPHANE DEMOL and appointed CHOKETAWEE PROMRUT as caretaker boss. GM ROBERT PROCUREUR said that "the club parted company with Demol because the executive board did not like his style of coaching" (BANGKOK POST, 4/23). ... Former Polish F1 driver ROBERT KUBICA "has been conducting secret Formula One tests at the wheel of Mercedes' sophisticated driver simulator" (F1SA, 4/23). ... Paralympian TANNI GREY-THOMPSON "was overlooked as the new chair of Sport England" amid claims that her appointment, which had orginally been approved by the selection panel, would have been "too political." The job went instead to London Marathon CEO NICK BITEL for whom Grey-Thompson "had originally acted as referee" (London INDEPENDENT, 4/23).
SPOT-FIXING SCANDAL: The Int'l Cricket Council has asked banned pair SALMAN BUTT and MOHAMMAD ASIF to "come clean" and help fight spot-fixing. ICC CEO DAVE RICHARDSON said, "I would urge them to start the process of rebuilding their lives and reputations by apologizing for their actions and meeting with ICC's anti-corruption officials to come clean" (BBC, 4/23). ... ManU defender PATRICE EVRA "wasted no time in poking fun" at Liverpool striker LUIS SUAREZ "for his latest misdemeanour, pretending to chomp on a fake dismembered arm after his side clinched a 20th English title by beating Aston Villa on Monday" (REUTERS, 4/23).
CYCLING NAMES: British cyclist CHRIS HOY "may not be competing at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, but he still hopes to help the hosts." Hoy: "I won't be coaching, mentoring possibly with the Scottish team for the Commonwealth Games. I'm basically giving my time up to be available to athletes who perhaps want to discuss their concerns leading up to the Games" (BBC, 4/23). ... Former Tour de France winner GREG LEMOND said that "professional cycling must take drug testing out of the hands of the International Cycling Union for the sport to clean up" (NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 4/23). ... Italian cyclist ALESSANDRO PETACCHI "has retired from cycling with immediate effect." The 39-year-old sprinter won 51 Grand Tour stages and claimed the points jersey in the Giro d'Italia in '04, the Vuelta a España in '05 and the Tour de France in '10 (EUROSPORT, 4/23).
HOCKEY NAMES: German hockey player CHRISTIAN EHRHOFF, who missed the playoffs with the Buffalo Sabres in the NHL, "will return to Germany after the season and join the German national team for the Int'l Ice Hockey World Championship in Finland and Sweden." Ehrhoff said, "After we failed to qualify for the Olympics our first goal has to be staying in the top division" (DPA, 4/22). ... Austrian hockey player THOMAS VANEK, who also missed the NHL playoffs with the Buffalo Sabres, "will play for the Austrian national team at the IIHF World Championship" from May 3-19 (KLEINE ZEITUNG, 4/22). ...
