Former New York Yankees player HIDEKI MATSUI and former Yomiuri Giants player and Manager SHIGEO NAGASHIMA, "who is to Japanese baseball what Pele is to Brazilian soccer" will receive the "People's Honour Award" (BANGKOK POST, 4/2). ... Lacking fan support and under pressure from the media after a poor start to Serbia's World Cup qualifying campaign, the Balkan country's coach SINISA MIHAJLOVIC "appears set to step down in October." Mihajlovic vowed to qualify for next year's finals in Brazil when he took over last May, but having collected only seven points from the opening six games in Group A, "acknowledged Serbia had only a theoretical chance of advancing" (REUTERS, 4/2). ... Greek Super League club Panathinaikos announced Sunday that it has fired Spanish coach FABRI GONZALEZ "as the financially-troubled Athens club is suffering one of its worst seasons in the domestic league" (STRAITS TIMES, 4/1). ... Former South African swimmer KAREN MUIR, "the youngest-ever world record holder in any sport," has died of breast cancer aged 60" (REUTERS, 4/2).
