Luxembourg handball side HB Mersch Manager PETER BRIXNER passed away on May 4. The 71-year-old German won the Luxembourg league championship with HB Esch in ’10, and “won the Coupe de Luxembourg the next season” (LE QUOTIDIEN, 5/5). ... National Rugby League side Parramatta Eels captain KIERAN FORAN has "launched legal action against Sydney radio station KIIS FM over claims by breakfast radio queen JACKIE O that he was not the father of his second child." Foran "recently broke up with his long-term partner REBECCA POPE." It is understood Foran’s legal team served papers on KIIS FM on Thursday "demanding that they offer an on-air apology and retraction during this morning’s breakfast show" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 5/6). ... Pakistan's search for a new national coach "hit a fresh roadblock" Thursday as officials said their top pick, Australia’s STUART LAW, "turned down a job widely seen as one of the toughest in international cricket." The post was left vacant after WAQAR YOUNIS resigned "following Pakistan’s disastrous World Twenty20 in India last month." The job is "complicated by the relatively low pay and Pakistan’s security issues, while attempts to build relationships with volatile national players are often hampered by its high turnover." The Pakistan Cricket Board "wants to fill the post before Pakistan all-important tour of England beginning in July" (AFP, 5/5).
GOOD ODDS: BRENDAN RODGERS is the "red-hot favourite" to become the next Scottish Premiership side Celtic manager. The Northern Irishman "saw his odds on replacing the outgoing RONNY DEILA plummet last night after a day of sustained betting." Rodgers went from a 20/1 outsider Tuesday morning "to 7/2 joint favourite alongside DAVID MOYES" with Scottish Professional Football League sponsor Ladbrokes (Scotland DAILY RECORD, 5/4).
