Barcelona Manager LUIS ENRIQUE confirmed he will leave the club when his contract expires in the summer. Enrique “has been constantly questioned throughout the season about whether he would commit to the club beyond the end of the current campaign, but has always refused to respond.” However, speaking after his side's 6-1 win against Sporting Gijón on Wednesday, “he took the decision to make the announcement” (ESPN.com, 3/1). ... Yorkshire County Cricket Club President JOHN HAMPSHIRE died, aged 76, after a long illness. He was "part of the White Rose side that won three successive County Championships" between '66 and '68 and captained the team in '79 and '80. Hampshire also "became the first England player to score a century" on his Test debut at Lord's when he hit 107 against the West Indies in '69 (BBC, 3/1). ... Australian Football League Game Development Manager SIMON LETHLEAN "looks certain to take over the game's football development in the coming" days following MARK EVANS' departure to the Gold Coast (THE AGE, 2/28). ... The former partner of National Rugby League side Wests Tigers player TIM SIMONA claimed she "received death threats over her role in the betting investigation that could end his career." Simona "is facing indefinite deregistration from the game" over information gathered by the NRL integrity unit that alleges he arranged for bets to be placed on opposition players he was marking (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 3/1). ... A group of four tennis fans, who claimed they were "directly targeted" by NICK KYRGIOS at the Mexico Open, said that they "felt threatened" by the Australian and have "demanded an apology." Kyrgios was involved in a "heated exchange" with DUDI SELA after appearing to clash with his Israeli opponent's supporters, with Kyrgios seen telling them to "shut the f--- up" (SMH, 3/1). ... Israeli tennis player SHAHAR PEER announced Tuesday that she will retire from the game. The 29-year-old was once ranked 11th in the world, "the highest for any Israeli tennis player." She represented Israel at two Olympics (TIMES OF ISRAEL, 2/28).
MCILROY APOLOGIZES: RORY MCILROY apologized "to anyone I p----- off" for playing with President DONALD TRUMP, but maintained that it was "a chance he was simply not going to turn down." The "outrage" on social media was such that McIlroy released a statement on Saturday saying claims that he was a "fascist and a bigot" were "quite ridiculous" and that "playing a round of golf" was not "a political statement" or an "endorsement." McIlroy: "If it had been President [BARACK] OBAMA I would have played. I've played with President [BILL] CLINTON, I've spent time with President [GEORGE] BUSH. I just wanted to have an experience that I might not ever get again -- playing golf with a sitting president. And I actually enjoyed myself and had a good time" (THE AGE, 3/1).
