The UEFA Referees Committee announced Serbian official MILORAD MAZIC will referee the 2018 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool on May 26. The games will take place at NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv (UEFA). ... Barcelona President JOSEP MARIA BARTOMEU has been in contact with ANTOINE GRIEZMANN's agent amid reports the Atlético Madrid striker is "set to join" Barça. Griezmann has a €100M ($119.2M) release clause in his contract and Spanish media reported that Barcelona is "ready to pay it" (REUTERS, 5/7). ... Belfast-born pitcher PJ CONLON will be the first Northern Irish Major League Baseball player in 109 years "when he lines up" for the N.Y. Mets on Monday. Conlon, 24, was called up after JACOB DEGROM was "ruled out of the game through injury." Cork-born JOE CLEARY was the last Irish-born baseball player to make an appearance in the MLB in 1945 (BBC, 5/7). ... TIM PAINE was "given the nod" to lead Australian cricket next month. His appointment as 50-over captain is a "change to the original plan," which was to allow the Tasmanian to solely focus on his responsibilities as ODI skipper (Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH, 5/7). ... Doctors warned that the next few weeks of ALEX FERGUSON's recovery are "integral to his long-term prospects." Ferguson, 76, is "now in a stable condition" after being treated for a brain hemorrhage (London DAILY MAIL, 5/7).
