Paraguayan prosecutors will not charge Ronaldinho Gaucho for possession of an altered passport, but the former Barcelona player has admitted guilt and agreed to face an alternative punishment, the lead official in the case said on Thursday.

The 2002 World Cup winner and his brother and business manager Roberto Assis both entered Paraguay on Wednesday with false documents, officials said. After being stopped by law enforcement officials they spent much of Thursday helping police with their enquiries.

Caso Ronaldinho: Fue allanada la suite donde está hospedado Ronaldinho. Se encontraron, documentos varios, C.I. y pasaportes paraguayos con los nombres de Ronaldinho y su hermano. Investigación en curso. pic.twitter.com/jGO4ZoHNWn

— Fiscalía Paraguay (@MinPublicoPy) March 5, 2020

Prosecutor Federico Delfino said the brothers recognised they had committed a crime but said they did so unwittingly.

"We are looking for an alternative way out of this that doesn't result in a formal accusation and that recognises that these people were, we can say, taken by surprise," Delfino told reporters in the Paraguayan capital.

A judge will decide whether to accept Delfino's recommendation on Friday. If he does, he will rule on an alternative punishment, possibly a fine payable to a local charity.

Ronaldinho's lawyer Adolfo Marin said: "They decided voluntarily to stay and submit themselves to the public prosecutor's investigations. He [Ronaldinho] didn't need to use any other document than his own."

The brothers left Guarulhos airport in Sao Paulo on Wednesday with Brazilian passports and were given Paraguayan ones "as soon as they got off the plane" in the Paraguayan capital.

The men said the passports were a gift and an investigation indicated the numbers on the passports corresponded to other people, Delfino added.

Marin said Brazilians do not need a passport to travel between Brazil and Paraguay, both of which are members of the Mercosur bloc.

He could not explain why they showed Paraguayan passports when they had travelled recently on their Brazilian passports to China, Europe and the United States.

Ronaldinho had his Brazil passport confiscated by his own country's authorities in 2015 after he was convicted for a scheme involving illegal construction on the shore of Lake Guaíba, in Porto Alegre. The passport was held by Brazil authorities until Ronaldinho paid the $2 million fine, but it was returned to him in September of 2019.

The brothers were invited to Paraguay by a local casino owner and had arrived on Wednesday to take part in a soccer clinic for children and a book launch.

Ronaldinho, who played for Barcelona, Atletico Mineiro, Flamengo and Paris Saint-Germain, last featured professionally in 2015.

The 39-year-old was the best player in the world at his peak in the early part of this century.

He was named FIFA World Player of the year in 2004 and 2005 and won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002 and the Champions League with Barcelona in 2006.

March 6: PSL - Karachi Kings vs Multan Sultans, Lahore

Our XI: Our XI: Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Moeen Ali, Alex Hales, Rilee Rossow , Zeeshan Ashraf, Chris Jordan, Sohail Tanvir, Imad Wasim, Shahid Afridi, Imran Tahir.

Captain: Imran Tahir

Tahir has eight wickets at an economy of 7.50 and strike rate of 14.20. Leg spinners always do well in the T20 format and Tahir is no exception. The last time these two teams met, Tahir took 3 for 28 from three overs.

Vice-captain: Babar Azam

If Karachi have to continue their good run of form, Babar will play a key role. He averages 41.53 when his team wins, which drops to 27.3 when his team loses. So far in this tournament, he has scored 187 runs from five matches, averaging 46.75 with two fifties.

Hot Picks

Moeen Ali: Moeen has had just one significant performance this season. His batting position has varied as per the opposition. The last time Multan Sultans met Karachi Kings, Moeen was the man of the match after opening the innings. He scored 65 runs from 42 balls to swing the momentum decisively towards Multan. The team could look to repeat that tactic.

Mohammad Amir: Amir has 8 wickets from 5 matches. Barring one game, Amir has picked at least one wicket in each of the other games. In the last match, he took 4 for 25 against Peshawar Zalmi. Among all bowlers who have bowled a minimum of 200 balls in the Powerplay in the PSL , Amir's economy of 5.72 is the best.

Value Picks

Shan Masood: Masood may not be a big striker of the ball and may not get points for his strike rate, but his role of playing through the innings could be vital. He has got starts in most of the games and scored 61 runs against Karachi the last time around. Masood is the second highest run-getter for Multan in the tournament, with 174 runs at an average 34.80.

Alex Hales: Hales can be destructive and is too good to leave out in any fantasy team. He has 159 runs at a strike rate of 151.42 in the tournament so far. His 52 from 30 balls helped him get the man of the match against Islamabad United. Hales has scored 973 runs from 606 balls against left arm pacers and average 51.21. With Irfan and Tanvir in the opposition attack, Hales could have a good game.

Points to note

• While Karachi are top heavy Multan generally attack with spin. Pick Karachi batsmen and Multan spinners.

• The average first innings score at Lahore is 156 in T20s since 2018.

Senior Bangladesh batsman Tamim Iqbal has credited the team's rise in limited-overs formats since 2015 to Mashrafe Mortaza, who stepped down from ODI captaincy on Thursday. "Nobody, no cricketer, cricket board and supporters, should ever forget what he has done for Bangladesh cricket," Iqbal said. "We should always remember him. He guided us from 2015 to 2019. It was because to him that the world sees us differently in one-day cricket."

Mortaza's first big success as captain was in 2015 when he led Bangladesh to the World Cup quarter-final, which they lost to India. That was followed by series wins over Pakistan, India and South Africa. And then they made the 2017 Champions Trophy semi-final. In all, he won 49 out of 87 ODIs as captain with an overall win record of 56.32%. Bangladesh also won ten T20Is in 28 matches under him. They also won the only Test he captained in (2009), which also happened to be his final match in Bangladesh's whites.

Mushfiqur Rahim, from whom Mortaza took over the limited-overs' captaincy in 2014, described him as "family" and said that playing under him was a great experience. "Nobody will ever replace Mashrafe bhai," Rahim said. "He is part of our family. He is part of us, not just our elder brother. We will miss him as a captain.

"His captaincy changed our team, on and off the field. Playing under him and with him is a different experience altogether. I wish to see him playing, and I hope he will continue to serve the country."

Former Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar lauded Mortaza for managing the other senior players in the side well.

"Mashrafe is not like just another regular player," Bashar told the Daily Star. "He is different. His is a special case. Mashrafe playing in a game is a huge thing. It is also a huge news that he is stepping down as a captain. But if he is fit, he still has a lot to offer to Bangladesh team.

"Look at our winning rate [under Mashrafe]; it is a lot. It is never easy to lead a side that boasts of a number of stars. It becomes easier to play matches with the stars but it is very tough to manage all the stars and play. Mashrafe did that very nicely over the years. He is however not retiring yet and is available for selection. I will definitely miss his captaincy. According to me, Mashrafe is one of the best captains ever."

Mohammad Ashraful, who led Bangladesh for a while before Mortaza took over for his first stint at the helm in 2009, said that while Mortaza led by example, it was his ability that kept him on top for so long.

"I must salute Mashrafe," Ashraful told Desh Rupantor. "He was the captain because he performed so well for so long. Only good performance keeps you in captaincy, and it is true for Habibul Bashar, Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim. Bangladesh wasn't winning when Mashrafe became captain in 2014. The following year was our best time in cricket. We reached the World Cup quarter-finals, played the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy in 2017 and although we finished eighth in the World Cup, we played well.

"It wasn't easy for him when he first became captain in 2009, as he had to lead by example. He had to be first at breakfast, first in the team bus and first to enter the ground. In those days he had the habit of being the last person in all cases. But he changed himself, and was ahead of everyone. But then he got injured multiple times, and couldn't be captain for a long time. He played injury-free from 2014, and took the team under his wing, and moved forward. In one word - extraordinary."

Sunday at the MCG will not be an ordinary day or an ordinary cricket match. It remains to be seen if the world-record crowd for a women's sporting event is broken, but the match-up of Australia against India means there's a great chance of it happening - after more than two years of hype and talk, the most anticipated day in the history of women's cricket has almost arrived.

"Thank goodness it's here," Australia captain Meg Lanning said with a smile in the aftermath of the tense rain-affected semi-final against South Africa in Sydney.

For the two teams involved, holding aloft the trophy on Sunday evening will dominate their thoughts over the next many hours, but even those involved in the cut and thrust of elite sport can see the bigger picture to what will take place in Melbourne.

ALSO READ: Nicholson: How can women's cricket learn to use the DRS better?

"It was about showing there's a pathway, there's female role models out there for young girls to look up to, and really creating and inspiring young people to be involved," Lanning said. "Not just young people in Australia, but around the world, that cricket is a really powerful sport and platform.

"I think it's been a great tournament so far. There's been amazing games. There's really great people involved. It seems like it has sort of fallen into place a little bit, and Sunday is going to be massive. We're really pleased we get the opportunity to be a part of it. So hopefully there is 90,000 people there. Everything's been done that could possibly be done, and we're just really pumped we get to be out in the middle and play in front of everyone."

"I've been to the MCG when there's 100,000 fans there, and I've been in the stands, and the atmosphere is absolutely incredible, and I've sort of had goosebumps watching. To think that we'll be out in the middle experiencing that, that's going to be really exciting and such a great thing to be a part of" Meg Lanning

The Australians have seemingly accepted that the sporting cliché of treating a big match as just another game probably needs to go out of the window. "Definitely not," Megan Schutt said when asked if would be like a normal game. "It is just another cricket match in a way but at the same time this country needs a bit of joy and to want to set a new world record is a cool thing to be a part of. Hopefully we can play our best cricket but if that doesn't happen so be it."

"I'm excited about the opportunity to be part of a pretty life-changing experience for the global game," Beth Mooney said. "Cricket's been a part of the Australian public's life for a very long time and they have a knack of getting behind us, when there is adversity thrown at us and things like that so it's really exciting to think the MCG could be full of people, some cheering for us, some cheering for India, but also cheering for the game and wanting to be part of something pretty special."

Delissa Kimmince will be the one surviving member of Australia's 2009 World Cup side, the last time they staged a home women's tournament, to take the field if she plays on Sunday - after the injury that ended Ellyse Perry's tournament - and admitted her mind was drawn to the comparisons. She played two matches in the 2009 event, where Australia did not make the final, but this time against South Africa, she bowled her three overs for just 16 runs and claimed the key wicket of Mignon du Preez.

"I was only thinking that today, it's been nearly 12 years since that World Cup. It wasn't a great one for me, bad memories all round," she said. "When I look back on my career, I'm very grateful for these moments and what I've been able to achieve, the resilience I've had to show - I've had injuries, I've lost contracts - to come back and play a crucial role tonight it makes it all that more worthwhile and enjoyable.

"At the end of the day, I'm just grateful to be here. Sunday will be a great opportunity, I have no doubt they'll be a lot of nerves, but you just have to go out and enjoy those moments - they only come once in a lifetime."

As captain, part of Lanning's job would be balancing the need to embrace the occasion while also keeping a focus on what happens in the middle. "It will be different, no doubt about that," she said. "I've been to the MCG when there's 100,000 fans there, and I've been in the stands, and the atmosphere is absolutely incredible, and I've sort of had goosebumps watching. To think that we'll be out in the middle experiencing that, that's going to be really exciting and such a great thing to be a part of."

Even the captains who had their hopes shattered on Thursday - one by rain and another by defeat - were able to acknowledge the larger impact of the tournament.

"For girls, it's an equal billing to the boys which has been outstanding," Heather Knight said after England were eliminated following a washout against India. "Obviously today is disappointing but it won't take too much shine off where the sport has gone. And you see if the money's put into publicising it and putting it out there, that people do want to come watch it."

South Africa's Dane van Niekerk said, "I know it's going to be a cracking final. I wish I could be there in front of 90,000 people. I really hope you get the 90,000 people. Women's cricket deserves it. It's been there for a long time. It's now the time for us, and obviously women's sport, to rise."

SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry took the 14 steps from his team's locker room up to the tunnel that leads to the floor at Chase Center on Thursday night and couldn't wait to see what was in front of him.

He started running as soon as he got the chance and jumped up in anticipation as he made his long-awaited return to an NBA game on Thursday after four long months of rehab on a broken left hand.

"Player coming out!" a Chase Center security official yelled.

Curry couldn't wait to get back to the game he loved, the game that had been taken away from him after breaking his hand on Oct. 30 when Phoenix Suns center Aron Baynes fell on him underneath the basket. All the emotion of the past few months came out as Curry raced to the floor to see a crowd that has missed watching him just as much as he has missed playing the game.

"Ahhhh!" Curry exclaimed on his run up to the floor. Curry's head almost hit the low ceiling in the tunnel as he made his entrance inside the new building.

Aside from his exuberance ahead of Thursday's game against the Toronto Raptors, the most notable part of Curry's return was the impact it had on everybody else around him. Warriors staffers smiled widely throughout the day in anticipation of the star getting back on the court.

"It feels like, in a lot of ways, not just Steph's return, but it just feels like we've kind of emerged from the woods a little bit the last week or two, knowing Steph was going to return," coach Steve Kerr said before the game. "It's been a nice little stretch here, and I think Steph has a lot to do with that, I think, as he's been around us, and it's become apparent that he was getting closer and closer. The impact he makes on us -- he gets everybody excited, and I think tonight we're all thrilled for him more than anything, just because he's put in so much work. But we're all excited to see him out on the floor again."

Curry, 31, received a loud ovation before the game after being introduced for the first time. Fans screamed their approval and stood for longer than usual to welcome the two-time MVP back.

Curry racked up two assists early in the game, including a beautiful behind-the-back pass to Andrew Wiggins for an easy layup. Curry missed his first shot attempt, with 8 minutes, 50 seconds left in the first quarter, a 3-pointer that came a couple feet beyond the 3-point arc.

"I do think there will be a sense of energy and enthusiasm the rest of the season," Kerr said. "Because to me, this is sort of the beginning of next season in a lot of ways; and I think we're all starting to get some clarity as far as what our team's gonna look like. And having Steph back is, obviously, a huge, huge part of that now. The next step will be getting Klay [Thompson] back, but that won't be till next season. But I think these last 20 games are really going to be a springboard into next year, so I think that energy will be high and remain high."

Overshadowed by Curry's return is the fact that Draymond Green was set to miss his fourth consecutive game because of left knee soreness. Kerr said Green underwent an MRI and the exam showed no structural damage in the knee. Kerr is hopeful that Green will be back in the next few days.

As for center Kevon Looney, he missed his third straight game because of left hip soreness. Kerr acknowledged being worried about Looney's latest setback.

"That's a concern and we'll have an update [Friday]," Kerr said. "He had some momentum and he was playing really well for us. So this is a bump in the road hopefully, but we'll have an update tomorrow when he has a chance to be evaluated by our doctors tonight."

The Los Angeles Angels have fired their longtime visiting clubhouse manager after an internal investigation confirmed suspicions that he was providing ball-doctoring substances to opposing pitchers, sources confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.

Major League Baseball initially informed the Angels about a week ago about allegations that Brian Harkins, who had been with the Angels for 30 years, was providing illegal sticky substances in the visiting clubhouse that aided pitchers' abilities to grip the baseball, sources with knowledge of the situation said. Harkins confirmed that he had been let go Thursday, but did not elaborate on the reason. The Angels did not comment, either, citing legal restrictions preventing them from discussing employee matters.

The Los Angeles Times first reported the news.

Pitchers have been using foreign substances to doctor baseballs throughout the game's history, an illegal practice that was nonetheless accepted largely because of its widespread use. Cincinnati Reds pitcher Trevor Bauer recently told Real Sports that 70% of pitchers use some sort of substance -- be it pine tar or Firm Grip or a homemade concoction -- to enhance their grip, which could ultimately provide greater movement and velocity.

MLB intends to strongly enforce the rule that guards against the practice this season and has made teams aware during spring training. The Angels were not believed to have been pressured by MLB to fire Harkins, but the league's proactive approach in this matter could be an early sign of its intent to follow through. Harkins provided pitchers with a substance that consisted of a melted-down pine-tar solution and rosin, a source said. The Angels believe Harkins acted alone, and they did not fire any other clubhouse attendants for this matter.

Harkins, known throughout the game as "Bubba," joined the Angels as a bat boy in 1981 and returned to the organization as a clubhouse manager in 1986, taking over the visiting clubhouse four years later. He was named visiting clubhouse manager of the year by MLB equipment managers in 2005.

ESPN's Jeff Passan contributed to this report.

Additional tests on the ailing shoulder of prized young Athletics left-hander A.J. Puk revealed no structural damage, Oakland manager Bob Melvin told reporters Thursday.

Puk, the sixth overall pick in the 2016 MLB draft, had visited renowned orthopedist Dr. Neal ElAttrache this week after feeling some mild discomfort in the shoulder.

He will remain sidelined for a few days, but the A's considered the results of Puk's tests good news.

"We'll probably do a few more days of strengthening before we get him back playing catch again," Melvin told reporters.

Puk, 24, underwent Tommy John surgery two years ago after feeling arm discomfort that spring. He pitched 11⅓ innings in 10 relief appearances with 13 strikeouts, five walks and a 3.18 ERA upon returning last season and is projected to be in Oakland's rotation this year.

Puk had thrown into the mid-90 mph range during a two-inning, 23-pitch scoreless outing against Colorado in a 5-2 win last Thursday in Arizona, but he hasn't pitched since.

ESPN's Kiley McDaniel has Puk rated as the No. 20 prospect in the majors entering the season.

Barcelona coach Quique Setien has revealed he has apologised to the players and everyone at the club for the exuberant behaviour of his assistant coach Eder Sarabia on the touchline during last week's 2-0 defeat by Real Madrid.

Sarabia was a little-known figure until Spanish television show Vamos broadcast images of his reactions from the dugout during Sunday's Clasico, using a lip-reader to reveal some of the disparaging comments he made about his side's players.

The assistant coach was seen criticising Antoine Griezmann for failing to convert one of his chances and repeatedly used foul language in response to Barca's performance during the game.

Spanish media reports said the footage had not gone down well among Barca's players and Setien said he had told his assistant that he needed to consider his touchline antics.

"We apologised to everyone, we cannot behave like that," Setien told newspaper El Periodico on Thursday.

"We don't like to see things like this, we have committed an error and we should try to avoid something like this happening again.

"This situation has affected me a lot, because I am concerned about the image of the club. We need to take care of that image, because we can be criticised for substitutions, tactics, etc, but not for our behaviour."

Sarabia, 39, began working alongside Setien in 2015, following him to Real Betis two years later and to Barca in January this year when the 61-year-old became coach of the Catalan club after Ernesto Valverde was sacked.

The manager said Sarabia's animated personality was often a strength but stressed that he needs to work on the image he portrays of himself during matches.

"It's true that you have to understand how people are at certain moments, we are not all the same. Eder has a great temperament, and in many situations it helps us phenomenally well. But he has to learn to control himself," Setien said.

"He's trying to do that, he's trying to improve in this area because we have had situations like this before. They are becoming rarer, but it's something that we don't like to see."

The coach also said he was disappointed with how the footage came out and how it had been interpreted.

"It's a bit of an embarrassment that this has become a news story and has provoked such a huge reaction," he added.

"It's shameful that the broadcaster used a camera to follow you the whole time on the touchline. It's something that should be eradicated. You should not have to cover your mouth the whole time."

Christen Press and Carli Lloyd scored second-half goals three minutes apart as the United States Women's National Team opened play in the SheBelieves Cup in Orlando, Florida, with a 2-0 victory over England on Thursday night.

Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher needed just three saves to earn the shutout behind a solid U.S. defense that limited England's scoring chances. The U.S. had a 23-8 advantage in shots and 6-3 in shots on target.

The U.S., which already has qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, is now 12-4-2 all-time against England. The U.S. defeated England 2-1 in last year's World Cup semifinal, while the teams played to a 2-2 tie in last year's SheBelieves Cup.

The victory came in Julie Ertz's 100th appearance with the U.S. Ertz appeared to score in the 79th minute but she was ruled offsides on the play. Megan Rapinoe did not start because of a nagging leg injury, but came on in the 62nd minute as a substitute.

The U.S. had a number of scoring chances in the first half but did not convert as the teams took a scoreless tie into the break. The host team led 11-5 on shots in the first half and 4-2 in shots on target.

The U.S. finally broke through in the 53rd minute when Press delivered from outside of the penalty area. Lloyd fed a pass to Press, who turned and sent a spectacular bending right-footed shot into the upper corner past England goalkeeper Carly Telford.

Lloyd got her chance to score in the 56th minute off a pass from Lindsey Horan. The short chip from Horan found Lloyd near the penalty spot and two quick touches led to a left-footed score.

While Press delivered her 56th career goal for the United States in her 136th game, Lloyd scored her 123rd career goal in her 292nd appearance for the national team. Lloyd is closing in on becoming just the third player to reach 300 games with the U.S. women.

The four-team tournament, being held in Orlando, Newark, New Jersey, and Frisco, Texas, also includes Spain and Japan. The round-robin tournament will continue Saturday and conclude Tuesday. England is the defending champion of the annual tournament, which is now in its fourth year.

The game was the second half of a doubleheader at Orlando. Spain defeated Japan 3-1 in the opening game earlier Friday.