Bavaria's Justice Ministry said that former Bayern Munich President ULI HOENESS "has been released from prison on suspension after serving half of his 3-1/2-year jail term for tax evasion." The former Bayern Munich player, who was sports director for 30 years before taking over as club president in '09, was convicted in March '14 for evading $31.14M in taxes. He stepped down from his post at Bayern and started his jail term in June '14 (REUTERS, 2/29). ... LEVIR CULPI is in negotiations with Brasileiro side Fluminense to be the club's new coach, "with a deal likely to be announced in the coming days," according to O Globo. The manager's wage demands "could be a decisive factor." At his previous club Atlético Mineiro, Culpi earned around R$350,000 ($87,100) a month. After the "high profile signings" of DIEGO SOUZA and HENRIQUE, "it is thought the Laranjeiras outfit do not have sufficient financial resources to pay such a substantial salary" (XINHUA, 2/28). ... AC Milan forward MBAYE NIANG is "set for a spell on the sidelines after reports emerged he was involved in a car crash in Milan on Saturday night." The Frenchman was reportedly driving the car, "but injured both his shoulder and ankle upon impact." While his general health "is believed to be okay, he is set to miss a number of games as a result" (90MIN, 2/29).
PIQUE DENIES INTEREST IN MAN CITY: Barcelona defender GERARD PIQUE said that he loves ManU "too much" to sign for Man City, despite PEP GUARDIOLA agreeing to take charge at the Etihad Stadium. Guardiola had made Pique, 29, "one of his first signings" after taking over at Barça in the summer of '08. Pique: "My love for Manchester United is too great for me to sign for City, even though Pep is a great coach. I'm very happy in Barcelona. United are my second club, but my future is at Barça. I'm very proud to play at Barcelona" (ESPN, 2/29).
NOTABLE DEATHS: Former La Liga side Espanyol footballer JOSÉ PARRA MARTÍNEZ died at the age of 90. In addition to playing for Espanyol for 12 seasons, he was the last living member of the Spanish national team that competed in the 1950 World Cup (EL MUNDO, 2/29). ... Former West German national team player HANNES LÖHR died. He spent his entire career at just one club, FC Cologne. His death at the age of 73 "came as something of a surprise, as just on Sunday he had attended the game between the Cologne Sharks and the Berlin Polar Bears of Germany's top ice hockey league." Former Sharks captain DETLEF LANGEMANN, a longtime close friend of Löhr, said, "It looks like he died in his sleep" (DEUTSCHE WELLE, 2/29).
