The LEO MESSI Foundation is collaborating with charity organization Social Team "on a project to fight infant mortality in Sierra Leone." Thanks to "involvement from the Leo Messi Foundation, the project has improved the entire infrastructure of a nutrition center, creating new jobs and organizing a program to welcome more mothers and their children to assure fast recovery" (SPORT, 2/10). ... The England & Wales Cricket Board said that KEVIN PIETERSON was axed from the England team due to the need for "everyone (to be) able to trust each other" in support of captain ALASTAIR COOK. Pietersen "could not be trusted to be part of that future." That "was the main thrust of a statement" from the ECB explaining why the two had parted company (London TELEGRAPH, 2/9). ... Olympic diver TOM DALEY "is reportedly set to boycott the FINA Diving World Series in Moscow in May in a protest over Russia’s current anti-gay laws." His non-attendance "could severely affect his world ranking" (PA, 2/10). ... Former French int'l footballer PHILIPPE MAHUT, who played in the 1982 World Cup, "has died, aged 57." A defender, Mahut "won nine caps for the national side including an appearance in France's World Cup third-place play-off against Poland in Spain 32 years ago" (AFP, 2/8). ... The Special Olympics announced WNBA Chicago Sky player ELENA DELLE DONNE as a new global ambassador (ISPORTCONNECT, 2/7).
STONEY REVEALS SEXUALITY: England women's football captain CASEY STONEY has "spoken publicly about being gay for the first time." The Arsenal Ladies defender said, "I feel it's really important for me to speak out as a gay player because there are so many people struggling who are gay, and you hear about people taking their own lives because they are homosexual. That should never happen." Stoney, who has "116 caps for her country and also captained Great Britain in the London Olympics," said that the decision had taken "a long while to get to" but that "a huge weight" had been lifted from her shoulders (BBC, 2/10).
