Winning the Balllon d'Or "will mean an economic reward" for LUKA MODRIC. Nike, which sponsors the Croatian, "will increase its sales" by launching exclusive boots called the Golden Touch Mercurial 360 and other products related to Modric winning the award, and the player will receive up to €800,000 ($911,000) from the brand for "fulfilling the bonus clauses in his contract" (EL CONFIDENCIAL, 12/6). ... Australia's The Chiefs Esports Club signed a new Fortnite streamer to the club's talent roster with MITCH ROBINSON, best known as a professional Australian Football League player for the Brisbane Lions (THE ESPORTS OBSERVER, 12/6). ... STEFAN KIESSLING revealed his "unique way" of passing his preseason fitness tests -- his wife did them. The former striker spent 12 years at Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, scoring 131 goals in 342 appearances (London DAILY MAIL, 12/6).
OUT OF THE PICTURE: Premiership Rugby side Saracens Dir of Rugby MARK MCCALL ruled himself out of contention to replace EDDIE JONES as England head coach following the 2019 World Cup. Interim Rugby Football Union CEO NIGEL MELVILLE said that "all options were open" in England's search to appoint Jones' successor, with former England coach STUART LANCASTER and Wales head coach WARREN GATLAND linked to the role (London TELEGRAPH, 12/5). ... Peruvian Football Federation (FPF) President EDWIN OVIEDO was arrested on Thursday in "connection with an influence-peddling probe" involving a former Supreme Court justice. Prosecutors in Peru accused Oviedo of giving former Supreme Court Justice CESAR HINOSTROZA cash and World Cup tickets in exchange for a court-ordered exclusion from a murder probe (REUTERS, 12/6). ... Tottenham forward SON HEUNG-MIN scored his 100 goal in his European career, becoming the second South Korean to reach the milestone. The other Korean with more than 100 goals, CHA BUM-KEUN, who had stints with Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen in the '80s, scored 121 goals across all European competitions (YONHAP, 12/6).
