Serie A side Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis is reportedly "interested in buying" Belgian club Lierse SK. There were reports in Napoli that the Hollywood producer was "targeting another side to spread his football investment and use as a feeder club." Lierse SK is currently in the second division (FOOTBALL ITALIA, 4/25).
League Championship side Middlesbrough is suing former Manager Garry Monk's back room team and his new club, Birmingham City, after it employed the same staff as he had during his time at Teesside. Middlesbrough is claiming that Birmingham was given a "competitive advantage because of the inside knowledge" it gained (London TELEGRAPH, 4/26).
A new Canberra female cycling team was formed and "will race for the first time this weekend." The team, which is backed by construction company CCS, will compete in the National Road Series later this year but "first will race in the Canberra Women's and Junior Tour this week." The five-woman team includes a U19 classification and was designed to create a pathway for Canberra cyclists from juniors through the int'l level (THE AGE, 4/26).
League One side Wigan Athletic was fined £12,500 ($17,400) for a pitch invasion following its 1-0 win over Man City in the FA Cup fifth round in February. Home fans invaded the pitch, with one "involved in an altercation" with Man City striker Sergio Agüero as the players were escorted off at fulltime. Some supporters "ripped out advertising boards and threw them towards police" (BBC, 4/26).
Bayern Munich was charged by UEFA after fans ran onto the pitch at the end of its Champions League semifinal first-leg 2-1 defeat by Real Madrid. The German champion was also charged for an offensive banner which was displayed at the Allianz Arena (BBC, 4/26).
Liverpool announced a new youth coaching project in China. The program, which will initially be provided to a selection of schools in Kunming, was organized in partnership with the Kunming Municipal Bureau of Education (Liverpool).
