PRINCE HARRY has made a donation to a campaign that "aims to help Brazilian children watch the Rio Paralympics." The #FillTheSeats initiative is working with Paralympics organizers to "buy 10,000 tickets for local children." Before Prince Harry's contribution, the campaign raised $53,773 toward a target of $300,000 (BBC, 9/6). ... The leadership race for the Indonesian FA (PSSI) is "heating up after two military generals nominated for the post" with former national football team player KURNIAWAN DWI YULIANTO officially registering his name for the three top posts. Kurniawan submitted the required documentation to the Electoral Committee office on Monday for the chair, vice chair and exec committee positions, "accompanied by PONARYO ASTAMAN, president of the country's professional footballers association (APPI)" (JAKARTA GLOBE, 9/6).
MARCELINO DEMANDS APOLOGY: Former La Liga side Villarreal Manager MARCELINO "demanded a public apology" from Rayo Vallecano President RAUL MARTIN PRESA for comparing him to the Lufthansa pilot that "deliberately crashed a plane in the French Alps that killed 150 people last year." Martin Presa "blamed Marcelino for his team's relegation to the second division." He said, "I already told Villarreal that neither they nor their executives were at fault. Unfortunately, it's like with Lufthansa that a mad pilot gets in and brings down a plane. It's a little bit similar." Marcelino held a news conference "to defend himself." Marcelino: "I'm not mad, nor am I a killer. I am a football coach, professional and honest. He has insulted me and offended me. If he does not immediately rectify this, I will take the necessary legal actions" (ESPN.com, 9/6). Martin Presa "aimed to clarify his position on Tuesday." He said, "Obviously the comparison was not the most fortunate and I apologize to anyone who has been offended by it, as that was not my intention. At no point did I say, 'Marcelino is like the crazy Lufthansa pilot,' which would have been a false and malicious label. ... I used the example of Lufthansa and the company's pilot, who voluntarily crashed the plane, to compare situations and not people, as the headlines would like to suggest" (MARCA, 9/6).
VILLAR DROPS OUT: UEFA presidential candidate ÁNGEL MARÍA VILLAR "has ended his bid" to succeed MICHEL PLATINI in an election next week. Villar, the president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), said in a statement on the RFEF website that "after a profound reflection I have decided to withdraw my bid." He "received little support" ahead of the Sept. 14 election (AP, 9/6).
