Former England midfielder JERMAINE JENAS "formally announced his retirement from professional football." The 32-year-old last played for Queens Park Rangers in their Championship win over his first club Nottingham Forest in April '14. He "failed to recover from a knee injury suffered later that month and has since worked as a pundit for BBC Sport" (BBC, 1/7). ... Towcester racecourse CEO KEVIN ACKERMAN "failed in his bid to overturn a six-month suspension from racing." Ackerman was initially banned in October last year "after being found guilty of corruption" (BBC, 1/7). ... Cricket Australia and the West Indies Cricket Board will play tribute to the memory of RICHIE BENAUD with a medal struck in his honor. The Richie Benaud Medal will be presented to the player-of-the-series in the current and all future Test series between Australia and West Indies (Cricket Australia). ... Tributes have been paid to cricketer TOM ALLIN, who "fell to his death from a bridge" in Devon, England. The 28-year-old, who played for Warwickshire County Cricket Club, "is the second county cricketer to die this week." He was found by the Torridge Bridge in Bideford on Monday and was "confirmed dead by paramedics at the scene." Police are "not treating his death as suspicious." His death comes days after the news Sussex fast bowler MATTHEW HOBDEN, 22, had died in "unexplained circumstances" (London TELEGRAPH, 1/7). ... Cricketer MOHAMMAD AMIR was granted a visa by Immigration New Zealand on Thursday and "will travel with the Pakistan side for the limited-overs tour of New Zealand," which starts on Jan. 15. The Pakistan Cricket Board had "earlier sought legal advice on whether Amir could get a visa because the bowler had served three months in jail" for his role in the '10 spot-fixing case in England and New Zealand has rules against granting visas to individuals with criminal convictions (ESPN, 1/7). ... Austrian ski jumper GREGOR SCHLIERENZAUER has "ended his season because of a persistent lack of form." The World Cup record-holder with 53 individual wins said that he will not compete in the ski flying world championships next week or "any other World Cup this season" (AP, 1/7).
'IT WAS GREAT': San Francisco 49ers running back JARRYD HAYNE accepts his six-week relegation to the team's practice squad "may have saved his NFL career." While Hayne admits he is "now at the mercy" of the 49ers' successor to sacked head coach JIM TOMSULA, the "code-hopping superstar is hopeful of getting another crack" in '16-17. Hayne: "It was great being in the practice squad. Obviously I got a lot of reps at running back. I had to mimic the other teams that we were playing" (AAP, 1/8).
PAYING THE PRICE: League Two club Leyton Orient President FRANCESCO BECCHETTI "has admitted part" of an FA misconduct charge. TV pictures appeared to show him "aiming a kick" at O's assistant boss ANDY HESSENTHALER after Orient's 3-2 win against Portsmouth on Boxing Day. A club statement said Becchetti accepted that his actions on the touchline were "improper conduct." However, it added Becchetti "strongly denied" it was violent conduct and had requested a personal FA hearing (BBC, 1/6).
