European football’s governing body UEFA and the Premier League launched an investigation this year after allegations made in German magazine Der Spiegel that the club broke Financial Fair Play rules.

The New York Times said Monday that members of the investigatory chamber of UEFA’s financial control board, set up to analyze the accounts of clubs suspected of breaking cost-control regulations, met two weeks ago in Switzerland to finalize their conclusions.

“The investigatory panel’s leader, the former prime minister of Belgium Yves Leterme, will have the final say on the submission to a separate adjudicatory chamber, which could be filed as soon as this week. The body is expected to seek at least a one-season ban,” said the Times.

However, City said they were fully co-operating with “the CFCB IC’s (club financial control body investigatory chamber) ongoing investigation”.

“In doing so the club is reliant on both the CFCB IC’s independence and commitment to due process; and on UEFA’s commitment of March 7 that it ‘will make no further comment on the matter while the investigation is ongoing’,” read their statement.

“The New York Times report citing ‘people familiar with the case’ is therefore extremely concerning.

“The implications are that either Manchester City’s good faith in the CFCB IC is misplaced or the CFCB IC process is being misrepresented by individuals intent on damaging the club’s reputation and its commercial interests. Or both.”

It was unclear if such a ban, if levied, would be enforced next season or in the 2020-21 campaign, the Times said, noting that with qualifying for Europe’s most prestigious and lucrative club championship set to start in June there is little time to finalize a sanction.

Manchester City would also have the right to appeal such a ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

City were fined 60 million euros ($67.3 million) and subjected to squad, wage and spending caps in a 2014 settlement agreed with UEFA following a previous breach of the rules.

But the club says the claims made in Der Spiegel were an “organized and clear” attempt to damage its reputation.

Svitolina — who had a first round bye as fifth seed — held a match point at 5-2 in the third set before slumping 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 to Belarus Victoria Azarenka in a 2hr 14min battle at the Foro Italico which was twice interrupted because of rain.

Serena earlier announced she was withdrawing having just returned after two months out injured, before she was due to play her older sister Venus for the first time in 21 years in Rome.

The 37-year-old had eased past Sweden’s Rebecca Peterson in her first round match on Monday, but a day later could not continue “due to pain in my left knee”.

“I’ll be concentrating on rehab and look forward to seeing you all at the French Open and next year in Rome,” Serena said in a statement.

Her withdrawal sends Venus, the 1999 winner, through to a third round meeting with either Britain’s Johanna Konta or US seventh seed Sloane Stephens.

There are now doubts whether Serena can target a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title in Paris, having played just nine matches this year, and one on clay.

Her last Grand Slam singles title was won at the Australian Open in 2017, where she was pregnant, breaking a tie with Steffi Graf for the most, and she is just one short of Margaret Court.

The three-time French Open winner revealed getting back to fitness has been tougher than she had expected.

“I haven’t been able to train or practice a lot, I was out much longer than I expected,” she explained.

“I feel like I’m taking it one day at a time.”

Nevertheless, last year she arrived at Roland Garros without any clay-court warm-up and still reached the last 16 before retiring before her match against Maria Sharapova, also because of injury.

Svitolina and Azarenka battled late into the night at the Foro Italico before former two-time Australian Open winner Azarenka won through.

Svitolina came back after the rain break to drop the second set but rolled off the first three games in the third, before being broken when serving for the match at 5-2 in the third set.

Azarenka saved match point and took the next game for love, rolling off five in a row to set up a meeting former French Open winner Garbine Muguruza or Danielle Collins for a place in the third round.

Collins advanced past former world number one Caroline Wozniacki who retired with a lower leg injury, after losing the first set 7-6 (7/5).

Czech fourth seed Karolína Plisková eased through to the third round along with Australian Ashleigh Barty, the eighth seed.

– Zverev horror show –

In the men’s competition, world number five Zverev, the 2017 winner and runner-up to Novak Djokovic last year in Rome, extended his terrible clay-court run, falling 7-5, 7-5 to Italian wild card Matteo Berrettini in the second round.

“The match that I played was horrendous,” said Zverev, who has won just four matches on clay this season, including a run to the quarter-final of the Madrid Open where he was the defending champion.

“I’ve lost my voice screaming, I’m overjoyed. This is a victory that charges me,” said 33rd-ranked Berrettini.

Belgian David Goffin rallied from a set down to beat former French Open champion Stan Wawrinka 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 to set up a meeting with Argentine seventh seed Juan Martin Del Potro for a place in the third round.

Ninth seed Marin Cilic beat Italian wild card Andrea Basso 6-1, 7-5 as Australian Nick Kyrgios struck 15 aces and 41 winners to get past Russian 12th seed Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

“I knew it was going to be tough today because I haven’t played much on clay,” said Kyrios, who next plays Norwegian qualifier Casper Ruud.

Portgual’s Joao Sousa saved four match points in the deciding set to battle past American Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/4).

Sousa, who also trailed 1/4 in the deciding set tie-break, will play third seed Roger Federer in the second round.

Eight-time Rome winner Rafael Nadal will start his tournament against Jeremy Chardy on Wednesday, after the Frenchman beat compatriot Richard Gasquet 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 in a match suspended overnight on Monday.

Leon, who has an English grandfather, joined the Foxes at the age of six, first played for the Foxes’ under-9s and turned out for the under-19s as recently as March. He announced his decision on his Facebook page.

“Thanks to Leicester City Football Club for the offer to extend my scholarship agreement/contract. After careful consideration and discussions with my family, I feel I have to decline this offer. I feel it is time for me to move on and further my career and development elsewhere,” he posted.

The 17-year-old, however, has yet to reveal his plans. He only wrote: “Please continue to follow and support me in my new venture.”

Muangthong earlier submitted a request to Sirisak not to pick their players for the friendly tournament in Buriram, lamenting their dismal form which has resulted in them plummeting to the bottom of the Thai League.

They fear their players will not perform at their best and that will affect the national team.

Football Association of Thailand president Somyot, however, has firmly rejected that request, saying he has already assigned Sirisak and assistant coach Choketawee Promrut to be responsible for the tournament and they should be free to pick whoever they want.

“The Football Association has no intention to have any conflicts with the club,” the FAT chief said on Tuesday, “but once the coaches have decided which players they want, it’s up to them to decide what to do.

“If they are injured and have to withdraw from the team, that depends on the right of the players.”

Somyot also believes the national call-up is likely to benefit the players, helping them to regain their confidence in a different environment before they return to their club.

Four Muangthong players to be in contention for selection are strikers Teerasil Dangda and Adisak Kraisorn, midfielder Sarach Yooyen and defender Adisorn Promrat.

Besides, Somyot also said Teerasil, the Kirins’ key striker, should be allowed to play against Vietnam in Thailand’s opening King’s Cup game and thus win his 100th cap.

“I would love to see him win his 100th cap,” Somyot added. “It will be a great honour for him.”

A 35-man squad will be announced today for the four-team competition, which also features Curacao and India, and will be played at Buriram’s Chang Arena.

India and Curacao will play the opener on June 5 ahead of the Thai-Vietnam showdown later that day.

The third-placed playoff and the final will be played on Saturday, June 8.

While athletic brands have made strong inroads into the game of golf, Scott has favored apparel labels that place a premium on fashion and performance. Not surprisingly, he subscribes to the “look good, feel good, play great” mentality.

“I’ve enjoyed the fashion on the golf course,” Scott said. “If I think back to my childhood, my favorite was always Greg Norman. I thought he presented himself very well.”

In 2013, Scott’s passion for fashion led him to Uniqlo. Scott was drawn to Uniqlo’s philosophy that clothing is lifewear. Trying to escape the typical golf uniform, he liked that the brand’s apparel could easily transition to off-course settings.

“They don’t really pigeonhole one product into a certain category,” Scott said. “The pair of pants I wear on the golf course could be the pair of pants somebody wears to the office. It could be the pair of pants they wear out to dinner at night. It’s whatever you want to make it.”

Scott began wearing Uniqlo’s threads at the Masters that year. At the end of the week, he added another key piece to his new wardrobe — a green jacket.

Fast forward six years and Scott was once again making a buzz at Augusta National in Uniqlo’s sophisticated looks. This time it was due to a double-pleated trouser, which is part of Uniqlo’s new U line. This vintage golf look is one Scott will continue to sport at the other major championships this year, including this week’s PGA Championship.

“I think the skinny tapered trouser has certainly run on trend for a long time now,” he said. “We talked a lot last year about relaxing the silhouettes a little bit and then also relying on the team at Uniqlo U, which is headed by Christophe Lemaire, who’s an incredible designer, to add some detail and more fashion elements. So that’s when the pleats came back in.”

In working with Lemaire and his team, Scott turned to old photographs of Ben Hogan, Claude Harmon, Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead for inspiration. The result was a ‘new classic’ trouser with a modern feel and a relaxed urban style.

Beyond the actual silhouette, Scott also worked with the design team to dial in the proper blend of fabrics. The pants are constructed of a wool-like polyester with the addition of Toray, a breathable, water-repellent fabric. The combination provides him with the vintage drape he wants while also delivering the necessary performance qualities.

So what was the reaction to Scott’s pleats from the other players?

“It was noticed, that’s for sure,” he said. “I certainly don’t think anything I wore at the Masters was outrageous. It was paying tribute to the great vintage golf styling of the past. The trousers were obvious because they were much roomier than most of the other guys’ trousers. A few guys looked like they would be pretty happy to dig in their closet from 15 years ago and bust out their double pleats again.”

Looking forward this week to Bethpage Black, Scott will continue the vintage look that he debuted at Augusta. He’ll start the tournament in a soft, yet energetic lilac polo before turning to classic navy, white, and black shirts the remaining three days. With temperatures expected to be cool, Adam will layer up with one of his go-to pieces—Uniqlo’s Merino sweater.

“The Merino sweater is a Uniqlo staple,” he said. “It’s one of my favorite items to travel with. The ones I’m wearing out of the Uniqlo U range have more detail on the shoulder and collar, plus more stretch, which is very nice.”

“At the moment I’m into the whole vintage thing,” Scott said. “I’m really enjoying having a bit of a change of pace at the majors with the clothing and the silhouettes this year. Some of those colors are more me, too.”

Of course, these “new classic” looks wouldn’t be complete without proper kicks. After a bit of experimenting, Scott decided to lace up shoes from FootJoy’s 1857 Collection with premium Italian calfskin leathers, leather outsoles, full leather linings, and traditional stacked heels.

“I played in FootJoy Classics for the first 10 years of my career and it’s almost like walking back into my youth,” he said. “They have a little bit more of a pronounced heel and the angle from the heel to the forefoot is a little different from what I’ve been wearing. I got into a setup position with them and they felt really good. I’m going to continue wearing them for the time being, and certainly through this major season where I think they complement the clothing very well.”

Scott is careful to mention that his new looks aren’t about recreating outfits from the past, though. Instead, he is creating modern versions of classic looks that can go anywhere and do anything.

“Certainly, we’re not trying to go back and be like Ben Hogan,” he said. “This is more about the modern classic, but also being able to walk right off the course and out to dinner or into the office and be stylish.” – This story also appears on http://www.pgatour.com

Story credto to Out Dot Com.

The 22-year-old Thai broke through in style last year after completing an impressive wire-to-wire victory to claim his maiden Asian Development Tour (ADT) title by six shots at the award-winning Laguna Golf Phuket.

Despite being sidelined by a back injury for close to three months since January, Varanyu remains optimistic as he looks to bank on the positive vibes to repeat his strong finish in 2018 at the THB 2,000,000 (approximately US$63,860) event, co-sanctioned by the ADT and the All Thailand Golf Tour (ATGT).

A stellar 144-men field, which features more than 30 ADT winners including Order of Merit champions Miguel Carballo of Argentina and Thailand’s Pannakorn Uthaipas, is set to converge at the event, which is celebrating its third consecutive edition on the ADT this season.

Varanyu enjoyed a career-best season yet on the region’s secondary circuit in 2018, claiming two wins in a span of six months to finish in third place on the Order of Merit which helped him secure his Asian Tour card for 2019. He became the only player to win twice on the ADT in 2018.

“I am very excited to be back playing on this course again. The course layout suits my game and I putt really well on these greens.  My goal for this week is to get a good finish and hopefully retain my title,” said Varanyu, who turned professional in 2015.

The talented Thai, however, struggled to carry his superb form into 2019 as he had to battle against an acute hot disc which forced him into a three-month layoff from competitive golf in January.

“I didn’t have a good start to the season because of my back injury. It took me around three months since January to heal and I couldn’t play golf. I missed the cut in my first Asian Tour event in Bangladesh and then in Korea,” added Varanyu, who is hopeful of shaking off the rust by putting up a fine showing this week.

Other notable names in the field include Suttijet Kooratanapisan of Thailand, who recorded the first ever 59 on the ADT and the Asian Tour at the Laguna Golf Phuket two years ago, compatriots Pavit Tangkamolprasert, a six-time ADT winner and Order of Merit leader Itthipat Burantanyarat.

The 43-year-old American, who snapped an 11-year major win drought by capturing last month’s Masters, toured the front nine at Bethpage Black in just under 2 1/2 hours ahead of Thursday’s start to the year’s second major tournament.

“I feel good,” Woods told Golfweek. “Got a couple more days of work to get in and I’ll be ready to go.”

Woods hopes to pull within two of the all-time record 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus and take a fifth PGA crown, which would match the career record hauls of Nicklaus and Walter Hagen.

“To tie Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus with five wins would be a very special accomplishment,” Woods said.

With a victory, Woods would also match the all-time career US PGA wins record of 82 by Sam Snead.

Woods, whose career had been jeopardized by years of nagging back pain before 2017 spinal fusion surgery, won the 2002 US Open at Bethpage Black and shared sixth in the 2009 US Open, but those were in warmer mid-June conditions.

This marks the first PGA Championship since 1948 to be played in May after the event was shifted this year from its traditional August spot in golf’s lineup.

Woods practiced four times last week, including an 18-hole session at the Long Island public layout last Wednesday, two days after accepting the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a White House ceremony.

The in-depth shotmaking session at Bethpage was the first time Woods had seen the facility since the 2012 US PGA Barclays tournament.

Sixth-ranked Woods is among five players with a chance to top next week’s rankings.

Top-ranked Dustin Johnson, defending champion Brooks Koepka, England’s second-ranked Justin Rose, four-time major winner Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Woods all have a chance at the top spot.

Johnson, Rose, third-ranked Koepka and fourth-rated McIlroy could take number one with a triumph while Woods would need to win, have neither Rose nor Koepka finish second alone and have Johnson finish worse than solo 11th place.

– Tiger oldest No. 1? –

Woods, who has not been world number one since March 2013, has spent a record 683 weeks atop the rankings.

Should he return to the top, Woods would become the oldest world number one, overtaking Australian legend Greg Norman for the distinction.

Las Vegas Westgate Superbook oddsmakers have Woods as a 10-1 co-favorite with Johnson and two-time US Open winner Koepka with four-time major champion Rory McIlroy just behind at 12-1.

Woods jumped 13th to sixth after winning the Masters but hasn’t played since his Masters triumph. This marks only the sixth time in his career Woods has played two majors without at least one event between them, the first time since the 2013 British Open.

Woods had fallen to 1,199th in the world rankings in December 2017 after spinal fusion surgery as a last-ditch move to ease nagging back pain that made simple movements difficult.

From there, Woods contended at last year’s British Open and PGA, won his first title in more than five years by taking the 2018 Tour Championship.

That set the stage for Woods to win his fifth Masters green jacket.

– Thomas withdraws –

Fifth-ranked Justin Thomas withdrew from the tournament with a right wrist injury, denying this from being the first major tournament with all of the world’s 100 top players in the field.

“As a past champion this tournament is extra special to me,” Thomas said in a statement. “It consistently has the strongest field in golf and I’m disappointed not to be among those competing this year but I’m optimistic about a return in the near future.”

Decha hopes the Kingdom’s female riders follow the example of Jutatip Maneephan, who reigned supreme in the Women’s Tour of Thailand in Chiang Mai last month.

2014 Asian Games road race gold medallist Chanpeng Nontasin, plus Phetdarin Somrat, Supaksorn Nuntana and Chaniporn Batriya make up the team that Decha hopes can secure a berth at Tokyo 2020.

“If our cyclists, especially Jutatip, win this tournament, they will definitely qualify for the 2020 Olympics. We expect her to repeat the same performance that propelled her to the win the Tour of Thailand,” said Decha, adding that the winner would also claim the prestigious trophy of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Around 104 athletes and officials from 10 countries (Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Kazakhstan, Russia, Australia, Indonesia, Philippines, Iran and South Korea) will participate in the two-stage race.

The 83.5km first stage on May 24 starts and ends at Trat City Hall and goes through Ban Laem Ngad while the 92.6km second stage, which also starts and ends at the Hall, runs past Ban Bor Rai district.

There will also be a special 94km race on May 26 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Thai Cycling Association – The Golden Era Celebration Tour of Trat will start and end at City Hall via Laem Ngop district.

Shin, who claimed his Asian Tour breakthrough in 2017, had endured an uncharacteristic run of poor form prior to his fine showing at the Sobu Country Club in Japan. He missed the halfway cut twice and has never finish inside top-60 in five starts since the start of the season.

With his father on the bag last week, Shin found himself leading by two shots at the halfway stage after opening with rounds of 71 and 67 at the JPY150,000,000 (US$1,338,000) event, sanctioned by the Asian Tour and the Japan Golf Tour Organisation (JGTO).

A pair of closing 72s, however, saw the 22-year-old Shin settle for a share of second place alongside local amateur Ren Yonezawa on two-under-par 282, just a shot behind Yosuke Asaji of Japan, who closed with a 72 to claim his first professional title.

Despite missing out on his second Tour victory, Shin took pride in his confidence-boosting finish which marked his best result since his victory in Manila in 2017 and propelled him to a career-high seventh place on the Merit rankings, thanks to a current haul of US$162,231.

“It’s disappointing to miss out on the win of course but I really tired my best to catch him (Asaji). I haven’t been playing well lately and I needed a result like this to boost my confidence,” said Shin, who has been based in Davao, Philippines with his father for more than half a decade.

“But I know I have the game to do well so hopefully, this is the start of better things to come,” added the young talent, who came through the Qualifying School in 2017 before going on to claim his breakthrough win at the Resorts World Manila Masters the same year.

Shin’s maiden win in the Philippines held extra significance as it came after the then 20-year-old called a ruling on himself on the opening hole of the final round and was penalised two strokes for having 15 clubs in the bag.

His two-year winner’s exemption ends this season but Shin has virtually retained his card for 2020 as he is likely to finish inside top-60 on the final Order of Merit following his tied-second finish in Japan.

Zimbabwean Scott Vincent recorded his second top-10 result this season after battling to a 72 to finish three shots back in tied-sixth place. He would move up a spot to eighth position on the money list, where Australian Scott Hend continues to lead on US$527,530.

Thailand’s rising star Jazz Janewattananond, who will be making his debut appearance at the PGA Championship this week, remains in second place with US$471,295 while Korea’s Taehee Lee took third on US$266,798.

Top-20 players on the Habitat for Humanity Standings

Pos       Player   Order of Merit (US$)

1. Scott HEND (AUS) $527,530.94

2. Jazz JANEWATTANANOND (THA) $471,295.40

3. Taehee LEE (KOR) $266,798.00

4. Masahiro KAWAMURA (JPN) $249,266.67

5. Zach MURRAY (AUS) $197,444.91

6. Johannes VEERMAN (USA) $167,216.73

7. Micah Lauren SHIN (USA) $162,231.17

8. Scott VINCENT (ZWE) $142,062.24

9. David LIPSKY (USA) $137,309.79

10. Janne KASKE (FIN) $106,719.00

11. Prom MEESAWAT (THA) $91,980.10

12. Panuphol PITTAYARAT (THA) $87,509.11

13. Sadom KAEWKANJANA (THA) $81,777.54

14. Berry HENSON (USA) $78,774.09

15. S. CHIKKARANGAPPA (IND) $77,128.12

16. Yuta IKEDA (JPN) $74,749.19

17. Ajeetesh SANDHU (IND) $70,801.84

18. Jarin TODD (USA) $68,128.75

19. Paul PETERSON (USA) $67,402.25

20. Dongkyu JANG (KOR) $62,607.25

Mitti Tiyapairat 

Local media cites a source close to Thaksin as confirming he is in negotiations with the Eagles and that Chiangrai United president Mitti Tiyapairat is a possible candidate to represent him at the club. The deal is believed to be around 150 million pounds.

Mitti meanwhile said in an interview with local newspapers that he was not involved with the buying process but would be ready for a new challenge in life.

“I have no idea about the development of negotiation. However, it will be a challenge for me if I’m really picked to help manage the team. I’m a football lover and always follow football results everywhere. So it will be an hounour if I’m chosen,” said Mitti, adding that his priority is however to lead Chiang Rai to the local Thai League title.

Thaksin bought City in 2007 before selling the club to the Abu Dhabi United Group a year later.

Palace are managed by former England boss Roy Hodgson and finished a very respectable 12th in the table after being under a relegation cloud for much of the season.