UN leader, 67, suffers fracture in football fall

UNITED NATIONS: UN leader Ban Ki-moon fell while playing football against diplomats and fractured his hand, UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said Monday.

The sprightly 67-year-old UN secretary general will have his arm in a cast for six weeks, Nesirky told reporters.

Ban "has a minor fracture in his left hand from a tumble while playing in the UN-diplomats spring soccer tournament over the weekend," Nesirky said, adding that Ban was "otherwise absolutely fine and in great spirits."

The UN leader apologized for his appearance when he met Panama's Foreign Minister Roberto Henriquez in his only public appointment on Monday. He joked that the fracture would not stop him writing or shaking hands.

The globe-trotting UN leader regularly takes part in UN diplomatic sports events. Ban went to see an orthopedic specialist on Saturday night after the fall in the tournament at the Bel Aire Farm estate in New York state. (AFP)