Reuters Sports News Summary
Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.
Prince Ali fears 'catastrophe' for FIFA if wrong leader elected
FIFA faces a "catastrophic" future if the wrong man is elected head of world soccer's governing body, presidential candidate Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein said on Tuesday when he published his election manifesto. The 40-year-old Jordanian royal, who was beaten by 133-73 votes by Sepp Blatter in last May's election, is one of five men looking to replace the Swiss, who was banned from soccer for eight years last month for ethics violations.
New IAAF road map includes doubling anti-doping budget
The governing body of world athletics has promised to double the anti-doping budget as part of a 10-point "road map" to restore trust in the sport. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) released a statement on Tuesday outlining five steps for "building trust in the governing body" and five more for "building trust in competition".
Former Giant Coughlin leaves door open for coaching return
The Tom Coughlin era with the New York Giants is over but on Tuesday the likely Hall of Fame coach left the door open to coaching again in the National Football League. "I'm not necessarily done with coaching," the 69-year-old Coughlin said during his farewell news conference at the Giants practice facility. "Thank you very much for asking."
Browns hire DePodesta of 'Moneyball' fame to end woes
The Cleveland Browns hired Major League Baseball executive Paul DePodesta of "Moneyball" fame as their chief strategy officer on Tuesday, taking an unconventional route to fix their NFL woes. DePodesta, 43, had served as the vice president of player development and scouting for the New York Mets since 2010 and helped the franchise reach the World Series this past season.
Serena retires from Hopman Cup match with knee injury
World number one Serena Williams retired from her Hopman Cup match against Australian Jarmila Wolfe on Tuesday with a knee injury barely two weeks before launching her bid for a seventh Australian Open title. Williams was trailing 7-5 2-1 when she decided not to continue after receiving medical treatment.
Butler, Bulls bound past Bucks
The Chicago Bulls extended their winning streak to a season-high five games by defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 117-106 on Tuesday at the United Center. The Bulls had dropped three of four games right around Christmas, leading to questions being asked about everything from their leadership to their effort.
Ethics watchdog recommends nine-year ban for FIFA's Valcke
FIFA's ethics watchdog has recommended a nine-year ban for secretary-general Jerome Valcke over alleged corruption involving the sale of World Cup tickets, among the dozens of scandals rocking soccer's crisis-plagued governing body. Cornel Borbely, chief investigator for FIFA's independent ethics committee, requested that Valcke be fined 100,000 Swiss francs after completing an investigation into the Frenchman's conduct, the watchdog said in a statement.
Brit Broady prevails after racquet row in Auckland
A fired up Naomi Broady let her racquet do the talking as she stormed back to beat Jelena Ostapenko in an ill-tempered Auckland Classic clash marred by an on-court row after the Briton called for the Latvian to be disqualified. Tensions boiled over in the second set of the low key second round clash when, after a winner by Broady, the 18-year-old Ostapenko's racquet came out of her hand, bounced off the blue hard court and against the back wall towards the ball boy.
Baseball's Zimmerman, Howard sue Al Jazeera over doping report
The Washington Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman and Philadelphia Phillies' Ryan Howard sued the Al Jazeera America television network for defamation on Tuesday over a report that the Major League Baseball players used a performance-enhancing drug. The two suits, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, accuse the network of libel and invasion of privacy. They are seeking punitive and other damages as well as a court order that Al Jazeera retract false and defamatory statements, according to the court filing.
Coughlin's willingness to change led to Super Bowls
Tom Coughlin turned an expansion team into a contender then found Super Bowl glory with the New York Giants after ditching his authoritarian approach for a more inclusive style. Coughlin remarkably had the Jacksonville Jaguars one win away from a Super Bowl berth in their second National Football League season but it wasn't until he joined the Giants that he reached the top of the coaching profession.
