Sports Newspapers: 5 things you need to know this Friday morning

Good morning! Here is today’s summary from Sports Newspapers:

1. Former Barcelona and Manchester United defender Gerard Pique has been placed under official investigation by a court in Spain over his alleged involvement in a deal which saw the Spanish Super Cup moved to Saudi Arabia. Pique’s company Kosmos signed agreements with the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) which would see it receive 40m euros (£34m) for brokering the deal, with the RFEF receiving 400m euros (£340m).

2. England signed off for the T20 World Cup with a seven-wicket thrashing of Pakistan at The Oval. On a confidence-boosting night before their title defence, England dismissed Pakistan for 157 with an excellent all-round bowling performance, and cantered to their target in 15.3 overs.
3. Football’s world governing body Fifa has been warned players are willing to go on strike if they continue to be overworked. Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Maheta Molango believes players are now at breaking point.
4. Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith beat his own 400m European record with a convincing victory in his season opener at the Diamond League in Oslo. The 29-year-old ran 44.07 at the Bislett Games, beating his 44.26 from last year’s World Athletics Championships in Budapest
5. Defending champion Novak Djokovic moved efficiently through the gears once again to beat Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena and reach the French Open third round. Djokovic cruised to a 6-4 6-1 6-2 victory on another rain-soaked day in Paris.