Football, 3rd division: 1. FC Kaiserslautern receives fresh money through the entry of another investor. The US investors around the Pacific Media Group (PMG) have a stake of almost ten percent in the GmbH & Co. KGaA of the four-time champions, who are currently second in the table and are aiming for promotion to the second division. The participation corresponds to three million euros. For PMG it is the first commitment in German football. However, the group is already present in other parts of Europe. The investors have financial interests in Barnsley FC (England), AS Nancy (France), KV Oostende (Belgium) and Esbjerg FB (Denmark), among others. So far, the FCK has been financially supported primarily by Saar-Pfalz-Invest GmbH (SPI) by five regional Saarland-Palatinate entrepreneurs. After the insolvency proceedings of the FCK corporation at the end of 2020, SPI acquired 33 percent of the capital for eleven million euros.
Basketball, NBA: In the close race for top playoff spots, the Boston Celtics slipped from first to fourth in the Eastern Conference after just one loss. Despite a good performance by national basketball player Daniel Theis with 13 points and ten assists, the series of six wins against the Toronto Raptors broke. At 112:115 after extra time, the NBA record champion had to do without Robert Williams III as well as the injured Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum. Because of the center’s knee injury, Theis played from the start and did well. The Raptors are sixth in the table.
First in the Eastern Conference are the Miami Heat again. After the last four defeats, the team scored 123:100 in the home game against the Sacramento Kings. The Chicago Bulls are still fifth after beating the New York Knicks 104-109, but are now level with the Raptors. Meanwhile, in the Western Conference, the San Antonio Spurs increased the pressure on the Los Angeles Lakers. The Spurs won 123-120 at the Houston Rockets, who were without Dennis Schröder because of a shoulder problem, and finished eleventh in the table, moving closer to the Lakers in tenth place. If LeBron James’ team slips to eleventh place, they will miss the playoffs. The star is a doubt for Tuesday night’s game with the Dallas Mavericks (local time) because of ankle pain.
Segeln, Americas Cup: The sailing classic America’s Cup is heading for Spain for the third time after 2007 and 2010. Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau confirmed in a video message on her Facebook page that the 1992 Olympic metropolis will host the 37th edition in the fight for the oldest trophy in international sports. “Attention, we have great news for the sport and the economy of the city: Barcelona will host the America’s Cup in sailing in 2024,” said the politician’s profile.
While the New Zealand Cup defenders and rights holders are still silent and have announced their announcement for March 30, Spain’s politicians are already celebrating the coup, which the Catalan news agency ACN had first reported on. Attempts to find an agreement between Team New Zealand and the New Zealand and Auckland governments over funding for a title defense at home have failed in the past. In addition to Barcelona, Malaga in Spain, Cork in Ireland and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia were all in the running for hosting rights.
Football, Corona: VfL Wolfsburg has to do without its coach in preparation for the landmark away game at FC Augsburg: Florian Kohfeldt has tested positive for the corona virus and will be absent in the coming days. A PCR test carried out on Monday afternoon brought confirmation, as the wolves announced. The 39-year-old had previously had no contact with the coaching staff or the team.
Training will be taken over by assistant coach Vincent Heilmann. Michael Frontzeck, who has been part of the coaching staff at VfL Wolfsburg since the start of the season, will not be available to the still unsecured team until the end of the season due to an operation on his face. Wolfsburg is 13th in the table. with five points ahead of FCA in the game on Sunday (3.30 p.m. / DAZN). In the event of a defeat, the Lower Saxony threaten to be involved again in the fight against relegation. It is not yet known whether Kohfeldt can sit on the bench in the duel.
