Jonas Gutierrez has won his disability discrimination case against his former club Newcastle United. The 32-year-old claimed that the Barclays Premier League club did not play him after he beat cancer in a bid to avoid having to hand him a new contract. The midfielder said Newcastle left him out of their squad so that he did not reach the amount of games needed to trigger a one-year extension with the club. Gutierrez claimed the discrimination started in December 2013 – just two months after he started receiving treatment for testicular cancer. It was reported that Alan Pardew, formerly of Newcastle but currently manager of Crystal Palace, told Gutierrez he was no longer needed at St James’ Park. Gutierrez spoke at the industrial tribunal in Birmingham and said him being shown the exit was down to Newcastle fearing he would no longer be fit to play in the Premier League. ‘During my chemotherapy treatment, neither the manager, Alan Pardew, nor any club directors contacted me to see how I was feeling or to congratulate me on my recovery,’ he said. ‘This was incredibly disappointing after everything I had done for the club.’ The tribunal found in favour of Gutierrez in two of four claims. A claim of unfavourable treatment and another of harassment treated to disability were dismissed.

One of basketball’s biggest stars, Kobe Bryant, has retired from the sport after a career spanning two decades with a stunning final performance. He scored 60 points to help the LA Lakers make a dramatic comeback against the Utah Jazz in Los Angeles. Bryant, 37, spent his entire career with the Lakers, winning five NBA titles and recording the third highest total number of points in the sport. Tickets for his final match changed hands for up to $27,500. Bryant scored 23 points in the fourth quarter to help his team overcome a 15-point deficit to win the game. He took a career-high 50 shots in the fifth highest-scoring game of his career. Addressing the crowd after the game, he said it was “crazy” to end on such a high note. “You know, I was really, really tired, but I thought, I just got to continue to push it because the fan support was just tremendous and I think that’s the thing I’ll remember the most,” he said.

The winner of the 2014 FIFA World Player of the Year Award, Germany captain Nadine Kessler, has been forced to retire at the age of 28 because of a recurring knee injury. The Wolfsburg midfielder had been sidelined since September 2014. Widely recognised as one of the best players in the world within the women’s game, Kessler helped Germany to the UEFA Women’s Euro 2013 title and captained Wolfsburg to back-to-back Champions League crowns.