PARIS – World player of the year Lionel Messi was named Tuesday among the three finalists in the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award short-list along with Barcelona teammate Andres Iniesta and Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo. Argentina's Messi beat Ronaldo and Xavi Hernandez last year to win the inaugural edition of the prize, which is awarded after a vote of European sports journalists. The second edition will be presented in Monaco on August 30 on the sidelines of he draw for the Champions League group stages. Messi was La Liga's top scorer with 50 goals last season, four more than Ronaldo, and capped his season by winning a third Ballon d'Or title. Adidas unveils potential names for World Cup ball Adidas has announced the short list of potential names for the 2014 World Cup ball and are asking fans to vote for their preferred candidate of quintessential Brazilian choices. The three names are Portuguese words and all are feminine, conforming to the Brazilian stereotype of the ball as a woman, to be caressed and cared for. One of the finalists is Carnavalesca, a word describing someone who plans or participates in the country's raucous carnival celebrations. Another is Bossa Nova, a reference to the famous samba-jazz music genre popularized in Rio de Janeiro in the late 1950s and 1960s. Finally Brazuca, which is a playful slang word for native Brazilians that Adidas said summed up the country's irreverence. The sporting goods firm, a World Cup sponsor, is giving fans the chance to vote for one of the options on its Brazilian Web page at www.adidas.com.br/nome-da-bola-2014. The concept of naming the World Cup ball began in Mexico in 1970 with the Telstar. Among the more memorable balls in the years since were the Tango in Argentina in 1978, the Azteca in Mexico in 1986 and the Jabulani in South Africa in 2010. Romario, the 1994 World Cup winner turned Congressman who has previously criticised Brazil's preparations, expressed surprise at the absence of Gorduchinha, a word that means little chubby. Adidas said voting closes on Sept. 2. 3 Napoli players banned Three Napoli players have been suspended in the aftermath of a fractious Italian Supercup against Juventus Saturday. Goran Pandev and Andrea Dossena were given two-match suspensions, while Juan Zuniga got a one-match ban. Juventus beat Napoli 4-2 to win the Italian Supercup after scoring twice in extra time. Pandev and Zuniga were sent off in the last five minutes of regular time. Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri was also given a one-match ban. — Agencies
