BRIEFS - Cuban gets $341k parade bill
Published:Saturday | June 25, 2011 | 12:00 AM
- Cuban gets $341k parade bill
DALLAS (AP):
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has received a bill for the cost of a parade honouring the NBA champions, which he has pledged to pay out of his own pocket.
City officials determined the cost of the June 16 downtown celebration came to $340,947. City spokesman Frank Librio said the bill was sent straight to Cuban, who has agreed to pay promptly.
According to the city's summary sheet, the largest expense, at $270,715, was for the 540-strong police presence. An additional 132 firefighters and paramedics on hand for emergencies cost $54,002. Clean-up was the smallest expense at $843.
The rest was spent on public works, convention centre usage and various city services.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban carries the Larry O'Brien Trophy to the stage during the victory celebration on Thursday.
About 200,000 jubilant fans attended the parade.
- Website problems for Olympic tickets
LONDON (AP):
Thousands of people across Britain rose at dawn and hunched over their computer keyboards in the second round of bidding for tickets for the 2012 London Olympics.
But the hopes of many were dashed. The site was working - but very slowly. Olympic organisers urged ticket hopefuls to be patient.
The sales on Friday came after two-thirds of ticket seekers failed to earn any in the first round. The 1.2 million previously unsuccessful bidders received priority in the morning sales. About 2.3 million tickets went on sale, many of them for football.
Tickets will also be sold in stages next year.
- Russia 2018 World Cup organiser vows to fight racism
MOSCOW (AP):
The top Russian organiser of the 2018 World Cup says an anti-racism campaign will be launched leading to the tournament.
Racism has become entrenched in some of the country's fan clubs, which are heavily laden with ultranationalists and neo-Nazis.
Russia's football league is launching an investigation after a banana was thrown at Roberto Carlos during a league match on Wednesday, the second such racist taunt to be faced by the former World Cup winner in three months. The Brazilian, who joined Anzhi Makhachkala earlier this year, quit the pitch in protest before the final whistle, after the banana was thrown from the stands in stoppage time of a game at Krylya Sovetov.
The head of Russia's World Cup Organising Committee said at a soccer forum yesterday the issue is "very difficult to control". But Alexei Sorokin adds that Russian soccer authorities are preparing a programme aimed at ending racist displays.
- Costa Rica defender dies
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (CMC):
Costa Rican defender Dennis Marshall was killed in a car crash here Thursday, only days after returning from representing the country at the CONCACAF Gold Cup in the United States.
Reports said Marshall and a female companion died when the car in which they were travelling collided head-on with a truck.
The 25-year-old, a professional with Danish club Aalborg, played the full 90 minutes in all three preliminary games as Costa Rica finished second in Group A behind Mexico.
Only last Saturday, he scored in the quarter-final against Honduras which ended 1-1 after regulation. Honduras won on penalties.