Sports Briefs

French court: Investigation of Benzema unfair

PARIS (AP) France's highest court has ruled that an investigation of Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema in a blackmail case, linked to a sex tape involving his France teammate Mathieu Valbuena, was carried out unfairly by prosecutors.

Benzema is facing preliminary charges of conspiracy and complicity in an attempted blackmail scheme intended to extort money from Valbuena in exchange for the sex tape. Benzema denies any wrongdoing.

The Cour de Cassation didn't clear Benzema, but it ruled that investigators had broken rules and used unfair methods to try and prove the existence of a blackmail scam.

Donnarumma renews contract until 2021

MILAN (AP) AC Milan's teenage goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has agreed to extend his contract with the Serie A club until 2021.

The talented 18-year-old turned down a new deal last month and would have been a free agent at the end of next season.

But yesterday Milan announced it had reached an agreement with Donnarumma, saying he would sign a new four-year contract the following morning.

The new contract will reportedly see Donnarumma earn six million euros a season (US$7 million) and contains a release clause worth approximately 70 million euros.

Donnarumma has been ever present for Milan since October 2015, when he became the youngest goalkeeper to start a Serie A match, at the age of 16 years, 8 months, 6 days.

Saudis to allow girls to play sports in public schools

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Saudi Arabia said yesterday that it will grant girls in public schools access to physical education, a decision that comes after years of calls by women across the kingdom demanding greater rights and access to sports.

The Education Ministry said it will introduce the physical education classes "gradually" and "in accordance with (Islamic) Shariah regulations."

At least one Saudi activist took to Twitter questioning whether this implied that girls will be required to seek the permission of their male guardians, such as a father, before they can play sports. It was also unclear if the classes would be extracurricular or mandatory.

The decision to allow girls to play sports in public schools is significant in Saudi Arabia because women taking part in exercise is still seen as a taboo. Some of the kingdom's ultraconservatives shun the concept of women's exercise as "immodest" and say it blurs gender lines.