The Real Madrid Ex-Players Association revealed former Real Madrid, Las Palmas and Deportivo de la Coruña goalkeeper ANTONIO BETANCORT has died at the age of 78. Betancort's time in Madrid was "paved with silverware, including the 1965-66 European Cup, six La Liga titles (1961-62, 1963-64, 1966-67, 1967-68 and 1968-69) and two Spanish Cups (1964-65 and 1966-67)" (MARCA, 3/15). ... French President FRANCOIS HOLLANDE has "bestowed the nation's highest award, the Legion of Honour," on former Moroccan athlete NAWAL EL MOUTAWAKEL in recognition of the "strong ties between France and Morocco." Moutawakel won the inaugural women's 400m hurdles event at the 1984 Summer Olympics in L.A., becoming the "first female Muslim born on the continent of Africa to become an Olympic champion" (BERNAMA, 3/14). ... The woman who exposed Premier League CEO RICHARD SCUDAMORE'S "sexist emails has accepted a settlement of her sex discrimination and harassment claims." Temporary PA RANI ABRAHAM, 41, had been "due for a court showdown with football chiefs over the messages." Neither the League nor Rani would "give details of the agreement" (London DAILY MIRROR, 3/14). ... OSCAR PISTORIUS' lawyers have "failed to block an appeal by prosecutors" against the South African Paralympian's acquittal on murder charges. Pistorius was "cleared of murder last year but was sentenced to five years in jail for the lesser charge of culpable homicide." Prosecutors are "seeking a murder conviction." Johannesburg High Court "rejected the application by the defence team to stop the prosecutors' appeal" (BBC, 3/13). ... ZAK HARDAKER, the "England full back, whose short career has been dogged by controversy, was dropped by Leeds Rhinos" for Friday's game when it "emerged that he is under investigation about an alleged assault on a 22-year-old man at students’ flats in Leeds." Hardaker, 23, and ELLIOT MINCHELLA, 19, who was "omitted from the academy team’s fixture on Thursday, are to be interviewed by police in the next few days" (LONDON TIMES, 3/14). ... Three members of the Ajax youth team were "suspended on Friday pending an investigation into the beating of an undercover policewoman." The players were "identified by Dutch media" as 18-year-old forward ZAKARIA EL AZZOUZI, 18-year-old midfielder ASHRAF EL MAHDIOUI and 19-year-old forward SAMET BULUT (REUTERS, 3/13). ... Ukraine President PETRO POROSHENKO "urged a boycott" of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Kiev and the West accuse Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN of "backing the insurgency with troops and heavy weapons -- charges Moscow denies" (AFP, 3/15).
