The Argentine football association will put an end to the 2019-20 season which has been interrupted since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic, its president Claudio Tapia said.
"We are going to end the tournaments so we can designate the teams qualified for continental competitions next year," Tapia told a local news channel.
The Argentine FA also said there will be no relegation this season or next due to the disruption caused by the health crisis.
Gimnasia, the club coached by Diego Maradona, will remain in the top division as a result. Relegation is calculated by a complicated system of points taken over a three-year period.
Boca Juniors won the league championship with a 1-0 victory over Gimnasia on the final day at the start of March.
The Copa Superliga, a 24-team tournament scheduled to finish with a play-off at the end of May, has been scrapped after just one round of games.
Argentina has been in lockdown since March 20, with the quarantine restrictions in place until at .

Argentine football season declared over due to virus

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A new Michael Jordan television documentary has become a smash hit for NBA fans whose hope of watching the playoffs these days was scuttled by the coronavirus pandemic.
"The Last Dance" details the career of the NBA legend who led the Chicago Bulls to six titles in the 1990s, with editions three and four of the 10-part saga telecast on Sunday.
It was the top ESPN telecast in the advertiser-prized 18-to-34 demographic since the shut down of sport due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In all, 6.1 million people watched the opening episodes in the United States, making the documentary Twitter's top trending topic and ESPN's most watched original program since the network began producing such shows 16 years ago. An average of 5.9 million viewers watched the latest episodes aired in the US on Sunday.
"The Last Dance" mixes previously unaired behind-the-scenes footage taken by a special camera crew with the Bulls during their 1997-98 NBA championship run with the retelling of Jordan's amazing ...

Smash hit Jordan documentary fills TV void for NBA fans

Will Liverpool get the chance to end their long wait for the Premier League title or will there forever be an asterisk against a season that remains unfinished due to coronavirus?
Premier League stakeholders are meeting on Friday to discuss the way forward, with widespread speculation over a potential June 8 restart.
With the Dutch Eredivisie already called off and the Belgian season in the balance, there have been calls for the English top-flight to draw a line under the season.
But the clubs remain committed to ending the 2019/20 campaign and there are compelling financial and legal ramifications to playing the remaining 92 games.
AFP Sport looks at both sides of the debate:
Find a way to finish
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Since the Premier League was suspended on March 13, English clubs have endured a torrid time, with controversies over pay cuts and players breaking social-distancing rules tarnishing the brand.
Getting the focus back on football would be a welcome boost for the league, ..

Should the Premier League season be cancelled?

England cricket chief Tom Harrison says the controversial Hundred has become "even more important" due to the economic damage from coronavirus ahead of a meeting that will decide the fate of the new competition.
Last week, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) further delayed the start of the 2020 season until July 1 at the earliest but said the inaugural Hundred would be on the agenda this Wednesday.
The new 100-balls-per-side format, to be played by eight franchises rather than English cricket's established 18 first-class counties, is meant to start in July.
ECB officials have long insisted it will attract a new audience vital to safeguarding cricket's future, with some matches set to be broadcast live on terrestrial television.
But public health restrictions, the problems of bringing in overseas stars and the issue of launch costs at a time of economic crisis mean a delay appears inevitable.
"We'll look at how the situation impacts the Hundred, which was envisaged as being a ...

Fate of Hundred in balance as English cricket chiefs meet

The White House abruptly cancelled - and then reinstated - Monday's coronavirus media briefing after President Donald Trump, ridiculed for his suggestion to inject patients with disinfectant, railed against "enemy" journalists.
The afternoon press conferences - which began as a way to inform Americans about developments in the crisis but eventually took on the combative tone of Trump's campaign rallies - have been a daily fixture since March.
On Thursday, a freewheeling Trump ran into a public relations disaster when he suggested people could possibly inject disinfectants to fight the virus, prompting a barrage of scorn, alarm and criticism around the world.
The next day, an angry Trump left the briefing without taking questions. Over the weekend, no briefing was held.
And on Monday, the White House first scheduled a briefing, then called it off -- and then added it back into the agenda.
Trump's new press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, said the topic would be "additional testing ...

White House media briefings hit turbulence as Trump attacks 'enemy'

Boeing's head said Monday that restoring the dividend could take three to five years as the company girds for a slow air travel recovery in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
The comment from Chief Executive David Calhoun was a signal that paying back debt and keeping up Boeing's manufacturing supply chain were bigger priorities than paying dividends for the forseeable future.
Speaking at the company's annual meeting, Calhoun offered a sober outlook on the near-term prospects for commercial air travel in the wake of the virus that is projected to cost the airline industry an estimated USD 314 billions in 2020 revenues, potentially felling some carriers.
"Based on what we know now, we expect it will take two to three years for travel to return to 2019 levels and an additional few years beyond that for the industry's long-term trend growth to return," Calhoun said.
Even before COVID-19 broke out, Boeing was already under pressure after two crashes of its 737 MAX killed 346 people, ...

Boeing CEO sees slow airline rebound, no dividend for 'years'

World champion Josh Taylor fears it will be hard to motivate himself for the "glorified sparring" of boxing behind closed doors.
The Scot was meant to defend his World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation super-lightweight titles against Thai opponent Apinun Khongsong in Glasgow on May 2.
But the outbreak of the coronavirus has put paid to that bout, with Britain in lockdown.
And even when UK government restrictions are lifted, the British Boxing Board of Control has warned planned bouts may be subject to further delay if they risk placing additional strain on the National Health Service.
It looks increasingly likely that any initial resumption of major sport in Britain, including boxing, will be without spectators.
But Taylor said the absence of a crowd could deprive him of a competitive edge.
"It would be a bit like a glorified sparring match if there's only 50 people in the building," Taylor told BBC Radio's boxing podcast.
"It's not ideal. I think for me it would 

World champion Taylor calls boxing without fans 'glorified sparring'

Former Brazilian football star Ronaldinho said on Monday that his arrest and subsequent house arrest in Paraguay for using a false passport was "a very hard blow".
"I would never have imagined myself in such a situation," said the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain striker in an interview with the Paraguayan newspaper ABC.
Ronaldinho and his brother Roberto de Assis Moreira are accused of entering Paraguay in possession of false passports.
"I was completely caught off guard when I found out that these passports were not valid," Ronaldinho said in his first public statement since his arrest two days after arriving in Asuncion at the beginning of March.
After more than a month behind bars, the 2005 Ballon d'Or winner and his brother paid bail of USD 1.6 million (1.48 million euros).
Since April 7 they have been under house arrest at the Palmaroga Hotel in the historic centre of the Paraguayan capital.
Ronaldinho said he hopes to be released "as soon as possible" after cooperating .

Ronaldinho says arrest and confinement has been 'hard'

FIFA president Gianni Infantino is suspected of having intervened with Switzerland's attorney general to try to get an investigation dropped, a Swiss newspaper alleged on Monday.
The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) launched an investigation in early 2016, shortly after Infantino was elected president of world football's governing body, about his awarding of a television rights contract to an offshore company in his previous role as UEFA's legal affairs director.
According to the Tribune de Geneve newspaper, Infantino was "worried" about this investigation and wrote to his childhood friend, Rinaldo Arnold, who had become a senior prosecutor in Switzerland's Haut-Valais region where they grew up.
"I will try to explain to the OAG that it is in my interests that everything should be cleared up as soon as possible, that it be clearly stated that I have nothing to do with this matter," he wrote in an email cited by the newspaper.
Arnold, who had helped to set up a first meeting ...

FIFA's Infantino suspected of intervening to stop probe: report

The Italian government has ruled out team training before May 18, leaving Serie A chiefs with their backs against the wall if they are to finish a season interrupted by the coronavirus crisis.
Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Sunday delayed a decision on restarting football despite allowing top athletes to resume training in a week's time.  From next Monday, individual athlete will be able to resume training.
But for team sports, in particular football, it remains a waiting game, in a championship suspended since March 9.
So, while cyclist Vincenzo Nibali will able to resuming his usual training, Cristiano Ronaldo of Juventus will not.
Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora was cautious, warning: "It's not a given that football will resume." "On May 18? We will see, for team sports, such as football, rigid safety protocols are needed," Spadafora told Italian television.
Spadafora spoke of "shortcomings" in the health and safety protocol presented last week by Italian football federation ..

In Italy, time running out for Serie A return

West Ham, Brighton and Arsenal opened their training grounds to players on Monday as Premier League clubs took steps towards a potential re-start.
The English top-flight is reportedly eyeing a resumption of the season on June 8 behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"Project Restart" could see the 20 Premier League clubs resume full training by May 18, allowing players a three-week "pre-season".
Premier League chiefs, due to meet with clubs on Friday, are committed to finishing the season, with Liverpool on the brink of their first English top-flight title for 30 years.
Brighton said in a statement on Monday that the club were allowing "restricted external access to the training pitches for first-team players only, for non-compulsory individual training".
"Players will need to book and be allotted staggered arrival slots, allocated their own area to train and expected to fully adhere to social distancing rules while doing so, and when arriving and exiting the facility," .

West Ham, Brighton players return to training grounds

Struggling Werder Bremen may have to play in a different city if the Bundesliga resumes next month because the local government could prolong its ban on games at the Weserstadion.
The coronavirus pandemic brought the German league to a halt in mid-March with Bayern Munich four points clear and Werder second from bottom, but the Bundesliga said last week that it is ready to resume from May 9, albeit behind closed doors with fans locked out.
Angela Merkel's government still needs to give permission for league football to resume. A decision is expected this Thursday.
But in Bremen, which is a state in Germany's Federal system, the city's senator for the interior Ulrich Maeurer has insisted no games can be played at their Weserstadion ground during the crisis.
That means Werder could have to play their remaining home games elsewhere, with the nearest cities with Bundesliga-level stadiums -- Hamburg, Hanover and Wolfsburg -- being considered.
"If, for whatever reason, we can't play in ...

Werder Bremen eye stadium switch if Bundeliga resumes

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday claimed New Zealand had scored a significant victory against the spread of the coronavirus, as the country began a phased exit from lockdown.
"There is no widespread, undetected community transmission in New Zealand," Ardern declared. "We have won that battle." After nearly five weeks at the maximum Level Four restrictions -- with only essential services operating -- the country will move to Level Three late on Monday.
That will allow some businesses, takeaway food outlets and schools to reopen.  But Ardern warned there was no certainty about when all transmission can be eliminated, allowing a return to normal life.
Everyone wants to "bring back the social contact that we all miss", she said, "but to do it confidently we need to move slowly and we need to move cautiously."
"I will not risk the gains we've made in the health of New Zealanders. So if we need to remain at Level Three, we will."
The easing of restrictions came as New Zealand, a ...

New Zealand has won a battle against virus transmission: PM

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wants to see the NBA season resume even without spectators, but only  with precautions against the coronavirus are in place to safeguard "players and important personnel".
Cuban, who spoke Sunday night on CNN, says there is no timetable for the league to return after going on hiatus March 12 when Utah's Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus.
NBA clubs reportedly will open team facilities for individual workouts starting Friday in states and cities where government leaders have eased stay-at-home rules to allow for such moves. By the start of May, that could be an option for up to 10 NBA franchises, based on announced plans.
Some players from franchises in states where the lockdown remains in force had asked team officials about the possibility of going to Georgia, one of the first states to announce a relaxation, and working out in gyms there, a move team general managers did not favor.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver says it will be May before the ..

Mavericks owner Cuban will push for fan-less NBA return

Iran on Monday announced 96 deaths from the novel coronavirus, but said daily confirmed new infections fell below 1,000 for the first time in more than a month.
The latest fatalities recorded in the past 24 hours brought the overall death toll to 5,806, said health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour.
Detected cases of infection rose by 991 to total 91,472 since the start of Iran's outbreak, the deadliest in the Middle East.
In addition, Jahanpour said more than 700 people had died of poisoning in the month to April 19 after drinking alcohol in the mistaken belief it can kill the virus.
Although its sale and consumption is banned in the Islamic republic, local media have repeatedly reported fatal poisonings from contraband alcohol.
Iran has struggled to contain the coronavirus since reporting its first cases on February 19 -- two deaths in the Shiite holy city of Qom.
At his briefing on Sunday, Jahanpour had announced 60 virus deaths, the lowest daily toll in the country since March 

Iran reports 96 virus deaths but says infections drop

Stefanos Tsitsipas sent his sometime doubles partner Nick Kyrgios an unwelcome gift through Instagram on Monday.
The sixth-ranked Greek posted a picture of himself standing outside and holding up a home-made cardboard sign with a phone number and the words "call me" scrawled on it.
Fans who excitedly rang it thinking that it was the Greek star's number, found that the phone was turned off and quickly worked out that the number was Australian and linked to Kyrgios, who was celebrating his 25th birthday on Monday.
That was confirmed when Kyrgios himself replied.
"You are an absolute i****" he posted, using stars for the last four letters and adding, after a series of laughing emoticons,  "everyone stop calling me!!!!!"
One of the other comments asked Tsitsipas: "Someone has to get a new phone number, is he happy with your birthday gift?"
Kyrgios had earlier posted a video of himself celebrating his birthday, saying "25 feels good" and drinking straight from a bottle of wine.

Tsitsipas serves up birthday prank on Kyrgios

The 100th edition of the Tour of Catalonia has been postponed until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, organisers announced on Monday.
Due to be held from March 23 to March 29, this year's tour was initially postponed on March 12 but a compressed cycling calendar means the event will not go ahead in 2020.
"The 100th edition of the Tour of Catalonia will in the end be held in the last week of March 2021," the event's organisers said in a statement.
"The cycling calendar that the UCI has made official has been reduced to practically three months, and what we are clear about is that we want to celebrate a 100th edition with maximum guarantees and the best cyclists in the world," said Tour of Catalonia president Ruben Peris.
"We are very clear that we do not want to do the race no matter what," added Peris.
"Nor did we want to do it in a reduced number of days."
The coronavirus pandemic has caused this year's Tour de France to be postponed, with new dates currently set for August 29 to 

Tour of Catalonia centenary postponed until 2021

A top UN official has urged Bangladesh to let two stranded boatloads of starving Rohingya Muslims land amid mounting fears Monday over the fate of the refugees.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned of a "human tragedy of terrible proportions" unless action is taken to help the Rohingya.
The appeal was made to the Bangladesh government after Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen said the South Asian country would not accept the boats.
His declaration last week set alarm bells ringing as it came only days after dozens of Rohingya died on a boat that waited at sea for two months before it could land.
The two new boats are believed to be in international waters hoping to get an opportunity to reach Malaysia. The Malaysian navy rebuffed one boat last week and has increased patrols as it expects increased attempts to smuggle people into the country.
The one million Rohingya in camps in Bangladesh, where they fled a military crackdown in their native Myanmar, favour ...

UN rights chief urges Bangladesh to accept Rohingya boats

A Saudi-backed takeover of Newcastle United appears to be nearing completion at a time when the rest of the football industry is on its knees due to the economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
For Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the crisis presents a commercial opportunity and a chance to break into the lucrative Premier League.
But the potential 300 million pound (USD 370 million) deal, which will reportedly see the Saudi fund take an 80 percent stake in the club, is facing fierce opposition from human rights groups and one of Saudi's regional rivals.
The Premier League bubble is close to bursting as clubs scramble to avoid losing hundreds of millions in broadcast rebates if the season is not completed and a deep recession threatens income from gate receipts, merchandise and sponsorship.
As a result, transfer fees are expected to drop sharply while wages will also be depressed, with even the world's wealthiest clubs ...

Coronavirus crisis presents opportunity for Saudi's Newcastle project

Michael O'Neill has stepped down as Northern Ireland manager to focus on his role as Stoke boss after the coronavirus ruined his plan to remain in charge for the European Championship playoffs.
O'Neill's eight-year reign was ended by mutual agreement with Northern Ireland chiefs following international fixture changes proposed by UEFA.
"After careful consideration and following discussions with the Irish FA I feel it is only fair that now is the right time for me to step aside," O'Neill said on Wednesday.
O'Neill took charge at Championship club Stoke in November, but the 50-year-old remained in charge of Northern Ireland in order to see out the Euro 2020 qualification process.
Northern Ireland were due to face Bosnia in a playoff in March, but the game was postponed because of the health crisis, while the tournament has now been pushed back to 2021.
It seems likely that UEFA will reschedule the playoff matches deciding the last four places at next year's European Championship after ..

O'Neill ends Northern Ireland reign as virus ruins playoff plan

Jurgen Klopp believes there is still room for improvement from Liverpool despite their incredible Premier League campaign, which is on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Reds were 25 points clear of second-placed Manchester City and on the verge of their first top-flight title since 1990 when football was halted last month.
But Klopp said Liverpool, who won the Champions League last year and have only lost one Premier League match all season, could get even better.
"We will not change, that's the first thing, but whether we will be successful depends on what other clubs are doing as well because they have all the chance to improve things, do things better," he told Sky Sports.
"So I have no clue what the future will hold for us. But we will not change, this team is not the finished article, and we have a lot of space for improvement, and we work on that.
"We have fresh blood internally coming through. We can improve with this team, which is great."
Klopp does not believe ...

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