Cyclist FRANCESCO REDA has been banned for eight years and ordered to pay a sanction of €600 ($674) after testing positive for EPO at the 2015 Italian national championships. Reda finished a "surprise second" in the race, behind VINCENZO NIBALI and ahead of DIEGO ULISSI. He has lost that second place and been ordered to pay €400 ($450) costs (CYCLING NEWS, 2/12).
NOTABLE DEATHS: Former Bulgarian footballer TRIFON IVANOV, who helped Bulgaria reach the 1994 World Cup semifinals, died on Saturday at the age of 50 after suffering a heart attack. Ivanov collected 76 int'l caps during his career and won three domestic league titles with Austrian club Rapid Vienna (REUTERS, 2/13). ... Belgian football coach DOMINIQUE D'ONOFRIO died in Argentina at the age of 62 after suffering a cardiac arrest. He worked for Belgian Pro League club Standard de Liège in various roles from '98-11 (FLANDERS NEWS, 2/13). ... Former Serbian and Yugoslav footballer SLOBODAN SANTRAC died at the age of 70 in Belgrade on Saturday. Santrac played in eight matches for the former Yugoslavia national team, scoring one goal, and led the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as head coach from '94-98, including at the 1998 World Cup in France (INSERBIA, 2/14).
