Man City captain VINCENT KOMPANY is the latest footballer to "try his hand at property development," submitting plans for a mixed-use scheme, designed by Mecanoo, in Manchester's northern quarter. The Dutch practice drew up proposals for development vehicle M4nchester Two, headed up by the footballer and developer NATHAN EZAIR (THE ARCHITECTS' JOURNAL, 8/13). ... Former Celtic youth coach JIM MCCAFFERTY was jailed for three years and nine months after admitting to eight counts of sexual assault. McCafferty, 72, initially pleaded not guilty to a series of sexual offenses against the same boy over a three-year period before Dec. '15, but "changed his plea to guilty on the morning his trial began" at Belfast Crown Court in May (PA, 8/13). ... ALEX FERGUSON is "aiming to attend" a ManU match in the new year, according to longtime friend SAM ALLARDYCE. Ferguson, 76, suffered a brain hemorrhage in May and required emergency surgery but ManU said that the procedure went "very well" (MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS, 8/13). ... STEVE SMITH "enjoyed a solid start" to his Caribbean Premier League career, scoring 41 to help the Barbados Tridents record a 30-run victory over the Guyana Amazon Warriors. Australia's former captain is serving a 12-month ban from int'l cricket for his role in the ball-tampering scandal (THE AGE, 8/13). ... The National Basketball League "lured another aspiring NBA talent to Australia" this summer, with NBA draft pick DEVON HALL joining the Cairns Taipans. Hall was drafted in the second round by the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this year (THE AGE, 8/12).
