A Philippine court on Thursday "slapped a gag" order on both boxer MANNY PACQUIAO and the tax bureau as they "battle over his allegedly unpaid taxes which are worth tens of millions of dollars." The tax appeals court "ordered both sides not to make any public comment on the dispute" during a hearing about the Bureau of Internal Revenue's allegations that Pacquiao owes $50M in unpaid taxes in '08 and '09 (AFP, 12/5). ... Former Spain coach LUIS ARAGONES, the founder of the country's "tiki-taka" style of football, "is retiring." The 75-year-old Aragones, who last coached in '09 at Turkish club Fenerbahce, said, "Age has retired me. When I left Turkey I knew it would be difficult to continue and today it is definitive" (AP, 12/5). ... Australian sprinter JOSH ROSS "has reportedly been handed a two-year ban for missing three drug tests this year" (THE AGE, 12/5). ... Horse trainer GERARD BUTLER was "disqualified for five years" by the British Horseracing Authority on Wednesday after nine horses in his care tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid stanozolol. Irishman Butler, based in Newmarket, England, "admitted injecting horses with a product for injured joints and faced seven charges of breaching the Rules of Racing" (REUTERS, 12/5). ... Sweden coach ERIK HAMREN "will stay on" despite the team's failure to qualify for the 2014 World Cup. Hamren signed a contract extension through the European Championship in '16 (AP, 12/5).
