The Int'l Boxing Association (AIBA) issued life bans to former President C.K. WU and former Exec Dir HO KIM. AIBA made the ruling after a report documented what it described as "gross negligence and financial mismanagement of AIBA affairs and finances." Wu and Kim both denied any allegations of wrongdoing (BBC, 10/3). ... A Croatian court rejected a charge against Croatia int'l and Real Madrid midfielder LUKA MODRIC of "giving false testimony in a criminal trial." An email from the Zagreb municipal criminal court said that the charge, made by the Croatia state attorney in March, was rejected, but "gave no explanation for its ruling." The state attorney's office can appeal the decision (London TELEGRAPH, 10/3). ... Ferrari Formula 1 Team Principal MAURIZIO ARRIVABENE was included in the list of candidates for the Juventus board of directors. Juvenus CEO BEPPE MAROTTA and CFO ALDO MAZZIA are not included and Arrivabene is also one of the candidates to replace Marotta (CALCIO MERCATO, 10/1). ... SEVULONI LASEI REECE lost a two-year deal with Pro14 side Connacht after he was "granted a discharge without conviction for domestic violence." Reece, 21, was given the discharge without conviction in Hamilton District Court on Monday. The incident left his partner "bloodied and bruised" (NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 10/3). ... Former Chelsea striker ADRIAN MUTU lost his latest appeal against a ruling that he must pay the club £15.2M ($19.7M) in compensation after a failed drug test. Mutu, 39, was sacked by Chelsea in '04 after "testing positive for cocaine and given a seven-month ban." CAS ordered him to pay damages to Chelsea in '09, upholding a FIFA ruling (BBC, 10/2). ... RICHARD BOWKER was given until the end of this week to "come up with a solution to the crisis at UK Athletics" or face "being served with 28 days notice to have him removed" as chair. The governing body, which lost its CEO last month when NIELS DE VOS "suddenly quit," has been "shaken further" by a call for Bowker's resignation from representatives of the Home Nations who sit on the UKA members council (London DAILY MAIL, 10/2). ... National Rugby League side Brisbane Broncos coach WAYNE BENNETT "reaffirmed his commitment" to the club next year as he and Wests Tigers denied he had been approached to replace Tigers coach IVAN CLEARY (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 10/3).
FIRM DENIAL: CRISTIANO RONALDO "firmly denied allegations of rape made against him." He is being sued by a woman in the U.S. who claims he raped her in the penthouse suite of a Las Vegas hotel in '09. On Twitter, Ronaldo said, "I firmly deny the accusations being issued against me. Rape is an abominable crime that goes against everything that I am and believe in. Keen as I may be to clear my name, I refuse to feed the media spectacle created by people seeking to promote themselves at my expense" (TELEGRAPH, 10/3).
