Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/973467
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 25 APRIL 2018 Sport 23 FOOTBALL Answers to the MaltaToday crossword will be published next Wednesday WEATHER: Fine with increasing high clouds VISIBILITY: Good WIND: South Southwest force 2 to 3 becoming Southeast and increasing to force 4 overnight SEA: Slight becoming moderate overnight SWELL Negligible 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. PARTLY CLOUDY 24 º C /14 º C UV INDEX: 6 Today's Weather Chess Sudoku Pursuits Across 6. Velvet-like fabric (6) 7. Social standing (4) 8. Sailors (4) 9. Moist with sweat (6) 10. Full of substance (5) 12. Decoration (5) 15. Alter (6) 17. Young cow (4) 18. Central part (4) 19. Machine that loads (6) Down 1. Threaten (6) 2. Tasks (4) 3. Collide (5) 4. Current of air (6) 5. Midge (4) 11. Cared for (6) 13. Joined by treaty (6) 14. Staggers (5) 16. Foot of a horse (4) 17. Stuff (4) Nxc7+ Kd6 Qb6# ... Kd8 Re8# (Na6#, Na8# Ne8#, Nb5#) 'Sorry, Andres' – France Football apologises to Iniesta ANDRES Iniesta has received an apology from France Football for never awarding the Barce- lona midfielder the prestigious Ballon d'Or. The Ballon d'Or, awarded an- nually to the world's best player, provokes endless debate among football fans and pundits each year. The weekly French maga- zine published an editorial on Tuesday in tribute to Spain in- ternational Iniesta, who is this week expected to announce his departure from Barcelona after a trophy-laden 16 years in order to move to China. The article effusively praised Iniesta's style of play and the positive effect he has had on his team mates including Li- onel Messi, and expressed re- gret that he has never won the award, which has been monop- olised by Messi and Real Ma- drid's Cristiano Ronaldo since 2008. "Of all the absences on the list of Ballon d'Or winners, his is particularly painful," the maga- zine's editor Pascal Ferre said in the article. "Unless he can have an opportune campaign at the World Cup in Russia and repair this democratic anomaly." Iniesta was one of the favour- ites to win the award in 2010 after winning the World Cup with Spain and scoring the only goal in the final, but he finished runner-up to Messi. He came third in 2012, with Messi winning the award again, despite being named player of the tournament as Spain won Euro 2012. The Ballon d'Or was estab- lished by France Football in 1956. For the majority of its existence it has been chosen by votes from a group of interna- tional journalists, although be- tween 2009 and 2015 it joined forces with FIFA and was also chosen by the captain and coach of each member nation.