Digest

VOLLEYBALL

China to host Olympic qualifier in September

The International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) on Wednesday announced that China will host Olympic qualification tournaments in September and October.

Japan and Poland will also stage women's qualifiers from Sept 16 to 24, while China, Japan and Brazil will host men's matches from Sept 30 to Oct 8.

"Brazil, China, Japan and Poland are huge markets for our sport. We know very well how passionate their fans are about volleyball and we are delighted to bring even more exciting volleyball action to these countries," said Volleyball World CEO Finn Taylor.

The draw for the FIVB Road to Paris qualifier events will take place in Lausanne, Switzerland, on March 17.

Twelve men's and 12 women's teams will compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with six berths per gender up for grabs at the qualification tournaments. The other five places will be selected from the Volleyball Nations League 2024.

BASKETBALL

82-year-old charged for selling fake MJ cards

An 82-year-old Colorado man was charged Wednesday with selling and trading fake Michael Jordan basketball cards in a scheme that prosecutors said resulted in him making more than $800,000 over four years.

Mayo Gilbert McNeil was arrested in Denver, where he lives, after a complaint was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn charging him with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to the Brooklyn US Attorney's office.

McNeil was accused of making numerous fraudulent deals beginning in 2015, including the 2019 sale of a counterfeit card to a victim in Manhasset, New York, for $4,500, and a 2017 deal in which he traded two counterfeit cards for two authentic Tom Brady football cards.

In a brief phone call, McNeil said he was released without bail after an initial appearance in US District Court in Colorado. "I did nothing wrong," he said. Prosecutors said he will appear in a New York courtroom at a later date.

GOLF

Tiger's girlfriend bids to nullify hush contract

Tiger Woods' girlfriend wants to nullify a nondisclosure agreement following a six-year relationship with the professional golfer.

Attorneys for Erica Herman filed a complaint seeking declaratory judgment on Monday in a circuit court in Martin County, Florida, according to online records. The couple had been living together in the area, according to the complaint. Martin County is located directly north of Palm Beach County.

Woods and Herman have not publicly announced the end of their relationship, which began in 2017.She had been seen regularly with him at major championships, such as the 2019 Masters he won for his 15th major and during his Presidents Cup captaincy in Australia later that year.

But she was not at his Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas the first week in December, or at the Genesis Invitational he hosted at Riviera three weeks ago.

SOCCER

Neymar surgery to be led by British specialist

Brazil star Neymar's upcoming surgery on his injured ankle in Qatar will be led by a renowned British specialist, the Aspetar hospital said on Wednesday.

The hospital confirmed that the 31-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward will be operated on at the sports medicine clinic and that James Calder will lead the surgery.

"Aspetar's expert ankle surgeon, Professor Pieter D'Hooghe and renowned ankle surgeon Professor James Calder from London, will perform the surgery," the clinic said in a statement.

The Brazilian was previously treated at Aspetar, with Calder involved, in January 2019.

Neymar is expected to miss up to four months of action, almost certainly ruling him out for the rest of the season. "I'll come back stronger," Neymar, who has scored 18 goals in all competitions for PSG this season, said on Twitter.

Lineker refuses to back down in BBC dispute

Gary Lineker was never booked in his 16-year playing career but the former England striker is in danger of being shown the red card by his employer, the BBC, for standing up for refugees trying to make their way to Britain.

Lineker has hosted the BBC's flagship soccer show Match of the Day for more than 20 years and the charismatic 62-year-old has never been afraid to voice his opinions about political issues like Brexit.

As the BBC's highest-paid employee, Lineker is the face of its sports coverage.

Although the corporation has strict impartiality guidelines, that has not stopped Lineker from airing his views on Twitter where he has over 8.7 million followers.

Matters came to a head on Tuesday when Britain's interior minister Suella Braverman outlined proposals to stop almost all migrants crossing the English Channel. Lineker described the policy as "beyond awful" and "immeasurably cruel".

Lineker was warned by the BBC to respect its social media guidelines, but on Wednesday he wrote on Twitter that he would continue to speak his mind and added: "I have never known such love and support in my life than I'm getting this morning (England World Cup goals aside, possibly). I want to thank each and every one of you."

Agencies