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Barcelona: In crisis both on and off the pitch 02.03.2021

Josep Maria Bartomeu stepped down as Barcelona president last October

Barcelona are in the headlines for the wrong reasons, with the club's former president having been arrested. That Josep Maria Bartomeu has since been released will do nothing to solve the many crises the club is facing.

Israel, UK mull fan return after vaccine success 26.02.2021

Both countries’ successful vaccination rollouts could soon result in the return of fans to sports stadiums. Though Germany lags far behind on coronavirus vaccinations, a new concept offers supporters cautious hope.

Opinion: Football needs a coming out 28.02.2021

Former British football player Justin Fashanu

British football player Justin Fashanu would have turned 60 last week. Instead, he has been dead for over two decades now — a victim of toxic masculinity in a machismo world, writes DW's Sertan Sanderson.

'African footballers should stay in Africa' 25.02.2021

Buyuksehir Belediye Erzurumspor | Johanna Omolo

Many children in Africa dream of making a career as a football player in Europe. Having realized that dream, Kenyan international Johanna Omolo set up a foundation to help kids back home with life on and off the pitch.

Boxing: The fight for equal pay 26.02.2021

Boxer Claressa Shields has a better record in the ring than some men's champions and remains unbeaten since turning pro. Yet she and other female boxers earn much less money. The American fighter wants to change that.

Tiger Woods: Incredible career ended by car crash?

Child prodigy

At just six months old, the young Tiger Woods was reportedly able to copy his dad's golf swings. Eighteen months later, he'd made his first appearance on TV. By the age of 13, he'd become close to a household name, featuring on all the major networks in the US. He was also picking up just about every trophy in the junior ranks.
Tiger Woods: Incredible career ended by car crash?

Turning pro

The American turned pro at 20 after picking up a trio US Amatuer titles and, true to form, wasted no time making his mark. Just two months after becoming a professional in 1996, he was picking up his first PGA Tour win at the Las Vegas Invitational.
Tiger Woods: Incredible career ended by car crash?

Master of the Majors

If the win in Vegas was a milestone, this was the moment Woods really arrived on the global stage. At 21, he became the youngest man ever to win at Augusta and picked up the famous green jacket. He'd go on to win the Masters three more times, with his current major championship tally standing at 14.
Tiger Woods: Incredible career ended by car crash?

The Grand Slam

April 8, 2001 was arguably the most remarkable day of an astounding career. Again it came at Augusta as Woods picked up a second Masters win. Impressive as that is, that win also mean he held all four major titles at once, something no other golfer has managed.
Tiger Woods: Incredible career ended by car crash?

Pairing up

In October 2004, Woods married Swedish model Elin Nordegren after he met her through fellow golfer Jesper Parnevik, for whom Nordegren worked as a nanny. The pair tied the knot in Barbados and had a son named Charlie Axel and a daugher named Sam together.
Tiger Woods: Incredible career ended by car crash?

Accident causes all sorts of damage

Throughout his career up to this point in 2009, Woods had always maintained a squeaky clean image. But in the wake of allegations of multiple affairs, he crashed his car in to a fire hydrant, a tree and some hedges outside his Florida mansion. The subsequent days, weeks and months saw him pull out of tournaments, lose several lucrative sponsorship deals and his marriage ended in 2010.
Tiger Woods: Incredible career ended by car crash?

The title that looked like the last

The Bridgestone Invitational at the Firestone Country Clum in Akron, Ohio is far from the most prestigious of tournaments. But this 2013 win was Woods' 79th on the PGA Tour and, for a long time, it looked like it would be his last.
Tiger Woods: Incredible career ended by car crash?

Not ready for the comeback

After missing the Masters for the first time in his career in 2014, Woods returned to Augusta a year later. But it wasn't the comeback he'd hoped for. Woods looked out of sorts and was clearly struggling with the back injuries that would eventually require several operations and a lot of recovery time.
Tiger Woods: Incredible career ended by car crash?

The low point

In the early hours of the morning, again not far from his Florida home, Woods was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs after falling asleep at the wheel in a traffic lance with the engine running. Woods initially blamed it on prescription drugs and later pleaded guilty to reckless driving, was fined and banned from drinking alcohol for the year that he's under probation.
Tiger Woods: Incredible career ended by car crash?

First win in five years

After making his way back from nearly two years out injured and position 1199 on the world ranking list, Woods finally got his hands on some silverware again after five long years, winning the Tour Championship in September, 2018. "I just can't believe I pulled this off," the 42-year-old said. "I was having a hard time not crying coming up to the last hole."
Tiger Woods: Incredible career ended by car crash?

Back at the top

Woods' remarkable comeback was complete when he sealed an unexpected win at the 2019 Masters. Having kept himself in contention, Woods stayed calmed on the final day when others didn't and sealed his first major in 11 years, and his first Masters in 14 years. He finished 13-under par, winning by one shot over a trio of chasers. It was Woods' 15th major title and perhaps the greatest of them all.
Tiger Woods: Incredible career ended by car crash?

Career-ending crash?

On February 23, 2021, Tiger Woods' car went off the road in a Los Angeles suburb, rollling several times. He subsequently underwent surgery to repair what doctors described as "significant orthopaedic injuries" to his lower right leg and ankle. According to police, the golfer did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the early-morning incident.

Author: Chuck Penfold