Back home after suffering an away defeat, former champions ATK will look to regroup and pick their first points when they face Hyderabad FC in the sixth season of the Indian Super League (ISL) here on Friday.
For Hyderabad FC, who were formed after Pune FC were disbanded last season for financial irregularities, this will be the first match of the season.
Despite a sixth minute lead by Carl McHugh, ATK were left to rue some good opportunities as Kerala Blasters restored parity by converting a spotkick in the 30th minute and sealed the issue before half-time in the ISL opener in Kochi on Sunday.
The Kolkata franchise were also 'unlucky' with their appeals for penalties being turned down during the match and coach Antonio Lopez Habas will look for a fresh start for his team.
Former Spanish international goalkeeper Jose Molina took charge in the third season and the Kolkata franchise put up a dominant display to win their second title -- a record they jointly hold with Chennaiyin FC in ..

ISL: ATK seek first points vs Hyderabad FC

PTI Automatic

Indian Super League (ISL) debutants Hyderabad FC will be without the services of Spanish midfielder Nestor Gordillo for their first eight matches of the upcoming sixth season.
Hyderabad will make their ISL debut against former champions ATK at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here on Friday.
Gordillo will be ineligible for selection until December after he was handed a four-month ban by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Players' Status Committee on August 13 this year for signing a "pre-contract" with the now-dissolved FC Pune City despite having a year left in his contract with Chennai City FC.
Latest the 30-year-old can be available for current ISL season is in the reverse fixture when Hyderabad FC host ATK on December 21.

Hyderabad FC to miss Nestor Gordillo until December

Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos has confirmed he has been fined by Spanish tax authorities for irregularities relating to his image rights between 2012 and 2014.
According to the newspaper El Mundo, Ramos was fined one million euros for transferring revenue to his own company Sermos 32 SL, which is based in Spain, in order to pay less tax.
The Spain and Real Madrid captain has paid the fine but said in a statement late Tuesday he plans to appeal as he claims he was unfairly penalised by a change in the law.
Ramos joins a growing list of high-profile footballers targetted in recent years by the Spanish tax agency, who have cracked down on loopholes in regulations on image rights.
But while the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar have faced criminal proceedings, Ramos has emphasised his case is administrative.
"It is an administrative fine, not a criminal offence," Ramos said in the statement.
"Given the information published recently, I would like to emphasise that I declare 

Ramos confirms fine from Spanish tax authority

Inter Milan are interested in signing former Germany star Thomas Muller, who has lost his starting place at Bayern Munich, magazine Kicker reported on Thursday.
The 30-year-old has often found himself on the bench this season behind Philippe Coutinho, who Bayern coach Niko Kovac prefers in the attacking midfield role.
According to Kicker, Inter's "interest is intensifying" and the Italian giants could bring Muller to Milan in the January transfer window.
Mueller made a rare start, only his fifth of the season, in Tuesday's 3-2 win at Olympiakos in the Champions League on the right wing, helping set up two goals for Robert Lewandowski.
"I'm trying to concentrate on playing football. Slowly all the discussions will come to an end," Mueller told reporters in Athens when asked about his future at Bayern.
He has spent his entire career at Bayern, who he joined as a schoolboy in 2000, and club president Uli Hoeness has made  it clear that no one at the club wants to see Mueller leave.
It ...

Inter Milan interested in Bayern star Muller - report

The selection committee, headed by MSK Prasad, is nowhere close to completing its tenure as per the new BCCI constitution but new Board President Sourav Ganguly will decide whether the panel completes the mandated five years in office.
The selectors' term was four years according to the old constitution but the amended constitution, which has come into effect now, has a provision of a maximum of five-year term.
The clause 26(3) of the new constitution states: "No person who has been a member of any Cricket Committee for a total of five years shall be eligible to be a member of any cricket committee."
The Prasad (south zone) and Gagan Khoda (central zone) were appointed at the 2015 BCCI Annual General Meeting (AGM) and technically their term would end in September, 2020 as per the new constitution.
On the other hand, Jatin Paranjpe (East zone), Sarandeep Singh (North zone) and Devang Gandhi (east zone) have two years left as they started in 2016.
The matter is expected to be discussed .

Selection Matters: None of selectors has completed tenure as per new Constitution

The Indian football team dropped two places to 106th position in the latest FIFA rankings issued on Thursday.
The downward slid came following the Blue Tigers' 1-1 draw against lower-ranked Bangladesh in the FIFA World Cup qualifier earlier this month.
The draw against Bangladesh came after India's impressive 0-0 stalemate against Asian champions Qatar in September.
Bangladesh, however, benefitted from the draw, jumping three rungs to 184th spot.
Belgium has managed to hold on to the top spot, followed by France and Brazil.
Top-ten rivals Uruguay (5th, up 1), Croatia (7th, up 1), Argentina (9th, up 1) have edged closer to the summit, according to the FIFA website.
England are placed fourth ahead of Uruguay, Portugal, Croatia, Spain, Argentina and Colombia.

India drop two spots to 106th in FIFA rankings

Holders India will begin their Under-19 World Cup defence with a clash against Sri Lanka on January 19 at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
Four-time champions India have been grouped alongside New Zealand, Sri Lanka and first-timers Japan in Group A in the tournament, starting on January 17.
India will take on Japan and New Zealand on January 21 and 24 respectively in the 16-team tournament, the final of which is scheduled for February 9.
Last edition's runner-up and three-time champion Australia will take on West Indies in Group B opening encounter that also features England and debutants Nigeria.
Group C will see Pakistan battle alongside Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Scotland.
Hosts South Africa will play their opening match against Afghanistan on January 17. United Arab Emirates and Canada are the other teams in Group D.
The 13th edition of the tournament will see the second phase dividing the teams into Super League and Plate tournaments. The top two teams from each of 

India to begin Under-19 World Cup title defence against Sri Lanka

Para-athlete Anandan Gunasekaran clinched his third gold of the event, while javelin thrower Shivpal Singh bagged another yellow metal for the country as India continued their fine show at the ongoing 7th CISM World Military Games here on Thursday.
After claiming top honours in the men's disabled 100m and 400m IT1 events earlier, Gunasekaran won the gold in men's disabled 200m IT1 event with a timing of 24.31s.
Fajardo Pardo Teodicelo of Colombia (26.11s) won the silver in men's disabled 200m IT1 event, while Peru's Casa Jose (27.33s) bagged the bronze.
Shivpal, 24, who hails from Chandauli village near Varanasi, increased India's tally by clinching the gold in javelin throw with a best effort of 83.33m.
Poland's Krukowski Marcin clinched the silver by hurling the spear to a distance of 78.17m, while the bronze went to Sri Lanka's Ranasinghe Mudiyaneselage Sumedha Jagath (75.35m).
Shivpal had earlier won a silver medal in the Asian Championships in Doha in April this year with a ...

Gunasekaran wins 3rd gold, Shivpal too bags top honours in World Military Games

India not having a "say" in the International Cricket Council is a major concern for newly-appointed BCCI Treasurer Arun Dhumal, who has questioned the very relevance of the world body if it doesn't have the country in a prominent role.
Speaking to PTI after taking charge under new President -- the legendary Sourav Ganguly, Dhumal spoke about his immediate priorities, which include increasing the Board's revenue despite the fact that the BCCI remains the richest body in international cricket.
"Could we have ever imagined that BCCI will not have a say in ICC's roadmap? It was never imagined. What is ICC without BCCI?" asked Dhumal referring to India's absence from the ICC's newly-created working group to chalk out a fresh governance model for the body.
He also made it clear that BCCI is not on board with the ICC as far as the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for the 2023-2031 cycle is concerned.
The new proposal calls for a World T20 every year and an ODI World Cup every three years, which 

What is ICC without BCCI? asks new BCCI Treasurer Arun Dhumal

The spotlight will be on India players Mayank Agarwal, R Ashwin and KL Rahul when the evenly-matched Karnataka and Tamil Nadu lock horns in the title clash of the Vijay Hazare Trophy here on Friday.
The Manish Pandey-led Karnataka were convincing in their victories in the knockout games but Tamil Nadu, who dominated the league phase, were a tad lucky as the rain rule allowed them to go past Punjab in the quarterfinals before young M Shahrukh Khan guided them home in the semifinal against Gujarat.
The two sides are equally matched, with a formidable batting line-up and a set of quality bowlers, though the presence of R Ashwin gives the TN attack more experience and variety.
The Friday's clash will be decided by how the two bowling attacks perform given that both teams have a lot of depth in batting.
The home side has been well served by out-of-favour Test opener K L Rahul (546 runs in 10 games), who has come into his own in the quarterfinals and semis and his opening partner Devdutt ...

Vijay Hazare final: Battle of heavyweights

India captain Virat Kohli on Thursday said he is looking forward to a "high-level, professional" discussion with newly-elected BCCI President and former skipper Sourav Ganguly when the two meet to thrash out the way forward for the national cricket team.
After taking charge as BCCI President here on Wednesday, Ganguly had called Kohli the most important man in Indian cricket and said he was there to make life easier for the skipper, not difficult.
"I am going to meet him now. I am looking forward to a good discussion. He is someone who has played a lot of cricket before, who knows the situation we are in, what the team needs, the requirements of Indian cricket," said Kohli at an Audi event here on Thursday.
"So you need a good, professional, high-level discussion. It will be a healthy discussion because I am playing currently and he has played before, there will be a understanding of these things. I have had good discussions in the past with him and I expect the same this time," he ...

Kohli looking forward to more healthy discussions Ganguly the BCCI president

The most experienced motorcycle rider in history marks another milestone in Australia this weekend, with veteran Valentino Rossi gearing up for his 400th Grand Prix.
The Italian, still arguably the sport's biggest draw despite winning the last of his seven premier class world titles in 2009, conceded it was a "great achievement".
"It's been a long, long time," admitted the 40-year-old, who made his debut in 1996 in the 125cc class.
"It's good to make 400 here in Phillip Island because it is an iconic place for motorsport," he added of a circuit where he has won eight times -- six in the premier class to go with two from his 250cc days.
"It's something that you don't expect. Especially when I was younger, and through my career, I never ever had a clear idea how long I want to race.
"Now I'm 40! Imagine. But yes, it's a good achievement." Rossi has long been the most experienced rider on the grid and his career statistics are stunning -- he's won 115 races across all classes and scored .

Italian legend Rossi hits 400th Grand Prix

The newly appointed BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal's primary objective is to increase the board's revenue generation by curbing the unnecessary expenditures and instead use that money to improve the financial health of first-class cricketers.
Dhumal, another young face in 'Team Sourav Ganguly's cabinet, has been "surprised" at the amount of expenses that had gone up in past few years mainly due to the legal hassles.
"My goal is to increase the BCCI revenue as what has happened now is that revenues are stable but expenses have gone up. Administrative and legal expenses need to be checked," the BCCI treasurer told PTI during an interaction.
"There are few other issues that we need to handle including the tax liabilities
and issues with the past IPL franchisees also needs to be addressed," Dhumal said.
He echoed president Ganguly's sentiment that first-class cricketers needed to be taken care of and hence they need more financial resources.
"We need to increase the revenue so that it can ...

Need to increase revenue as expenses shot up considerably: BCCI treasurer

China will host the inaugural edition of the expanded 24-team Club World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Thursday, hailing it as a "historic decision".
FIFA's choice underlines China's growing clout in football and could be a precursor to the country eventually hosting the World Cup proper.
Infantino made the announcement after a meeting in Shanghai of the FIFA Council, the decision-making unit of football's world governing body.
It will mean many of the biggest club teams -- including eight from Europe -- descending on China in June-July 2021.
Infantino confirmed that China, which has made football a national priority under President Xi Jinping, had been the only candidate.
"It is a historic decision for football," he said.
"It will be a competition which every person, every child and everyone who loves football is looking forward to." The FIFA chief said in June that his new Club World Cup could generate as much as $50 billion in commercial income, although he did not ..

China to host expanded Club World Cup in 2021

Tiger Woods got off to a horrific start before roaring back with nine birdies in 15 holes to share the inaugural Zozo Championship lead in Japan Thursday as Rory McIlroy struggled.
After slumping to three-over par after three holes, Woods recovered in stunning fashion to finish with a back-nine of 29 and a six-under round of 64 alongside US Open champion Gary Woodland.
"I certainly was not expecting to shoot six-under par after that start," admitted Woods.
"It was ugly early and it was nice to be able to flip it and really get it going.
"Now I'm in a position where we're going to have a long, long weekend of a lot of golf that hopefully I can keep it going."
The American pair head into Friday with a one-shot lead over home hero Hideki Matsuyama, after Woods endured a roller coaster round at Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Inzai City.
McIlroy had a day where he couldn't find his usual range with his irons and his putter was cold in a two-over 72 featuring a double bogey six at .

Tiger roars back after horror start to share Japan lead

India's leading female squash player Joshna Chinappa is working harder than ever as the world number 12 aims to break back into the top-10 of PSA rankings, starting with a good showing in the World Championship in Cairo.
The 33-year old, who achieved a career-high ranking of world number 10 in 2016, will be competing at the World Championship starting on Thursday .
"I am looking forward to competing at the World Championship. I would like to break back into top 10 this season, better my career high rank of 10 and take it from there," Chinappa told PTI in an interaction.
Chinappa will face 42nd-ranked Haley Mendez of USA in the first round followed by either Mariam Metwally (27) or Ho Tze-Lok of Hong Kong. In the pre-quarters, the Indian could face world number 2 Nour El Sherbini of Egypt.
"Right now, I am seeded 12 in the tournament. I have a couple of tough first and second round matches. I have the current world No 2 in my pre-quarter, so, right now, I am just looking forward to ...

'Fitter than ever' Joshna aims to renter top-10

Former India batsman Yuvraj Singh was on Thursday named Maratha Arabians' icon player for the upcoming Abu Dhabi T10 tournament, which will be his second appearance in a franchise-based competition since taking international retirement in June.
The event, beginning November 14, has the approval of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Yuvraj played starring roles for India in their title winning squads at the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 World Cup.
One of the reasons Yuvraj retired was that he wanted to play in leagues around the world and have "some fun". At the moment, the BCCI doesn't allow an active cricketer to take part in a foreign league.
Following his retirement, the 37-year-old had captained Toronto Nationals in Global T20 Canada in July-August.
Yuvraj is the latest signing by Maratha Arabians after they recently named former Zimbabwe captain Andy Flower as their head coach. Flower was also the head coach of the England national team.
Speaking about his maiden T10 ...

Yuvraj to play in Abu Dhabi T10 tournament

FIFA has awarded the inaugural edition of its expanded 24-team Club World Cup to China, the association's president Gianni Infantino announced in Shanghai on Thursday, calling it a "historic decision".
"The FIFA Council decided today, unanimously, to appoint China... as the host of the new FIFA World Cup for Clubs," he told reporters.

China to host expanded Club World Cup in 2021: FIFA

Bangladesh cricketers, led by star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, have called off their strike over pay and benefits after getting assurance from the country's board that all their demands will be met, putting their tour of India back on track.
The deadlock between the players and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) ended after a two-hour long meeting which went on close to midnight on Wednesday.
The truce means that the team's T20 and Test tour of India, beginning November 3, will go on as per schedule and players will be joining the preparatory camp on Friday.
"As Papon bhai (BCB boss Nazmul Hassan) said, it was a fruitful discussion. He and the rest of the directors assured us that our demands will be met as soon as possible. Based on their assurance, we will start playing the NCL and attend the training camp," Shakib was quoted as saying by 'ESPNCricinfo'.
Shakib attended the meeting alongside other senior players including Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah and Tamim Iqbal.
The players added .

India tour back on track after Bangladesh players call off strike

Hotshot Gabriel Barbosa scored a brace as Flamengo hammered fellow Brazilians Gremio 5-0 on Wednesday to secure a place in the Copa Libertadores final against Argentine holders River Plate.
Bruno Henrique, Pablo Mari and Rodrigo Caio also got their names on the scoresheet as the Rio de Janeiro giants completed a 6-1 aggregate victory over the 2017 champions at the Maracana stadium.
River Plate made a 2-1 aggregate victory over their bitter Buenos Aires rivals Boca Juniors on Tuesday despite losing the second leg 1-0.
That was a repeat of last year's final, the second leg of which was controversially played in Madrid after the original fixture was twice postponed due to Boca players suffering cuts and smoke inhalation when their team bus came under attack from River fans.
This year's final will be played over a single match for the first time, on November 23 in Santiago.
Despite being Brazil's most popular team, Flamengo have only once before won the Copa Libertadores, back in 1981. ...

Flamengo thrash Gremio to set up River Plate Libertadores final

Roger Federer crushed Radu Albot 6-0, 6-3 on Wednesday to win his 22nd match in a row at the Swiss Indoors and earn a quarter-final place at his home event for the 17th time.
The nine-time champion was ruthless in a 22-minute opening set, finishing the entire job in 63 minutes in front of 9,000 fans.
He will on Friday face the winner from Stan Wawrinka and Frances Tiafoe, who both earned straight-set wins earlier in the day.
"It's a super feeling to know exactly where the ball is going, what the other guy is doing," said top seed Federer.
"I was hitting a lot of winners, those kind of moments are really rare." Federer's Swiss compatriot Wawrinka fired 10 aces and 30 winners to overwhelm fellow veteran Pablo Cuevas 6-3, 6-4 to make it into the second round, keeping alive his outside chances of making the ATP Finals.
Federer, who is playing in Basel for the 19th time, won his first set to love at the tournament since 2006.
His loss of just three games on Wednesday was his most powerful .

Page 549 -