Digest

BASEBALL

Lawsuit reveals Yanks fined for dugout phone

The New York Yankees were fined $100,000 by Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred for using their dugout phone to relay information about opposing teams' signs during the 2015 season and part of 2016.

The fine was disclosed in a Sept 14, 2017, letter from Manfred to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman that is set to be unsealed in US District Court in New York this week as part of a dismissed lawsuit by a fan. The letter's contents were first reported Tuesday by SNY and the letter was obtained by The Associated Press.

MLB has said the fine was for violating rules on the use of the dugout phone but made the distinction that the Yankees did not use electronics to steal signs, a greater violation that led in January 2020 to the Houston Astros getting fined $5 million and resulted in one-year suspensions for Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow, who were both fired for the team's conduct during the 2017 season.

Manfred announced on Sept 15,2017, that he had fined the Yankees for violating a rule about the use of a dugout phone but did not publicly detail the violation and did not announce the fine amount.

SOCCER

Pele keen to witness Brazil glory in Qatar

Soccer legend Pele has expressed a desire to see Brazil win the FIFA World Cup for the sixth time in Qatar later this year.

The most successful outfit in the competition's history, Brazil last won international soccer's ultimate prize in Japan and South Korea two decades ago.

"Are you ready for another World Cup? I know I am. I really want to see our team lift this trophy once again!" Pele said in an Instagram post accompanied by an image of the 81-year-old holding soccer's most coveted piece of silverware.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Pele scored a world-record tally of 1,281 goals in a 1,363-match professional career that spanned 21 years.

He was capped 91 times for Brazil, scoring 77 international goals and is the only player to have won the World Cup three times－in 1958,1962 and 1970.

In recent years Pele has suffered from a number of health issues, including complications related to a hip replacement, kidney infections and cancer.

This year's World Cup will be played in Qatar from Nov 21 to Dec 18.

Female players in Italy allowed to turn pro

Female soccer players in Italy will be able to turn professional next season after years of amateur-only status that limited their salaries.

The Italian Soccer Federation's executive board approved new regulations on Tuesday that open the way for a women's professional era starting July 1－in time for the next Serie A season.

"Today is a big day," federation president Gabriele Gravina said. "We're the first federation in Italy to put this change into effect."

Italian law had limited female players to amateur status, meaning that they couldn't earn more than 30,000 euros ($32,000) per year before taxes.

In the initial vote, the women's league had unexpectedly voted against the change.

"There was a bit of resistance from Serie A, which wanted to propose a delay but then we reached an agreement," Gravina said.

Lazio president and federation board member Claudio Lotito said of the original vote: "There was just a misunderstanding."

TENNIS

Raducanu splits with coach after six months

US Open champion Emma Raducanu has parted ways with coach Torben Beltz six months after hiring him.

The 19-year-old British player said on Tuesday she is seeking "a new training model" despite rising to a career-high ranking of No 11 this week after reaching the quarterfinals at the Stuttgart Open.

"I want to thank Torben for his coaching, professionalism and dedication over the last half a year," Raducanu said in a statement. "He has a huge heart and I have enjoyed our strong chemistry during the time together. I feel the best direction for my development is to transition to a new training model with the (British tennis federation) supporting in the interim."

Raducanu split from coach Andrew Richardson after last year's US Open－where she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title－and later hired Beltz, former coach of three-time major champion Angelique Kerber.

Raducanu is scheduled to play at the Madrid Open this week.

Unvaccinated Djokovic can play at Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic will be allowed to defend his title at Wimbledon, despite not being vaccinated against COVID-19, because the shots are not required to enter Britain, All England Club chief executive Sally Bolton said Tuesday.

Djokovic, a 34-year-old Serb who is ranked No 1, missed the Australian Open in January after being deported from that country because he was not vaccinated against the illness caused by the coronavirus that has led to the deaths of millions during the pandemic that began in 2020.

During the annual spring briefing ahead of Wimbledon, which starts on June 27, Bolton said that "while, of course, it is encouraged" that all players get vaccinated, "it will not be a condition of entry to compete" at the grass-court Grand Slam tournament this year.

Djokovic, in addition to being unable to defend his championship at Melbourne Park after an 11-day legal saga over whether he could remain in Australia, had to sit out tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami because he couldn't travel to the United States as a foreigner who is unvaccinated.

Agencies