Real Madrid player MARCELO VIEIRA admitted to tax fraud and accepted a four-month suspended jail sentence, according to Spanish media. The 30-year-old Brazilian reportedly defrauded the Spanish authorities of €490,000 ($567,830) by using foreign firms to "handle his earnings." He will also be required to pay a €750,000 ($869,140) fine (BBC, 9/11). ... Former Argentine int'l DIEGO MARADONA said that his new job as manager of a Mexican second-division club is a "rebirth" after years of battling drug addiction, alcoholism and obesity. The choice of Dorados in Sinaloa state, home to "one of Mexico's most powerful drug cartels," surprised some. He said that the task ahead of him at Dorados will be "like carrying an elephant on our shoulders" (BBC, 9/11). ... Former Formula 1 world champion KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN will leave Ferrari at the end of this season and rejoin Sauber. The 38-year-old Finn will be replaced at Ferrari by 20-year-old Monaco-born CHARLES LECLERC, who will partner with SEBASTIAN VETTEL in '19. Räikkönen spent five years at Ferrari in his second spell with the Italian team. He signed a two-year contract with Sauber, where he made his F1 debut in '01 (BBC, 9/11).
