Latest news with #Heath
The Age
18 hours ago
- The Age
Australian crypto king bit off part of attacker's finger during botched kidnapping, court told
London: Australian crypto billionaire Tim Heath bit off part of an attacker's finger while fighting off a kidnapping attempt outside his apartment in Tallinn last year, an Estonian court has heard. Heath, 47, was ambushed in the stairwell of his apartment in Tallinn's Old Town on the night of July 29 last year. The assault was part of an alleged plot by an organised group to abduct the entrepreneur and extort cryptocurrency. The Tallinn-based Eesti Ekspress reported that one of the men, 49-year-old Azerbaijani national Allahverdi Allahverdiyev, allegedly placed his hand over Heath's mouth to silence him during the attack. Heath responded by biting through his index finger. The court heard that DNA evidence later confirmed part of the bloodied severed finger was found on the street near St Nicholas Church, about 100 metres from the scene. Heath also lost a tooth in the attack but managed to resist long enough to prevent the group from forcing him into a waiting van. Allahverdiyev, a former Greco-Roman wrestler and boxer, told the court he was promised €100,000 ($180,000) to carry out the kidnapping. He admitted to being part of the attack but claimed he had second thoughts once it began, the paper reported. 'I did it,' he said in court. 'I pretended to do something. It lasted about 30 seconds.' He also testified that he told the others to abort the plan, shouting: 'Let's go! Let's leave!' Kidnappings and physical attacks targeting cryptocurrency industry figures have surged in the past 18 months. At least 231 reported incidents have involved digital asset holders and nearly one-third of those have occurred since the beginning of last year, according to industry experts. Eesti Ekspress reported that since the attempted abduction, Heath has spent more than €2.7 million on private security, changed homes and rarely appears in public without protection. His legal team is seeking restitution of those costs from the accused, despite the low likelihood of recovery.
Sydney Morning Herald
18 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Australian crypto king bit off part of attacker's finger during botched kidnapping, court told
London: Australian crypto billionaire Tim Heath bit off part of an attacker's finger while fighting off a kidnapping attempt outside his apartment in Tallinn last year, an Estonian court has heard. Heath, 47, was ambushed in the stairwell of his apartment in Tallinn's Old Town on the night of July 29 last year. The assault was part of an alleged plot by an organised group to abduct the entrepreneur and extort cryptocurrency. The Tallinn-based Eesti Ekspress reported that one of the men, 49-year-old Azerbaijani national Allahverdi Allahverdiyev, allegedly placed his hand over Heath's mouth to silence him during the attack. Heath responded by biting through his index finger. The court heard that DNA evidence later confirmed part of the bloodied severed finger was found on the street near St Nicholas Church, about 100 metres from the scene. Heath also lost a tooth in the attack but managed to resist long enough to prevent the group from forcing him into a waiting van. Allahverdiyev, a former Greco-Roman wrestler and boxer, told the court he was promised €100,000 ($180,000) to carry out the kidnapping. He admitted to being part of the attack but claimed he had second thoughts once it began, the paper reported. 'I did it,' he said in court. 'I pretended to do something. It lasted about 30 seconds.' He also testified that he told the others to abort the plan, shouting: 'Let's go! Let's leave!' Kidnappings and physical attacks targeting cryptocurrency industry figures have surged in the past 18 months. At least 231 reported incidents have involved digital asset holders and nearly one-third of those have occurred since the beginning of last year, according to industry experts. Eesti Ekspress reported that since the attempted abduction, Heath has spent more than €2.7 million on private security, changed homes and rarely appears in public without protection. His legal team is seeking restitution of those costs from the accused, despite the low likelihood of recovery.
4 days ago
- Sport
US soccer great Tobin Heath hoping Club World Cup spurs more growth for game at home
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- Tobin Heath might know something about what makes soccer resonate within the U.S. Her resume, in part: She won NCAA titles in college at North Carolina, then went on to win two Olympic gold medals with the U.S. women's national team and two World Cup titles as well, all of that coming after she was inspired by the 1999 Women's World Cup. And so far, she thinks the Club World Cup could have a similar effect. Heath — who is working as part of FIFA's technical study group for the tournament, alongside the likes of former Arsenal coach Arsène Wenger, former German star and U.S. men's national coach Jurgen Klinsmann and others — said Saturday that a match she attended earlier this month between Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors, with a full and jammed stadium in South Florida playing host to that matchup, shows what could be possible in this country. 'As an American, it was one of the coolest experiences of my life to witness that passion and energy,' Heath — during a FIFA briefing with the technical group — said. 'It's something I never believed I could see in my own country. And the stadium was literally shaking. You could feel it, and the fans were absolutely incredible. So, I know the power of these home competitions. ... I know the power of these games in our country, to change the landscape of this game in our country.' The attendance for the games in the Club World Cup has varied widely; some stadiums are jammed, some pretty much empty. With the tournament entering the knockout round and some strong matchups ahead — including Lionel Messi and Inter Miami taking on his former team, Paris Saint-Germain, on Sunday in Atlanta — there should be plenty of good crowds throughout the remainder of the event, as FIFA looks to build momentum toward the World Cup that's coming to North America next year. 'This is a fantastic dress rehearsal for us,' Heath said. Only one U.S.-based team made the knockout stage: Messi's Inter Miami, though some wonder if that's a club that will have a true pronounced effect on soccer in this country. Messi is the biggest name in the sport and has an enormous following everywhere, one that obviously existed long before he came to Miami two years ago. 'Messi has not the best data of this tournament, but he's certainly the most influential player of this tournament — because without him Inter Miami would never qualify," Wenger said. The job of the technical study group is simple: watch all the matches, either live or on television (with the benefit of many screens and angles), assess style of play and determine what is making teams successful. The level of data collected from these matches is beyond deep; reports are more than 50 pages thick and measure everything from time it takes a team to recover possession after a giveaway to how hard players are sprinting at key times of a match. 'This tournament has blown me away,' Heath said. 'It's made me even more excited for the summer to come, and I couldn't be more proud of this country. It shows that football is deeply embedded and deeply personal to our country. I can't wait to see the growth.' FIFA is promising that fields for next year's World Cup will be in better condition than some used in this tournament. There have been comments — and in some cases, complaints — about conditions from European clubs, particularly about fields in Charlotte and Orlando, Wenger said. 'I've been personally on the pitch at Orlando,' Wenger said. 'It's not at the level that the European clubs are used to because it's not perfect, but that will be rectified for the World Cup next year.' Even the field at MetLife Stadium, which will play host to the Club World Cup final in two weeks, has been the source of discussion. 'The pitch is different turf, different grass than in Europe. In my opinion, the pitch was a little bit soft and not dry, but the ball was not traveling as fast as we are used to. This is my impression, my feeling," Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac said after his team played a scoreless draw there earlier in the tournament against Fluminense.
San Francisco Chronicle
4 days ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
US soccer great Tobin Heath hoping Club World Cup spurs more growth for game at home
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Tobin Heath might know something about what makes soccer resonate within the U.S. Her resume, in part: She won NCAA titles in college at North Carolina, then went on to win two Olympic gold medals with the U.S. women's national team and two World Cup titles as well, all of that coming after she was inspired by the 1999 Women's World Cup. And so far, she thinks the Club World Cup could have a similar effect. Heath — who is working as part of FIFA's technical study group for the tournament, alongside the likes of former Arsenal coach Arsène Wenger, former German star and U.S. men's national coach Jurgen Klinsmann and others — said Saturday that a match she attended earlier this month between Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors, with a full and jammed stadium in South Florida playing host to that matchup, shows what could be possible in this country. 'As an American, it was one of the coolest experiences of my life to witness that passion and energy,' Heath — during a FIFA briefing with the technical group — said. 'It's something I never believed I could see in my own country. And the stadium was literally shaking. You could feel it, and the fans were absolutely incredible. So, I know the power of these home competitions. ... I know the power of these games in our country, to change the landscape of this game in our country.' The attendance for the games in the Club World Cup has varied widely; some stadiums are jammed, some pretty much empty. With the tournament entering the knockout round and some strong matchups ahead — including Lionel Messi and Inter Miami taking on his former team, Paris Saint-Germain, on Sunday in Atlanta — there should be plenty of good crowds throughout the remainder of the event, as FIFA looks to build momentum toward the World Cup that's coming to North America next year. 'This is a fantastic dress rehearsal for us,' Heath said. Only one U.S.-based team made the knockout stage: Messi's Inter Miami, though some wonder if that's a club that will have a true pronounced effect on soccer in this country. Messi is the biggest name in the sport and has an enormous following everywhere, one that obviously existed long before he came to Miami two years ago. 'Messi has not the best data of this tournament, but he's certainly the most influential player of this tournament — because without him Inter Miami would never qualify," Wenger said. The job of the technical study group is simple: watch all the matches, either live or on television (with the benefit of many screens and angles), assess style of play and determine what is making teams successful. The level of data collected from these matches is beyond deep; reports are more than 50 pages thick and measure everything from time it takes a team to recover possession after a giveaway to how hard players are sprinting at key times of a match. 'This tournament has blown me away,' Heath said. 'It's made me even more excited for the summer to come, and I couldn't be more proud of this country. It shows that football is deeply embedded and deeply personal to our country. I can't wait to see the growth.' Field quality FIFA is promising that fields for next year's World Cup will be in better condition than some used in this tournament. There have been comments — and in some cases, complaints — about conditions from European clubs, particularly about fields in Charlotte and Orlando, Wenger said. 'I've been personally on the pitch at Orlando,' Wenger said. 'It's not at the level that the European clubs are used to because it's not perfect, but that will be rectified for the World Cup next year.' Even the field at MetLife Stadium, which will play host to the Club World Cup final in two weeks, has been the source of discussion. 'The pitch is different turf, different grass than in Europe. In my opinion, the pitch was a little bit soft and not dry, but the ball was not traveling as fast as we are used to. This is my impression, my feeling," Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac said after his team played a scoreless draw there earlier in the tournament against Fluminense.
Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
US soccer great Tobin Heath hoping Club World Cup spurs more growth for game at home
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Tobin Heath might know something about what makes soccer resonate within the U.S. Her resume, in part: She won NCAA titles in college at North Carolina, then went on to win two Olympic gold medals with the U.S. women's national team and two World Cup titles as well, all of that coming after she was inspired by the 1999 Women's World Cup. And so far, she thinks the Club World Cup could have a similar effect. Heath — who is working as part of FIFA's technical study group for the tournament, alongside the likes of former Arsenal coach Arsène Wenger, former German star and U.S. men's national coach Jurgen Klinsmann and others — said Saturday that a match she attended earlier this month between Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors, with a full and jammed stadium in South Florida playing host to that matchup, shows what could be possible in this country. 'As an American, it was one of the coolest experiences of my life to witness that passion and energy,' Heath — during a FIFA briefing with the technical group — said. 'It's something I never believed I could see in my own country. And the stadium was literally shaking. You could feel it, and the fans were absolutely incredible. So, I know the power of these home competitions. ... I know the power of these games in our country, to change the landscape of this game in our country.' The attendance for the games in the Club World Cup has varied widely ; some stadiums are jammed, some pretty much empty. With the tournament entering the knockout round and some strong matchups ahead — including Lionel Messi and Inter Miami taking on his former team, Paris Saint-Germain, on Sunday in Atlanta — there should be plenty of good crowds throughout the remainder of the event, as FIFA looks to build momentum toward the World Cup that's coming to North America next year. 'This is a fantastic dress rehearsal for us,' Heath said. Only one U.S.-based team made the knockout stage: Messi's Inter Miami, though some wonder if that's a club that will have a true pronounced effect on soccer in this country. Messi is the biggest name in the sport and has an enormous following everywhere, one that obviously existed long before he came to Miami two years ago. 'Messi has not the best data of this tournament, but he's certainly the most influential player of this tournament — because without him Inter Miami would never qualify,' Wenger said. The job of the technical study group is simple: watch all the matches, either live or on television (with the benefit of many screens and angles), assess style of play and determine what is making teams successful. The level of data collected from these matches is beyond deep; reports are more than 50 pages thick and measure everything from time it takes a team to recover possession after a giveaway to how hard players are sprinting at key times of a match. 'This tournament has blown me away,' Heath said. 'It's made me even more excited for the summer to come, and I couldn't be more proud of this country. It shows that football is deeply embedded and deeply personal to our country. I can't wait to see the growth.' ___ AP soccer:
