Radio host MARIO PERGOLINI announced on Wednesday that he will be a candidate to become VP of Argentine first division club Boca Juniors alongside JORGE AMOR AMEAL, who is vying for the presidency of the club (LOS ANDES, 11/4). ... Real Madrid striker KARIM BENZEMA was arrested on Wednesday after being "accused of blackmail in relation to a sex video" allegedly featuring MATHIEU VALBUENA, his fellow France int'l. The player arrived at a police station in Versailles, near Paris, shortly before 9am and "was placed in detention, the local prosecutor confirmed." The case revolves around an "alleged X-rated video featuring the Lyon player and his partner -- however the existence of the recording has not been confirmed." Valbuena complained to police in June that he had received an anonymous telephone call while he was with the French national side demanding €150,000 ($162,900) or "the sex tape would be posted online" (LONDON TIMES, 11/4). ... The Edenbridge Bonfire Society announced that it will make FIFA President SEPP BLATTER its "Guy" at a ceremony on Saturday. The 36-foot-tall effigy -- "which shows Blatter carrying wads of cash, the World Cup and a football -- will be stuffed with oil-soaked newspapers, packed with fireworks and set ablaze." It was erected in a field on Wednesday "with the help of a tractor" (London TELEGRAPH, 11/4).
PAYNE MAKES HISTORY: MICHELLE PAYNE made history Tuesday "as the first female jockey to win Australia's 154-year-old Melbourne Cup" when she rode 100-1 outsider PRINCE OF PENZANCE to a "shock win." She said, "Unbelievable, it's like a dream come true. This horse is awesome," moments after winning "the world's richest two-mile (3,200m) handicap race," which has a $4.4M purse. It was a "fairytale victory" for Payne, 30, who has fought back from life-threatening race injuries and "also battled prejudice" in what she called "such a chauvinistic sport." She praised trainer DARREN WEIR and owner JOHN RICHARDS for their support and added, "I want to say to everyone else, get stuffed, because women can do anything and we can beat the world" (AFP, 11/3).
CRICKET LEGEND DIES: TOM GRAVENEY, "the aesthetic middle-order batsman" who went on to become president of Marylebone Cricket Club and a popular commentator, has died at the age of 88, "taking one of cricket’s most famous cover drives with him." The news comes "only nine days after the death" of his older brother KEN. Graveney also represented Worcestershire "in a first-class career that spanned four decades, earned 79 Test caps, produced 47,793 runs and 122 centuries." Only eight men "have scored more heavily in first-class cricket, and Graveney's tally of hundreds places him 13th on the all-time list." Graveney was "appointed president of the MCC in 2005" (London DAILY MAIL, 11/3).
