Messi signs new Barca deal worth US$27.4m a year

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Barcelona striker Lionel Messi put pen to paper on his new contract with the Catalan club yesterday.

Messi agreed to the new deal worth a reported 20 million euros (US$27.4 million) net a year last week.

However, the four-time World Player of the Year has said he will only stay at Barcelona long if the club’s fans felt “affection” for him.

Barcelona narrowly missed out on winning La Liga on Saturday in a 1-1 home draw to Atletico Madrid, who took the title for the first time in 18 years in a dramatic title decider.

“It is the people of (Football Club) Barcelona who will decide my future but my decision is to continue since I still sense that they feel affection for me,” the Argentine star wrote on the Chinese online messaging platform Weibo.

“But if that were not the case I would look for a solution, because I will always want the best for this club.”

Barca ended the campaign without a major trophy for the first time in six years.

Messi said it had been a “hard year, personally and as a group”, and apologised to fans, promising to do better next season.

Barcelona signs Luis Enrique as new coach

BARCELONA, Spain (AFP) — Barcelona has appointed their former captain and outgoing Celta Vigo manager Luis Enrique as their new coach to replace Gerardo Martino after a disappointing trophyless season, the club said yesterday.

Enrique, 44, scored 109 goals in 300 appearances for the Catalan team in eight years after joining from eternal rivals Real Madrid in 1996, and also had great success in three seasons as Barca B coach.

Now the Barca board is betting on him bringing the 2012-2013 title holders back to glory after they ended this season without a major trophy for the first time in six years, forcing Martino to quit after just one season in charge.

“The FC Barcelona Board of Directors have this evening confirmed Luis Enrique Martinez as the new first team coach,” the club said in a statement, adding that the 44-year-old will sign a two-year deal and be officially presented tomorrow.

In his first three seasons he won two League titles, two Spanish Cups, a European Cup Winners Cup and a European Super Cup.

Enrique succeeded Pep Guardiola as Barca B coach in 2008 and led them back to the second tier of Spanish football for the first time in 11 years in his second season.

Atletico await fitness of doubtful duo

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone said he will give Diego Costa and Arda Turan every chance to prove their fitness ahead of the Champions League final against Real Madrid on Saturday.

Both players were forced off with injuries inside the first 25 minutes as Atletico claimed their first La Liga title in 18 years with a 1-1 draw away to Barcelona at the weekend.

Spanish media reported yesterday that Costa will miss the final after suffering the recurrence of a hamstring problem, whilst Turan has a hip injury.

“We are just starting the week. There are still a few days to go and we are not going to jump the gun because I think it is too early for such an important game, but we need the players to be in the right condition.

“We will wait to see how Costa and Arda recover until the end of the week and we will look for alternatives if they don’t recover.”

Atletico go into the game full of confidence having ended Real and Barcelona’s 10-year domination of La Liga and having lost just twice in 10 meetings against the two this season.

EPL chief to face no action after sexist emails

LONDON, England (AP) — The head of the English Premier League will face no disciplinary action for making disparaging comments about women in a private email exchange with a friend.

A Premier League committee met to consider the matter involving its chief executive Richard Scudamore in London yesterday, with British Prime Minister David Cameron among the high-profile critics of his conduct.

However, Peter McCormick, acting chairman of the Premier League, said in a statement that the league’s 17 clubs — not including the three relegated teams — “resolved unanimously that no further disciplinary action is required or justified”.

An investigation looked at a large quantity of emails and other documents sent by Scudamore and found there was “no evidence of wider discriminatory attitudes or inappropriate language or a general attitude of disrespect to women.”

Praising Scudamore’s “previously unblemished record over 15 years of service to the Premier League,” McCormick added in the statement that women working for the Premier League said there was “no climate of disrespect of women in the workplace.”

Pacers pound Heat inEastern Conferenceopener

INDIANAPOLIS, United States (AFP) — Paul George tallied 24 points and six assists as the Indiana Pacers pounded reigning NBA champions Miami Heats 107-96 Sunday in the opening game of their Eastern Conference final series.

The Pacers started quickly by draining six of their first seven three-point attempts en route to a wire-to-wire victory to begin the best-of-seven series against the two-time defending National Basketball Association champions.

“We have been struggling in the opening games of playoff series at home,” George said. “If we were to lose the first game against a great club like the Miami Heat it would have made this a very long series.

“We came out with a great urgency to get this one.”

The Pacers shot 59 percent from the field in the first half to lead 55-45 at half-time in front of a crowd of 18,165 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Ferguson salutes retired Giggs

LONDON, England (AFP) — Alex Ferguson saluted Ryan Giggs’ “fantastic career” after the Manchester United icon announced his retirement to concentrate on his new role as assistant to Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal.

Former United manager Ferguson signed Giggs on his 17th birthday in 1990 and saw him become the most decorated player in the club’s illustrious history.

The Welsh midfielder is well established as one of European football’s all-time greats after making 963 appearances for United, scoring 168 goals, and winning 13 Premier League titles, four FA Cups, four League Cups and two Champions Leagues.

And Ferguson, who retired at the end of the 2012-13 season, was quick to pay tribute to the 40-year-old in a video message on United’s official website. “What a fantastic career – the number of games you have played, the trophies you have won, the help you have given young people and the help you have given me and all the coaching staff.”

Former United midfielder David Beckham, who emerged from the Old Trafford youth academy at the same time as Giggs, paid tribute to his team-mate’s remarkable loyalty and longevity.

“Amazing servant to the game of course, but more importantly, an amazing servant to Manchester United,” he said. “We are all proud of you – Manchester United fans love you.”

Kerr takes over Warriors

OAKLAND, United States (AFP) — Steve Kerr, who won three of his five NBA titles as a Chicago Bulls teammate of Michael Jordan, was named yesterday as the new coach of the Golden State Warriors.

The 48-year-old Lebanon-born American will replace Mark Jackson, who was fired after the Warriors lost to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

The deal is reportedly worth $25 million over five years.

“I’m really excited about the unique opportunity to coach a very talented team and work for this committed management group,” Kerr said.

Kerr, who has served as an NBA television commentator for most of the years since he retired in 2003, was also seen as a contender for the vacant coaching post of the New York Knicks, whose team president since March has been Phil Jackson, Kerr’s former coach with the Bulls and winner of a record 11 NBA titles as a coach.

But Kerr, who has no coaching experience, decided to take over the Warriors after a meeting with chief executive Joe Lacob and general manager Bob Myers last week.

“The fact that he played for several of the greatest coaches in the history of the game — including Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich — will serve him well, as will the many nuances that he learned from performing on the brightest stage during his incredibly successful, championship-filled career,” Myers said.

Sri Lanka’s Malinga keen on unbeaten run in T20s

LONDON, England (AFP) — Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga is looking forward to maintaining his perfect record as captain when his Twenty20 world champions face England in cricket’s shortest format at The Oval today.

Malinga has enjoyed three wins from as many matches since replacing the out-of-form Dinesh Chandimal during the ICC World Twenty20 in Bangladesh two months ago

Under the fast bowler’s leadership, Sri Lanka won their last group match before seeing off West Indies in a semi-final and defeating India in the final.

However, their only tournament loss came against England — a match where Alex Hales’ whirlwind innings saw him become the first England batsman to score a Twenty20 international hundred.

“We are a really happy unit, because we won the (Twenty20) World Cup,” Malinga told reporters at The Oval yesterday. “We are a young side, looking forward to assessing these conditions as soon as possible.

“We are confident we can handle all the pressure in Twenty20.”

England will take some confidence from a win that was a rare highlight during a wretched tournament.

But Malinga said a more important factor would be England’s knowledge of home conditions.

Recovering Woods unsure of return date

BETHESDA, Maryland (AP) — Tiger Woods still doesn’t know when he’ll return. For a while, he didn’t know whether he would return at all.

Woods said yesterday that his back injury became so debilitating this year it caused him to doubt his ability to play golf again.

“Forget about playing golf at the highest level. I couldn’t get out of bed,” Woods said. “I was certainly doubtful at that point. What’s it going to feel like? Am I going to be pain free? Am I going to be able to actually do this again, where I can to get out of bed, and go out there and play with my kids and play golf? All those things were up in the air.”

Woods said the doubt was erased after microdiscectomy surgery on March 31. He said the procedure, which relieved pain from a pinched nerve, provided immediate relief, although he said there’s still “no timetable” for his return to golf — or even for taking a full swing. As of now, he remains limited to chipping and putting.

“It’s not going not be up to me whether I play or not, it’s going to be up to my docs,” Woods said. “Obviously, I want to play now.”

China progress in badminton tourneys

NEW DELHI, India (AP) — China stormed into the quarterfinals of both the Thomas and Uber Cup tournaments with easy 5-0 victories in their second outings yesterday.

The Chinese men defeated Russia to advance in the Thomas Cup while the women got past England to make it to the last-eight stage in the Uber Cup.

China, which is looking for a record sixth consecutive Thomas Cup title, rested star player Lin Dan but still wrapped up a winning 3-0 lead after the three singles matches.

Second-ranked Chen Long put the team ahead with a 21-12, 21-15 win over Vladimir Malkov in 40 minutes and then Du Pengyu and Tian Houwei won their singles ties with ease.

Malaysia, boasting No. 1-ranked Lee Chong Wei in its side, advanced with a 4-1 over Germany in Group C after a similar 4-1 victory over India in its earlier league outing.

The Chinese women’s team won a second consecutive tie without dropping a set.

World No. 1 Li Xuerui took just 27 minutes to beat Fontaine Mica Chapman 21-13, 21-13 to set the tone for China, who have won the title in seven of the previous eight editions.

Murray extends contract with Ducks

ANAHEIM, United States (AFP) — Bob Murray agreed to a four-year contract extension yesterday to remain as general manager of the Anaheim Ducks after their second-round run in the National Hockey League playoffs.

The deal will keep Murray, 59, in the position he took in November of 2008 through the 2019-20 campaign. He had previously spent three seasons as a vice president of hockey operations.

The Ducks led the Western Conference with a club-record 54 wins in 82 games, but lost in the best-of-seven second round to Los Angeles.