England fans face arrest if they are "caught boozing as they cross the border for next month's crunch World Cup qualifier at Hampden." Alcohol is allowed on supporters' buses in England. But Scottish law states that "no drink can be consumed on a coach taking fans to any sporting event." Railway operators are also "considering dry trains to stop drunk fans bringing mayhem to Glasgow for the sold-out match" (Scotland DAILY RECORD, 5/21).
Liga MX President Enrique Bonilla announced that the league will not use the 10/8 rule during the Apertura 2017 season. That rule, which allowed teams to use 10 players from outside Mexico, will be replaced by the new 9/9 rule, “which increases the number of Mexican players that teams must include” (LA AFICIÓN, 5/22).
Brazilian police on Tuesday arrested a presidential aide and two ex-governors as part of an investigation into the 2014 World Cup's most expensive stadium, "another black eye for the country's political establishment that adds pressure on beleaguered President Michel Temer." Tadeu Filippelli, a special adviser in Temer's Cabinet, and former Federal District governors José Roberto Arruda and Agnelo Queiroz were taken into custody. Renovation of Brasilia's Mané Garrincha Stadium for the 2014 World Cup cost about R$1.5B, prosecutors and police said in a statement, and an auditing court said that the construction included "rampant overbilling" (REUTERS, 5/23).
French anti-corruption police searched the homes of
Paris Saint-Germain footballers Ángel Di María and
Javier Pastore "as well as the club's offices" on Tuesday as part of an investigation into alleged financial offenses, a source close to the probe said. According to website Mediapart, the searches of the Argentinians' homes and PSG offices in Paris and Boulogne-Billancourt "stemmed from media reports last December of large-scale tax evasion by football stars" (
REUTERS, 5/23).
