JOHANNESBURG — UEFA president Michel Platini will stay in a Johannesburg hospital overnight after collapsing in a restaurant Friday.
William Gaillard, a special adviser to Platini, told The Associated Press the head of European soccer’s governing body fainted, but initial tests at the hospital showed his condition was not serious.
Gaillard said from London that Platini has had flulike symptoms and a mild fever for a few days.
Top scorers face off.
Leading scorers Wesley Sneijder of the Netherlands and David Villa of Spain headline the list of FIFA’s 10 nominees for the World Cup Golden Ball.
FIFA honors the tournament’s best player with the award.
Sneijder and Villa each have five goals and will go head to head in Sunday’s final at Johannesburg’s Soccer City.
Also nominated were Diego Forlan of Uruguay, Asamoah Gyan of Ghana, Andres Iniesta of Spain, Lionel Messi of Argentina, Mesut Oezil of Germany, Arjen Robben of the Netherlands, Bastian Schweinsteiger of Germany and Xavi of Spain.
• Germany’s Thomas Mueller, Andre Ayew of Ghana and Mexico’s Giovani Dos Santos are in contention for the best young player at the World Cup.
Cup players robbed.
Spain players Sergio Busquets and Pedro Rodriguez had money and documents stolen from their rooms in Potchefstroom before their World Cup semifinal win over Germany in Durban.
Busquets said that “nobody likes to be robbed . . . but I’ll exchange all of my documents for the World Cup.”
Footnotes.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter paid tribute to Associated Press sports writer Robert Millward, who died Thursday while covering the World Cup. Millward collapsed and died in his Johannesburg hotel room, apparently of natural causes. He was 58.
• Management of South Africa’s airports will reimburse hundreds of fans who missed a World Cup semifinal because of congestion at the Durban airport.
