Portuguese authorities "are considering" stripping CRISTIANO RONALDO of his public honors after the player was fined in excess of $21M for tax fraud during his time with Real Madrid. Ronaldo will not lose any honors from his home island of Madeira, though, after Regional President MIGUEL ALBUQUERQUE confirmed the 33-year-old's status is assured (RT, 1/25). ... Scottish Premiership side Hibernian suspended head coach NEIL LENNON and it is reportedly "unlikely he will take charge" of the team again. It follows an exchange between Lennon and several employees of the club on Friday (BBC, 1/26). ... Pakistan cricket captain SARFRAZ AHMED was banned for four games for a "racist on-field taunt" aimed at South Africa's ANDILE PHEHLUKWAYO, "ruling him out of the remainder of the one-day series and the first two Twenty20 games" (AP, 1/27). ... Chinese swimmer SUN YANG "has found himself in hot water" after reports he "smashed a vial of blood with a hammer during an out-of-competition doping test at his home in Zhejiang province." The London Times reported Sun and his team, including his mother, MING YANG, "had concerns with the identification documents of testers and he and a security guard were alleged to have crushed a sealed vial with a hammer." If true, the incident "could see the controversial swimmer facing a life ban from competition" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 1/27). Sun is considering filing a lawsuit against the London Times (XINHUA, 1/27).
