The Spanish Athletics Federation announced that Spanish decathlete DIEGO BARRANCO died of cancer on Tuesday at the age of 23 (EFE, 2/17). ... Bankia CEO JOSÉ SEVILLA announced that the bank will have to return €1.4B-€1.5B ($1.56B-$1.67B) to nearly 200,000 minority shareholders that acquired stakes in the bank in '11. One of those affected is former Real Madrid keeper IKER CASILLAS, who invested €480,000 and later took legal action to recover his money. He "will now be able to recover his investment" (AS, 2/17). ... Former French Ligue 2 side Auxerre Manager GUY ROUX is accused of having an “active” role in the concealment of €3.1M ($3.45M) in assets through the Swiss bank UBS. Roux is now “under investigation by the French tax authorities” (20 MINUTES, 2/17). ... Former Australian Football League player JOEL WILKINSON has been signed by the NFL Arizona Cardinals, "with the team eyeing the athletic 186cm 24-year-old to play as a defensive cornerback."
If Wilkinson, who played for the Gold Coast Suns, makes the Cardinals’ 53-man roster "he could go head-to-head with Australian running back" JARRYD HAYNE. Wilkinson "most recently played with the Northern Blues in the VFL but quit last July to begin preparing for a crack at the NFL" (AAP, 2/18). ... Former Chelsea and Tottenham Manager ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS “has dismissed the prospect of a return to the Premier League.” Villas-Boas, 38, is set to leave Zenit St. Petersburg at the end of the season “but his next job will not be back in England.” He said, “No I think my time has been done there. It didn’t go as well as I expected, apart from the first year at Tottenham, so I will look forward to trying other leagues” (PA, 2/17). ... Paris St. Germain forward EZEQUIEL LAVEZZI joined Chinese Super League side Hebei China Fortune on a two-year deal reported to be worth £23.5M ($33.6M). The Argentina int’l “was out of contract in the summer” and had been linked with Chelsea and Inter Milan (BBC, 2/17).
NO BEARING: La Liga side Valencia Manager GARY NEVILLE said that the appointment of PAKO AYESTARAN as assistant coach "has made no difference to his own authority."
Neville confirmed over the weekend that Ayestaran, RAFA BENITEZ's former assistant at Valencia and Liverpool, "had returned to Mestalla to join his coaching team." Neville said that the arrival of Ayestaran "had no bearing on his own future or responsibilities." Neville:
"I am the coach of Valencia. If I go, Pako leaves too. That he is coming in now does not mean anything" (ESPN, 2/17).
