EPL side Newcastle United striker PAPISS CISSE will "serve a three-match ban after accepting a charge of violent conduct from the Football Association." Cisse elbowed Everton defender SEAMUS COLEMAN during Sunday's 3-2 win over the Toffees. The 29-year-old is his side's "top scorer with nine goals" (BBC, 12/30). Ligue 1 side Toulouse goalkeeper ALI AHAMADA "extended his contract with the club for three years" on Tuesday. He will now be with the club until ’18 (LA DEPECHE, 12/30). ... Globe Soccer Awards 2014 awarded RICCARDO SILVA "Best Media Executive" at the ceremony (MP & SILVA). ... Real Madrid's CRISTIANO RONALDO "won his third Player of the Year award" at the Global Soccer Awards ceremony on Monday. Other Real Madrid winners included CARLO ANCELLOTI as Coach of the Year and FLORENTINO PEREZ as President of the Year (ARABIAN BUSINESS, 12/30). ... JOE BRYANT, the "now-defunct Tokyo Apache’s original head coach," will take over as Rizing Fukuoka’s "next bench boss," the bj-league club announced. Bryant, father of five-time NBA champion KOBE, is scheduled to return to the sideline for the Western Conference club’s next home series Jan. 17-18 (JAPAN TIMES, 12/30). ... Olympic and world champion YUZURU HANYU will be "hospitalized for two weeks and off the ice for one month following surgery" for a bladder problem. Hanyu, "who won his third straight national title on Saturday night in Nagano," pulled out of the Exhibition Gala scheduled for Monday (JAPAN TIMES, 12/30). ... ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC has been criticized by animal rights groups in Sweden after “reportedly shooting a moose during a hunting trip.” While “enjoying his mid-season break in his homeland,” Swedish newspaper Expressen ran a story on its front page over the weekend “claiming the 33-year-old had killed the 500kg animal ‘with one shot through its heart’” (London GUARDIAN, 12/29). ... Zimbabwe Cricket Chair WILSON MANASE said former Pakistan cricket coach DAV WHATMORE will “lead Zimbabwe at next year’s World Cup.” Zimbabwe is one of the ICC’s test nations (BLOOMBERG, 12/30). ... North Korea replaced suspended head football coach YUN JONG-SU with his predecessor JO TONG-SOP for next month's Asian Cup campaign in Australia. Yun was “banned for 12 months by the Asian Football Confederation” earlier this month for "offensive behaviour" during the Asian Games final in South Korea (REUTERS, 12/30).
