A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Nadal finds dazzling form in Japan
TENNIS: Rafa Nadal overpowered qualifier Go Soeda 6-3, 6-2 as he began the defence of his Japan Open title in a blur of swashbuckling winners yesterday.
The top seed produced some dazzling shot-making under floodlights in Tokyo, taking the first set with a jaw-dropping backhand lob at full stretch with Japanese Soeda marooned at the net.
Nadal kept his foot on the gas in the second and the Spaniard teed up match point with a superb running forehand down the line.
The world number two swiftly ended proceedings, ripping another forehand deep into the corner to trigger a stampede as fans rushed from their seats for the chance of an autograph.
Nadal next faces big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic who beat Japan’s Yuichi Sugita 6-7, 6-3, 7-6 in his first match since undergoing hip surgery after Wimbledon.
City to pay annual fee of €2m for €35m Eastlands naming rights
SOCCER: Manchester City will pay just £2 million a year to their local council in return for control of the naming rights to the Eastlands stadium, which was built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games with £112 million of lottery and public money.
Agreeing that payment to the council allowed City to conclude their 10-year deal with Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways, for an estimated £35 million a year, which includes naming rights to the stadium, the proposed 80-acre training campus alongside it, and City’s shirts.
Manchester city council still owns the stadium, on which it spent £22 million of council tax payers’ money to have the running track removed and convert it for City to occupy as tenants after the Commonwealth Games.
City handed their former Maine Road home to the council, and spent £20 million installing bars, restaurants and corporate entertaining areas at Eastlands. The terms of the rent were for City to pay the council a proportion of ticket income above Maine Road’s 32,000 capacity, which has produced around £2 million to the council annually since 2003.
Under the tenancy agreement, the council retained control of naming rights to the stadium, which remains a publicly owned asset. As City, owned since 2008 by Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi, pondered fulfilling its ambitions, the agreement was renegotiated last year.
Howard Bernstein, the council’s chief executive disclosed that the overall rent paid by City will now increase to “circa £4 million a year”. In return, the council released its control of naming rights.
Mansour’s club then sealed the estimated £350 million, 10-year deal with Etihad. The campus development, which the council hopes will help regenerate east Manchester neighbourhoods which include some of the country’s most stubbornly deprived, is currently being considered for planning permission.
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Khan wary of Mayweather distraction ahead of defence
BOXING: Amir Khan admits he can not afford to let thoughts of a potential blockbuster fight with Floyd Mayweather distract him ahead of his upcoming contest against Lamont Peterson.
Khan announced yesterday that he will defend his WBA and IBF light-welterweight titles against American Peterson at the Washington Convention Center on December 10th.
The 24-year-old is also keen not to let the thought of a potential multi-million pound blockbuster with Mayweather next year distract him from his last fight at light-welterweight.
“I have ambitions and one of them is to fight Floyd Mayweather and beat him, but I have got Lamont Peterson to beat first,” Khan said.
“I know I have to focus on this one fight because one mistake can change your life and I don’t want that to happen.”
Khan will begin training for the fight with coach Freddie Roach in the Wild Card gym alongside Manny Pacquiao on Monday.
Canning suspended for four weeks
GAELIC GAMES: Joe Canning has been suspended for four weeks and will miss Portumna’s quarter-final meeting with St Thomas this weekend after being sent off in their final group game two weeks ago.
Canning’s Galway colleague Andy Smith will also miss Sunday’s game after picking up a red card in the fiery contest against Athenry.
Athenry defender Diarmuid Cloonan and Shane Donoghue, who were also sent off, have been suspended, although Athenry are out of the championship.
Canning and Smith will be back for the Galway semi-finals should Portumna win on Sunday.
Meanwhile, All-Ireland club champions Clarinbridge will put their title on the line when they meet Mullagh in a double-header at Athenry on Sunday which also features Gort against Loughrea.
The first of the Galway SHC quarter-finals sees Carnmore take on Craughwell on Saturday.
