Posts about football topped Africans' tweets last year, "trumping even world events like the death of Nelson Mandela, results from a study released on Wednesday showed." Most tweets "were about football and in English, communications firm Portland's analysis of over nine million posts from October to December last year showed." Johannesburg "is the microblogging site's busiest hub" on the continent with 344,215 tweets, while Soweto-based Orlando Pirates "was also the most mentioned soccer club on the continent" (AFP, 3/13). ... The J.League "has imposed its harshest penalty" on any team in its entire 21-year history on the Urawa Reds, requiring them "to play their next home game to an empty Saitama Stadium." This is the team’s punishment "for allowing a racist banner to be displayed at the entrance" for home fans in their first game last Saturday (JAPAN DAILY PRESS, 3/13). ... Serie A said Tuesday that Sports authorities "are investigating alleged anti-Semitic chants from Juventus fans" during a Serie A game against visiting Fiorentina. The chants, apparently sung on Sunday by a group of home fans, were criticized by Union of Italian Jewish Communities President Renzo Gattegna and Juventus President Andrea Agnelli (AAP, 3/12).
