NEYMAR has verbally agreed to a contract extension with Barcelona through June '20, according to Barcelona-based Sport. The "only thing preventing the forward putting pen-to-paper is the
timing." Barcelona played its final match on June 6 in the Champions
League final and that left only days for Neymar to join up with his
national squad for the Copa América. The club and player reportedly agreed to the details of the
new deal in March. Neymar will double his salary, to €12M ($13.5M) per season, and become the
second-highest paid player in the squad, behind only LIONEL MESSI (AS, 6/15). ... The Brazilian Football Federation (CBF) announced the death of two-time World Champion ZITO, aged 82. Along with being a champion for the 1958 and 1962 World Cups, Zito was one of the directors at Brasileiro side Santos responsible for discovering Neymar (CBF). ... Former Hong Kong footballer WU KWOK-HUNG died on Sunday night after a "struggle against throat cancer." He was 66. Known as "Big Head Boy" or "Ah Cap" for his leadership role at both club and int'l level, Wu retired in '86 after his club, Seiko, disbanded. Hong Kong FA Chair BRIAN LEUNG HUNG-TAK said that the HKFA would "study the possibility of hosting a memorial match for Wu" (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, 6/15). ... Former NBA player YAO MING "took part in a 24-hour city relay race in Beijing" on Sunday. Yao's team also included TV anchor BAI YANSONG, NBA commentator XU JICHENG and pop singer XU FEI (XINHUA, 6/14). ... Allegations of money laundering made against Italian businessman and League One side Leyton Orient Owner FRANCESCO BECCHETTI by Albania are "groundless" and politically motivated, according to his lawyer. Albanian prosecutors last week "froze energy and television assets" of the owner of the fourth-tier English football team, issuing arrest warrants for him and his associates (REUTERS, 6/15). ... Scottish Premierhip side St. Mirren Chair STEWART GILMOUR confirmed that midfielder JOHN MCGINN "has instigated legal action over a training ground prank." The 20-year-old "was spiked in the thigh with a training pole thrown by Buddies captain STEVEN THOMPSON at the Ralston Training Complex in April" (BBC, 6/14). ... EPL side Aston Villa midfielder JACK GREALISH will face questions from his Premier League employers over pictures that emerged of him “lying on the road with a packet of cigarettes next to him while on holiday” in Tenerife. Images of the 19-year-old, away with friends in the Canary Islands, “were posted on social media by a fellow holidaymaker,” BRIONY KING, who claimed the pictures “were taken opposite her apartment” (LONDON TIMES, 6/15). ... South Korea striker KANG SOO-IL “will not contest his 15-match suspension after it was revealed he failed a doping test” shortly before his int’l debut. Kang, 27, blamed the discovery of the banned steroid methyltestosterone on a “moustache-growing cream he received as a gift” (AP, 6/15).
QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY HONORS: Former Welsh rugby player GARETH EDWARDS, ex-Williams F1 Dir PATRICK HEAD and GARY VERITY, who brought the Tour de France to Yorkshire, "have been knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours." England cricketer JAMES ANDERSON and ex-Chelsea and England footballer FRANK LAMPARD "have both become OBEs." Boxing champion CARL FROCH was made an MBE, as were distance runner JO PAVEY and England footballer CASEY STONEY. Wheelchair tennis player JORDANNE WHILEY was also appointed an MBE (BBC, 6/12).
'DIRTY DOZEN': A London Guardian analysis has found that Chelsea Owner ROMAN ABRAMOVICH "is among a super-rich list of 12 investors whose combined coal holdings are equivalent to the entire annual emissions of China, the world’s biggest polluter." Top of the "dirty dozen" list is VINOD SHANTILAL ADANI, who has a $900M stake in Indian coal giant Adani Enterprises. Second "on the list is Abramovich." The Russian businessman’s $766M stake in Evraz "gives him ownership of about a quarter of Russia’s largest coal mine" (GUARDIAN, 6/15).
