Former Arsenal and France int'l ROBERT PIRES "announced his retirement from football" at the age of 42. Pires, a member of the France squads that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, was "without a club after leaving Indian Super League club FC Goa in March last year." He enjoyed the "greatest success at club level with Arsenal, where he won two Premier League titles and three FA Cups, as well as reaching the 2006 Champions League final" (ESPN, 2/25). ... The London Telegraph announced the signing of former Liverpool player STEVEN GERRARD "as a football columnist." Gerrard will be writing monthly columns, beginning Friday with a preview of the Capital One Cup Final between Man City and Liverpool -- "a fixture in which he gave some of his most career-defining performances." Gerrard’s first column will be published on telegraph.co.uk Friday, appearing in the Daily Telegraph on Saturday. Further columns "will appear every month during the remainder of the Premier League season and throughout the 2016 European Championships" (London TELEGRAPH, 2/25). ... La Liga side Athletic Bilbao is "mourning the passing" of RAFAEL IRIONDO, who passed away aged 97. Iriondo was "the last surviving member of the Athletic front line" of the '40s and '50s, which included TELMO ZARRA, until recently the League’s record goal scorer "before his tally was bettered by LIONEL MESSI." Athletic won one Primera title, four Copas del Rey and one Copa Eva Duarte "during Iriondo’s 13-year career, a tenure in which he scored 117 goals in 326 games" (FOOTBALL ESPANA, 2/25).
CONMEBOL TO SUE FIGUEREDO: CONMEBOL will take legal action against former President EUGENIO FIGUEREDO. A legal representative of CONMEBOL said that the organization believes it was damaged by the Uruguayan's performance as president (LA RAZÓN, 2/25).
NO JOB: Former Chelsea Manager JOSÉ MOURINHO dismissed recent British media reports that "he has reached a deal" to manage ManU, saying that he has "no job" at the moment and is "enjoying his time away from football." Mourinho, who is in Malaysia for a week to tend to his commercial affairs, said that "there is nothing concrete about him returning to the Premier league this summer." Mourinho: "That is a million-dollar question ... It is not concrete. I miss football, and if I have to return tomorrow, I would. But I always feel it is better to be calm and wait for the right moment, and the right move" (MALAY MAIL, 2/25).
NEYMAR SAGA: Spanish National Court Judge JOSÉ DE LA MATA summoned former Barcelona Dir of Football ANDONI ZUBIZARETTA "to appear as a witness in relation to the alleged irregularities" in the NEYMAR signing (MARCA, 2/25). De la Mata denied a request by Brazilian investment fund DIS to have Real Madrid President FLORENTINO PÉREZ testify as a witness. DIS wanted Pérez to testify to "explain the offer" that Real Madrid made to Neymar's former club, Brasileiro side Santos, for the player (MARCA, 2/25).
