A source in the Russian Basketball Federation (RBF) said that SERGEY BAZAREVICH, the first Russia-born athlete to play in the NBA, "will take the post of head coach of the Russian national basketball team." The appointment of Bazarevich will be "officially announced on Wednesday." Two other candidates are Russia's VASILY KARASEV and Italian specialist ANDREA TRINCHIERI (TASS, 1/19). ... LIONEL MESSI's tax fraud case "will be heard by a Barcelona court from May 31 through to June 3." World Player of the Year Messi and his father JORGE "are accused of defrauding the Spanish state" of €4.2M in tax between '07 and '09 and a Spanish court ordered that "they stand trial last October" (REUTERS, 1/20). ... Two leading Australian trainers "have been banned after their horses failed drugs tests." Melbourne Cup winner MARK KAVANAGH was banned for three years and DANNY O'BRIEN "for four over the use of cobalt chloride, which exceeded permitted levels, according to Racing Victoria." Kavanagh and O'Brien "are appealing against the verdicts." Veterinarian TOM BRENNAN "was given a five-year ban" (BBC, 1/20). ... The Int'l Cricket Council has suspended Galle stadium curator JAYANANDA WARNAWEERA for three years after the former test player "failed to cooperate with anti-corruption officials." The ICC said that Warnaweera was charged after he "missed meetings and also failed to provide documents" to its anti-corruption unit for an investigation, the details of which were not disclosed (REUTERS, 1/20). ... Rugby player CHRIS ASHTON "will miss England's entire Six Nations campaign" after being given a 10-week ban that ends on March 28. Ashton was cited for "making contact with the eyes" of Ulster's LUKE MARSHALL in a European Champions Cup game (BBC, 1/20). ... Ferrari Sporting Dir MASSIMO RIVOLA is "stepping down to take on a new role at the helm of the team's young driver academy, media reported on Wednesday." The Gazzetta dello Sport said he would take over from LUCA BALDISSERRI, who has left Maranello to manage the career of former academy driver LANCE STROLL (REUTERS, 1/20).
DARVISH ISSUES DENIAL: MLB Texas Rangers pitcher YU DARVISH said that he "is not and has never been involved in gambling activities" amid a MLB investigation after the arrest of his younger brother in Japan. Darvish issued a statement through his representatives at Wasserman Media Group, saying, "I am certain that they will find that I had no involvement in this matter whatsoever." SHO DARVISH was arrested in October in Japan for "allegedly running an illegal gambling ring that reportedly took about 1,850 bets on MLB games as well as professional baseball games in Japan" (AP, 1/20).
HEAVY FAVORITE: National Rugby League Head of Football TODD GREENBERG is the "raging favourite" to be the NRL’s next CEO, a position Australian Rugby League Commission Chair JOHN GRANT says "must be filled by a person who loves rugby league." Several NRL club CEOs believed Greenberg "already had one hand on the CEO role." One CEO, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, "said he would be stunned if anyone other than Greenberg was appointed" (Brisbane COURIER-MAIL, 1/20).
