SOCCER

FIFA intervened to allow foreign players and coaches based in Russia to leave their clubs on Monday, although only for the rest of the season.

Clubs in other countries will be allowed to sign up to two players who had been at clubs in Russia or Ukraine outside of the normal transfer window periods.

Ukraine’s league has been suspended since war engulfed the country, and its players are also allowed to temporarily leave until June 30.

FIFPRO and the organization representing the world’s soccer leagues – the World Leagues Forum – sought permission for Russia-based players to terminate their contracts. But they were told by FIFA that players and coaches “will have the right to unilaterally suspend their employment contracts with the (Football Union of) Russia-affiliated clubs in question until the end of the season in Russia,” which is June 30.

There are hundreds of foreign players in Russia who would typically not be able to leave their clubs or sign for new ones outside the two transfer trading periods in the year.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Beating Manchester United in the Champions League proved to be the peak of David Wagner’s nine months coaching Swiss champion Young Boys that ended.

Wagner, a former United States international, was fired with the four-time defending Swiss champion trailing 15 points in second place behind leader Zurich.
Young Boys sporting director Christoph Spycher said “we lost faith that we would be able to turn things around.”

Wagner previously coached Huddersfield and Schalke, and after being hired last June quickly guided Young Boys through three qualifying rounds to reach the Champions League group stage.

An opening 2-1 win at home to Man United in September was sealed by U.S. forward Jordan Pefok’s goal deep into stoppage time. It was Young Boys’ only win and a last-place finish meant it did not transfer to the second-tier Europa League.

Young Boys said assistant coach Matteo Vanetta was promoted to take interim charge of the team for the rest of the season.

• Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe injured his left foot during training, two days before the team travels to Real Madrid for a Champions League game.

MEXICO: State authorities in north-central Mexico have suspended five officials after a huge brawl among fans during a weekend match left 26 people injured, three critically.

Guadalupe Murguia, the interior secretary of Queretaro state said late Sunday the private company partly responsible for security at the soccer stadium would also have its contracts canceled.

Police were also at the venue when the brawl occurred Saturday at a match between host Queretaro and Atlas from Guadalajara, the reigning league champion, but were also unable to contain the violence.

The five suspended officials include police and civil defense employees, and three people responsible for planning and preparations.

All matches in Mexico’s top division were canceled Sunday and the league may impose bans on rowdy fans from attending away matches.

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

UFC: A judge in California denied bail to former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, who faces attempted murder and multiple gun assault charges after authorities said he fired at a pickup truck carrying a man accused of sexually abusing a 4-year-old family member.

Velasquez was arrested in San Jose last week after he chased a pickup carrying the man through busy streets in three Silicon Valley cities, ramming the vehicle with his own pickup truck during an 11-mile high-speed chase, prosecutors said.

Velasquez, 39, fired a .40-caliber pistol at the vehicle several times, wounding the man’s stepfather, who was driving, in his arm and torso, prosecutors said.

TRACK & FIELD

POLE VAULT: Olympic champion Mondo Duplantis broke his world pole vault record with a 6.19-meter clearance at the Belgrade (Serbia) Indoor Meeting.

Duplantis set the record of 6.18 in February 2020 indoors in Glasgow.

TENNIS

ATP: Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Alexander Zverev was put on probation for one year by the ATP  for violently hitting the chair umpire’s stand repeatedly with his racket following a loss in doubles at the Mexico Open.

If Zverev receives a code violation that results in a fine for unsportsmanlike conduct or for “verbal or physical abuse of an official, opponent, spectator or any other person while on-court or on-site,” he will be suspended from ATP events for eight weeks and fined an additional $25,000, the men’s tennis tour announced.

Zverev, who is currently ranked No. 3 and was the runner-up at the 2020 U.S. Open, has until Friday to appeal the ruling of Miro Bratoev, the ATP senior vice president of rules and competition.