Arabian Gulf League side Al Wasl "have confirmed" HECTOR CUPER as its manager after he signed an 18-month deal in Dubai on Thursday. Cuper replaces LAURENT BANIDE, who "departed last month after a run of poor results" (THE NATIONAL, 11/14). ... McLaren has "chosen youth" and will put KEVIN MAGNUSSEN in its car next season. Magnussen "made himself first choice after the team decided to ditch" SERGIO PEREZ, "the struggling Mexican." Perez was "allowed to announce his departure from the team on Twitter" Wednesday ahead of the U.S. Grand Prix in Texas. At the age of 23, Perez, "who seemed to have a bright future, now appears to have none at all in F1 unless he can persuade the few remaining teams left without a line-up for next season to take him on" (LONDON TIMES, 11/14). ... England women's football captain CASEY STONEY "has become the first female member" of the Professional Footballers' Association's management committee. She joins Liverpool's KOLO TOURE, West Ham's MATT JARVIS and Wigan's GRANT HOLT as "new members on the committee" (BBC, 11/13). ... La Liga side Villarreal has rewarded coach MARCELINO GARCIA TORAL with a two-year contract extension which ties him in until '16. Marcelino, 48, "took over at the Madrigal in the second division in January and guided the club to promotion back into the top flight" (REUTERS, 11/14).
THE END OF THE LINE: Britain's most successful racing export DARIO FRANCHITTI has confirmed that he will retire from the sport after a crash last month in an IndyCar race in Houston. Franchitti broke two vertebrae and fractured his ankle near the end of the Grand Prix of Houston (LONDON TIMES, 11/15), ... SEBASTIAN VETTEL test drove the Infiniti Q50 at the Nashville Superspeedway Thursday (Infiniti). ... BMX world champion CAROLINE BUCHANAN and rowing world champion KIM CROW "have shared the top honour" at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) awards night. The pair "were named joint winners" of the athlete of the year award in Canberra on Thursday, beating a list of finalists that included MATTHEW COWDREY (swimming), CATE CAMPBELL (swimming), EVAN O'HANLON (athletics) and ALEX PULLIN (snowboard) (THE AGE, 11/14). ... Australian broadcaster RICHIE BENAUD "is still in hospital and unlikely to perform his commentary duties in the first Ashes Test." Benaud "could be out of action until the Boxing Day Test at the MCG in his longest absence from the commentary box in decades." Benaud, 83, "was taken to Sydney's Prince of Wales hospital three weeks ago after a car accident near his home in the Sydney suburb of Coogee" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 11/15). ...Wales national team Manager CHRIS COLEMAN "will remain in charge" after signing a contract extension with the Wales FA. The new two-year deal "will take him through to the end of the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign" (EUROSPORT, 11/15).
