Borussia Dortmund sports director Michael Zorc confirmed Saturday that Mario Goetze, who scored the winning goal in the 2014 World Cup final, will leave at the end of the season.
"We will stop working together with Mario Goetze in the summer," Zorc told Sky before Saturday's Bundesliga game away to Wolfsburg.
"It is a joint decision after a constructive conversation. Mario is a really good guy."
The decision caps a frustrating season for the 27-year-old attacker, who has made only five league starts this term.
Goetze wrote himself into German football folklore by volleying home a cross during extra time in the 2014 World Cup final to seal a 1-0 win over Argentina at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium.
Six years on, Goetze has struggled to replicate the displays that once prompted former German FA technical director Matthias Sammer to describe him as "one of the best talents we've ever had".
Having come through the academy, Goetze helped Dortmund win the league and cup double in 2011 ...

World Cup winner Goetze to part ways with Dortmund

PTI Automatic

The iconic Eden Gardens was spared from the fury of Cyclone Amphan that ravaged the city, leaving only some minor damages to the stadium.
The pitch and the outfield areas remained totally unaffected from the Amphan, one of the worst cyclones to hit the city in decades.
"Looking at the disaster that has taken place, it's natural for some damage to have occurred. But, prima facie, we don't think there's any major damage to the Eden. That said we cannot take any chances," CAB President Avishek Dalmiya said.
"We will consult our structural engineer to look into the issues. If needed, we will implement whatever suggestion we get from the structural engineer," he added.
Elaborating on the areas that need repair, he said: "The manual scoreboard (at D block) has to be looked into. Besides, few fibre sheets above blocks G and H also need minor repairs, while glass panes of two of the corporate boxes need to be replaced.
"The structural engineer will inspect the venue and submit a detailed ...

Eden spared from cyclone Amphan's wrath

India U-17 women's football team head coach Thomas Dennerby on Saturday said his wards have made improvements in fitness and the technical aspects, departments that were "found wanting" when he took over.
The 60-year-old Dennerby was appointed as head coach of the national team for the FIFA U-17 World Cup, to be hosted by the country and has now been postponed by three months to February next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"When I arrived in India, I found the girls having very good technical skills, good reading of the game and good touch of the ball. But if I compared them with the best in Europe and United States I could see they are bit less in fitness level and pace of the game," the Swede said.
"Even if you have a good technique and good passing and so on, you have to reduce the number of touches, have to play fast and speed up the game. That is the most important thing," he said from his home in Sweden during a chat on the official Facebook page of the Indian football ...

Players have improved under my charge: India U-17 coach Dennerby

The Indian Cricketers Association (ICA) has shortlisted 36 needy players, including former India pacer Devraj Govindraj, for offering financial assistance as they battle the COVID-19 pandemic.
Govindraj, 73, was part of the Indian team's historic Test series wins in England and the West Indies in 1971, when Sunil Gavaskar had announced his arrival with a mountain of runs.
The pacer, who has 190 wickets from 93 first-class matches, however did not get to play a match. He was settled in England but moved back to India.
"The ICA had received totally 52 applications (men and women) for financial assistance from retired first-class cricketers and widows. The five members of the Board of Directors of ICA approved financial assistance to 36 needy, retired cricketers/widows," the association's president Ashok Malhotra said.
However, Govindraj, along with seven others (men and women) found himself in the B category, which offers an aid of Rs 80000 per person.
A total of 20 people (11 men and 9 

ICA shortlists 36 needy players for financial help, ex-India pacer Govindraj in category B

The Boxing Federation of India plans to restart camp training for its Olympic-bound boxers from June 10, bringing both men and women together in Patiala amid strict COVID-19 safety guidelines which bar access to ring and human sparring for now.
This was decided at a video conference between the Olympic-bound boxers, who have made the cut for the Tokyo Games, BFI Executive Director R K Sacheti, Vice-President Rajesh Bhandari, High performance Directors Santiago Nieva (men) and Raffaele Bergamasco (women), and chief national coaches C A Kuttappa (men) and Mohammed Ali Qamar (women).
"This is the plan going forward. Boxers were of the view that there is no substitute for formal training at the camp even though they have all done pretty well on their own so far," a federation official told PTI.
"The women (who train at Delhi's IG stadium) will also be training at NIS Patiala in a joint camp," he added.
The nine boxers, who have qualified for the Tokyo Games are Amit Panghal (52kg), Manish 

BFI plans resumption of training from June 10; men, women to have joint camp in Patiala

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Saturday that La Liga can resume from its coronavirus lockdown on the week of June 8.
"The resumption of major professional sporting competitions and in particular La Liga will be allowed from the week of June 8," Sanchez told a press conference.
More than two months after the COVID-19 pandemic halted the season in Spain, players have begun training in small groups as they aim to be as ready as possible for the planned reboot next month.

La Liga can resume week of June 8 - Spanish Prime Minister

Pacer Shardul Thakur on Saturday became the first India cricketer to resume outdoor training after a two-month coronavirus-forced break.
Thakur, who has featured in one Test, 11 ODIs and 15 T20s, hit a local ground at Boisar in Maharashtra's Palghar district along with some domestic players.
The Maharashtra government has allowed opening of stadiums for individual training in green and orange zones without spectators. This was after the home ministry offered relaxation in restrictions for the fourth phase of the lockdown till May 31.
"Yes, we practised today. It was good and definitely pleasing to practice after two months," Thakur told PTI.
An official said that that the Palghar Dahanu Taluka Sports Association started the net sessions at Boisar, which is around 110 kms away from Mumbai.
Strict safety protocols were followed, with each bowler getting his own set of disinfected balls.
"All the safety measures were followed. The bowlers got their own balls which were disinfected and ...

Shardul becomes first India cricketer to resume outdoor training

Barcelona coach Quique Setien says he would love to coach Neymar and would be "delighted" if the Brazilian returns to the club from Paris Saint-Germain.
Barca tried to re-sign Neymar last year but were unable to agree a deal with French champions PSG, whom he joined for a world-record fee of 222 million euros ($264 million at the time) in 2017.
An agreement may even harder to strike this summer given the financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic, although reportedly Barcelona could offer players in exchange.
"I would love to be able to coach him some day," said Setien, speaking to beIN Sport on Friday night.
"We are talking about an exceptional level. Fortunately I have already fulfilled one of my dreams, which was to coach (Lionel) Messi but I would be delighted if Neymar comes."
Neymar previously formed a successful attacking trio with Luis Suarez and Messi at Barcelona but the future of Suarez is uncertain.
The 33-year-old has not played since January when he underwent ...

Setien keen on Neymar Barca return

The legendary Shane Warne believes Cricket Australia should force the states to pick a spinner in every first class game to improve the quality of spin bowling in the country which is currently "going downhill fast" due to the increase in drop-in wickets.
"A spinner should play every single game, no matter what the conditions are like, so that particular spinners can learn how to bowl on day one or day four. At the moment, they (states) only pick them when the conditions suit," Warne was quoted as saying by 'The West Australian'.
"How are they going to learn if you don't allow them to play state cricket? There has to be a responsibility on the states to pick one specialist spinner in every game. And if they don't, well maybe Cricket Australia has to step in. Otherwise spin bowling will go downhill, and is going downhill fast."
Warne, one of the greatest leg-spinners the game has produced, said there is a dearth of quality spinner who can fill in the shoes of Nathan Lyon and urged CA ..

Australia's spin bowling going downhill fast: Warne

The ICC has advised its member nations to exercise caution while resuming cricket activities, fearing a spurt in local transmission with many countries still struggling to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
As member nations ease restrictions imposed to contain the pandemic, the International Cricket Council on Friday issued comprehensive guidelines aimed at getting the sport up and running around the world while at the same time maintaining the highest safety protocols.
'Safety first' is one of the primary considerations of the ICC's back-to-cricket guidelines and involving the governments at all stages is a must.
"The resumption of cricket activities should begin only if there is no perceived or known risk that doing so might result in an increase in the local transmission rate," the ICC said in its guidelines.
While England remains one of the most affected countries, major cricket-playing nations such as India and Pakistan have seen a spike in the number of coronavirus positive cases ..

Resume cricket but only if there is no risk of spurt in local transmission: ICC

: Former Tamil Nadu football player
and coach R Shanmugam died here on Saturday due to age-related  illness.
He was 77 and is survived by two sons and a daughter.
Shanmugam, who was born in Burma (now Myanmar) in 1943,  had represented the Burmese junior and senior national teams  in 1966-'67.
According to B Ravikumar David, former General Secretary  of Tamil Nadu Football Association, Shanmugam had played for  Indian Railways in the Santhosh Trophy in 1969 and Tamil Nadu  in the Jalandhar nationals in 1970 and in Chennai in 1971.
Shanmugam had also played for Mohun Bagan in 1968.
He played for ICF in the Chennai Football Association  (CFA) League from 1969 to 1977.
He had attended the FIFA Coca-Cola coaching course in  1978 & '91, and the Olympic solidarity course in 1996.
Shanmugam obtained diplomas in football coaching from the  National Institute of Sports in 1975-76 and the Brazilian  Football Academy in 1995.
He coached ICF, Tamil Nadu and Indian Railways in the  Santosh ...

Former TN footballer and coach Shanmugam dead

Indian golfer Aditi Ashok is greatly relieved with the announcement that all players on the Ladies PGA (LPGA) Tour, who were exempted during this season, will also keep their cards for the next season.
"It's a great move by the LPGA. It was obviously inevitable with the international nature of the LPGA," said Aditi who has been at home for almost three months.
"Many players are from different countries so it would have been hard to coordinate with players and their country's regulations. It's a huge relief for sure and it's one less thing that we have to think about while playing."
Aditi, whose last event was the New South Wales Open in Australia where she was Tied-4th, tried to get to the US before the coronavirus-forced lockdown came into effect.
Then came the announcement of the cancellation of the event. It was a relief that the announcement happened before she had left India, else she would have been stuck in the US.
Aditi had played just two LPGA events this year -- the ...

Aditi can breathe easy as LPGA extends Tour card to 2021

Australia's limited over captain Aaron Finch believes cricket boards across the world will have to compromise and make "one big effort" to get the sport back on track following the coronavirus hiatus.
There are speculations that the 13th IPL, which was suspended indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, might be conducted in October-November at the expense of the T20 World Cup in Australia.
Finch, who is on the board of Australian players' union, said it is not only about the IPL and all stakeholders have to make compromises to get cricket to thrive again.
"It will get to a point, not just for IPL but for all cricket, there'll be a compromise from a lot of different stakeholders  organisations, countries, players, the ICC  to get cricket back and countries thriving again," Finch was quoted as saying by 'Sydney Morning Herald'.
"I think the ICC are meeting next week to start discussing the FTP (Future Tours Program) again. The next couple of weeks we'll have more idea what that looks .

Stakeholders will have to compromise, make one big effort to rebuild cricket: Finch

Mauricio Pochettino says returning to the Premier League is his "priority", stating he is eager to manage again six months after being sacked by Tottenham.
The 48-year-old transformed Spurs' fortunes during his five-and-a-half-year reign but failed to win a trophy and was sacked less than a year after leading them to the Champions League final.
The Argentine has now ended his six-month "gardening leave", meaning he is free to join another club.
He has been heavily linked with Newcastle if their proposed Saudi Arabia-backed takeover goes through, while speculation over the Manchester United job has never gone away.
"After six months, our tanks are completely full," Pochettino told various British media outlets.
"I have tried with my coaching staff to review everything that we did in the last seven years (including Southampton) because we never had a break until now."
Pochettino, who still lives in London, said he "loved" England and the Premier League.
"I am not going change (my ...

Pochettino wants Premier League return

Leaders Porto will travel to Famalicao as the Portugese top-flight returns to action on June 3 after more than two months on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Primeira Liga said.
The league announced late Friday the schedule for the remaining nine rounds of the season but not for July 21's final matchday.
Porto host seventh-placed Famalicao, who were promoted last term, late on the Wednesday after struggling Portimonense welcome mid-table Gil Vicente earlier in the day.
The Portuguese government said in April the closing 10 rounds of the campaign, which was suspended on March 12, would have to be played according to strict medical protocols.
Players will have to pass virus tests twice a week and matches will be played "in the fewest number of stadiums possible".
The venues for the remaining fixtures were not divulged by the league but according to local press reports they will be held in their usual locations.
Elsewhere, champions Benfica, whose midfielder David Tavares had ...

Top of table Porto main event in Primeira Liga restart

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday said India will not host any international event in immediate future and fans will have to learn to live with the new normal of sporting activities happening behind closed doors in the post COVID-19 world.
Rijiju's statement gain greater significance in the context of the suspended IPL, which the BCCI wants to host in October-November in case the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia is postponed.
"We have been working for quite some time now to resume sporting activities but before that we have to think about practice and training. We are not going to have a tournament kind of situation immediately," Rijiju was quoted as saying by India Today.
"We have to learn to live with the situation where sporting events will have to be carried forward without spectators in stadiums and sports venues," he added.
Talking specifically about the 13th edition of IPL, which has been put on hold for an indefinite period due to the pandemic, Rijiju said it is the ...

No sporting event in near future, have to live with new normal of sports behind closed doors: Rijiju

Five-time world champion Vishwanathan Anand feels the advent of computers has changed the way players have approached chess over the years, with the two opponents sitting in front of the board remaining the only constant in the game.
Talking about about his journey, the former world champion said he had to work hard to become the player he is today.
"I was six years old when my older brother and sister were playing chess, and then I went to my mom and asked her to teach me as well. My progress as a chess player wasn't sudden, it came through lots of hard work over many years," Anand said on  Star Sports show 'Mind Masters'
"The chess I learnt in the 80s, we no longer play chess like that. The introduction of computers has changed the approach, the way you study completely. Only the two players in front of the board has not changed," he added.
Anand said chess requires you to constantly study the opponents' game and guage what's going on in their minds.
"In chess, you don't beat the ...

Introduction of computers has changed the approach to chess: Anand

The wait for bowlers looking to resume Test cricket after the coronavirus hiatus will be longer than others as the ICC has set a preparation time of up to two to three months for them to avoid getting injured.
As member nations ease restrictions imposed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, the International Cricket Council on Friday issued comprehensive guidelines aimed at getting the sport up and running around the world while at the same time maintaining the highest safety protocols.
But the bowlers will have to wait the most considering their higher chances of getting injured.
"Test cricket would require a minimum of 8-12 week preparation period (for bowlers), the final 4-5-week period would involve match intensity bowling.
"Bowlers are at a particularly high risk of injury on return to play after a period of enforced time-out," the sport's world governing body said in its 'back-to-cricket' guidelines.
Under the subhead cricket specific risks, the ICC mentioned about "safe and ...

Post COVID-19, ICC sets 2-3 months preparation time for bowlers resuming Test cricket

England all-rounder Chris Woakes feels banning the use of saliva on balls will not be an issue as bowlers will eventually find other ways to shine the ball.
Earlier this week, the ICC Cricket Committee recommended a ban on the use of saliva to shine the ball owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Woakes feels appying saliva on the ball is a habit and it will take some practice to get rid of it when cricket resumes.
"Moving forward you're going to have remind yourself that you can't use those things to shine the ball," Woakes was quoted as saying by Wisden.
The 31-year-old said the bowlers' job will become harder without the use of saliva on the ball.
"Don't get me wrong, you can shine the ball without saliva and sweat, it probably just doesn't have the same effect. You might have to work a little bit harder on rubbing on the trousers," he said.
"We will find ways to shine the ball, whether that's being a little bit more aggressive on the shining side of things.  I'm sure we will find a way ..

We will find ways to shine the ball without saliva: Woakes

Former Australia pacer Brett Lee feels the latest ICC guidelines, instructing against the usage of saliva on the balls in the post COVID-19 scenario, will be difficult to implement.
The ICC Cricket Committee, led by Anil Kumble, has recommended a ban on the use of saliva in its meeting in the wake of the pandemic.
In its guidelines issued on Friday, the ICC said saliva should not be applied to shine the ball.
"When you have done something your whole life from 8,9,10 years of age where you lick your fingers and you put on the ball, it's very hard to change that overnight too," Lee said on Star Sports show 'Cricket Connected'.
Lee, who played 76 Tests and 221 ODIs, however expects some leniency from the world cricket body in this regard.
"So, I think there's going to be a couple of occasions, or there's going to be some leniency I think from the ICC, where there may be warnings. It's a great initiative,it's going to be very hard to implement I think, because cricketers have done this ...

Non-usage of saliva on balls will be hard to implement, feels Lee

Americans Alison Riske and Danielle Collins and Aussie Ajla Tomljanovic were among the winners on the opening day of a women's tennis mini-tournament in Florida that offered pros a chance to play amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The WTA women's tennis tour cancelled four more events this week and won't resume until at least July 20.
But four women ranked in the top 60 in the world turned out for the UTR Pro Match Series event in Palm Beach, which followed a similar event for men two weeks ago.
World number 51 Collins toppled 28th-ranked compatriot Amanda Anisimova in the opening match 4-1, 4-2 and said she was "grateful" to be back on court even with no fans in attendance on Friday.
"I'm familiar with playing without fans but I definitely miss it," she said.
"One of the things that makes it so special to be a professional athlete is having people supporting you." Tomljanovic, ranked 56th, defeated 19th-ranked Riske 4-3, 4-1 and in the final round-robin match of the day Riske beat ...

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