Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/774426
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 18 JANUARY 2017 23 Sport Answers to the MaltaToday crossword will be published next Wednesday WEATHER: Partly cloudy becoming rather cloudy with showers in the afternoon VISIBILITY: Good locally moderate in showers WIND: West Southwest force 5 to 6 locally force 6 becoming force 5 overnight SEA: Rough SWELL: Low West Northwest A B C D E F G H 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 White to play and mate in four moves A B C D E F G H 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Last week's solution Sudoku rules are extremely easy: Fill all empty squares so that the numbers 1 to 9 appear once in each row, column and 9x9 box. ISOLATED SHOWERS 15 º C / 10 º C UV INDEX: 2 Today's Weather Chess Sudoku Pursuits Across 1. Lacking teeth (9) 8. Representative (5) 9. - - - - - Bridge, W. Scottish town (5) 10. Simpler (6) 12. Run away (4) 14. Ray of light (4) 15. Cylindrical wooden container (6) 17. Managed (5) 18. Eating utensil (5) 20. Child (9) Down 2. Be in debt (3) 3. Shred (6) 4. Catalogue (4) 5. Pertaining to the stars (7) 6. Softback (9) 7. Underscore (9) 11. Cleansing preparation (7) 13. Hesitates (6) 16. Paradise (4) 19. Single unit (3) Nf5 Ke8 Rc8# FOOTBALL Maradona charms Naples on anniversary of first Serie A title Man City's Toure turned down huge offer from China - agent ARGENTINA'S World Cup-win- ner Diego Maradona returned to Naples this week to regale audi- ences with memories of his hero- ics in helping Napoli win the 1987 Italian league title and took a pot- shot at fellow football great Pele. The 56-year-old Maradona hosted his two-hour show "3 Volte Dieci" or "Three times ten" at the venerated Teatro di San Carlo opera house on Monday to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Napoli's first Serie A champion- ship. Maradona quit Spanish giants Barcelona to sign for Napoli in 1984 and became their captain and record scorer with 115 goals. "With this shirt I dreamt a dream," he told the crowd while holding a Napoli shirt. "When I came to sign for Napoli (then vice-president of Barcelona, Joan) Gaspart told me: 'Do not leave. I will give you five more years, with twice the money you are earning at the moment'. I told him: 'No. No. I will follow my heart." Maradona left Napoli in 1992 after failing a drugs test but is still revered by the club, where he also won the UEFA Cup in 1989 and another Serie A title in 1990. The Argentine, who led his country to the 1986 World Cup title, said he had priced tickets for his show at 300 euros (259.38 pounds) so they were more ex- pensive than those to see Brazil's 76-year-old three-time World Cup-winner Pele. The pair have long sparred over the moniker of football's greatest ever player. MANCHESTER City midfielder Yaya Toure has turned down a 520,000 pounds ($643,812) a week offer to play in China, his agent said yesterday. DIMITRI Seluk said the 33-year- old was targeted by Chinese club Ji- angsu Suning in the winter transfer window. The BBC reported he had been contacted again in the current window. "Yaya plays on another level. He wants to play at the highest level. He's happy at Manchester City. Yaya likes football more than money," Se- luk was quoted as saying by Sky. Chinese Super League clubs have been flexing their financial mus- cles, with a number of high-profile recent signings. Shanghai SIPG bought Brazil midfielder Oscar from Chelsea for 60 million euros ($64.22 million), while their rivals Shanghai Shen- hua have signed Argentine striker Carlos Tevez for a reported 84 mil- lion euros. Toure had a difficult start to the season but has clawed his way back into City's first-team plans in recent months. The Ivorian, who had been a mid- field mainstay since arriving from Barcelona in 2010, appeared sur- plus to requirements after the ar- rival of manager Pep Guardiola in the close season. The Spaniard had sold Toure to City when he was Barca boss. Things got worse when the mid- fielder was left out of City's Cham- pions League squad, a decision which drew fierce criticism from Seluk, who accused Guardiola of 'humiliating' Toure n an effort to rebuild the relation- ship with his manager, Toure apolo- gised fully at the start of November for "misunderstandings of the past" and quickly forced his way back into Guardiola's plans. Toure, whose City contract is up in the close season, has now made 11 appearances since late November.