Portuguese footballer RICARDINHO "won the award of best player" in the Spanish Futsal League (PDF). FERNANDO ALBERTO DOS SANTOS CARDINAL "was also in line to be voted best of the league" by first division coaches (SAPO, 7/13). ... The rift between Davis Cup outcast BERNARD TOMIC and Tennis Australia has "escalated dramatically," with Tomic's father JOHN threatening to "sue the governing body for defamation over an email misreporting" of this week's ATP tournament name as the "Hall of Shame Tennis Championships" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 7/13). ... Broadcaster GARY LINEKER has described the decision not to allow LEWIS HAMILTON access to the Royal Box on Centre Court at Wimbledon as "England at its pompous worst." The F1 world champion was "turned away on Sunday after arriving to watch the men's singles final" between NOVAK DJOKOVIC and ROGER FEDERER "while not wearing a jacket or a tie." Lineker believes the "strict dress code is outdated and could have been relaxed." Lineker's view was "not shared" by three-time Wimbledon runner-up ANDY RODDICK, who "also took to Twitter to have his say." Replying to the 54-year-old's initial tweet, Roddick wrote, "Even when the invite says "please wear a jacket and tie?" ... This obnoxious American is ok w (sic) it" (London DAILY MAIL, 7/13). ... UK Anti-Doping confirmed that amateur Scottish rugby player DARREN EALES “has been suspended from all sport for two years following an Anti-Doping Rule Violation.” Eales (22), from Prestonpans in East Lothian, “tested positive for exogenous anabolic androgenic steroids Boldenone, Trenbolone and Oxymetholone,” as a result of intelligence received by Scottish Rugby about the prop forward's alleged use of banned substances (HERALD SCOTLAND, 7/13). ... The Board of Control for Cricket in India suspended Mumbai batsman HIKEN SHAH "with immediate effect on Monday for offering money to a player to influence a game in this year's Indian Premier League." The BCCI said that
Shah, who does not play in IPL, "made the approach" to his unidentified first-class cricket teammate, who represents Rajasthan Royals in the "lucrative Twenty20 league" (REUTERS, 7/13).
GIVING BACK: Arsenal and Germany playeer MESUT OZIL has "paid for 11 children to have surgery" at a hospital in Coroatá, Brazil, between Oct. 24 and Nov. 7. Ozil said that he would "continue to help children in this country through the Mesut Ozil Foundation" in cooperation with aid program BigShoe (London INDEPENDENT, 7/12).
ABANDONING SHIP: Tinkoff-Saxo rider IVAN BASSO, a "key helper in the mountains" for cyclist ALBERTO CONTADOR, has "abandoned the Tour de France after announcing that he has testicular cancer." Basso "felt the problem flare up following a crash on stage five." He went in for a scan on Monday, which "revealed the cancer." Contador "sat next to Basso in tears as he made the announcement" (LONDON TIMES, 7/13).
