Footballers in France's top flight will return to their clubs the week starting May 11 to undergo "full medical checkups" with a view to restarting Ligue 1 in June pending government clearance, the French league (LFP) has said.
The LFP board met to review the main points of a draft document on medical and health protocols presented by the league's representative for club doctors, it said in a statement.
The document "foresees a return of players to training centres the week of May 11 to carry out full medical checkups, as well as swab tests, followed by daily monitoring, which will be detailed ... between now and the end of April," it said.
The LFP has also indicated its preferred option remains a "resumption of leagues in mid-June subject to knowing the terms of easing confinement measures which will be presented by the government in the coming days".
France is currently under a nationwide lockdown until May 11.
The LFP also reached an agreement with broadcasters Canal Plus and beIN .

Ligue 1 players to undergo 'full medical checkups' from May 11

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Bayern Munich midfielder Philippe Coutinho has undergone surgery to remove loose fragments from his right ankle and will be sidelined for at least two weeks, the club said.
The Brazil international is on a season-long loan from Barcelona and has scored eight goals in 22 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern.
"Philippe Coutinho underwent an operation on his right ankle, during which loose joint fragments were removed," the club said in a statement.
"The operation was a success. The Brazilian will begin his recovery program in around 14 days."
France midfielder Corentin Tolisso also had an operation earlier in the week on his ankle and will miss the league's potential restart date on May 9.
The Bundesliga is prepared to resume next month without spectators following the coronavirus outbreak but is awaiting the all-clear from the German government.

Coutinho goes under the knife for ankle injury

When Wang Wei-chen had a base hit for the Chinatrust Brothers, no one booed or cheered from the stands at the suburban Taipei ballpark.
No one hurled insults at the umpires. And no one yelled the Chinese-language line of encouragement "add oil" to either team.
The 12,150 blue plastic seats were devoid of fans Friday night for the game between Chinatrust Brothers and Fubon Guardians, down from the average crowd of 6,000 at professional baseball games in Taiwan. No fans have come to any games here since play started on April 11.
Taiwan's five-team Chinese Professional Baseball League is barring spectators over concerns of spreading the coronavirus in a crowded space.
But Taiwan has relatively few cases of COVID-19, so the league decided it was safe to let in players, coaches, cheerleaders, costumed mascots, face mask-wearing batboys and the media.
"We'd like to have fans coming into the stadium to cheer us on, yet due to the outbreak they can't," said Wang, an infielder for ...

Baseball in full swing in Taiwan, even in empty stadiums

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has told players at the Premier League's top clubs to ignore pressure to take pay cuts during the coronavirus crisis.
English football has been halted since mid-March in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19 and clubs at all levels are feeling the pinch.
Premier League chiefs, due to meet with clubs next week, are committed to finishing the season but there is no indication of when it will resume.
Britain, on lockdown until May 7 at the earliest, has been one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic, with more than 18,000 hospital deaths.
Earlier this month, top-flight clubs agreed to consult with their players over deferrals and reductions amounting to 30 percent of their salary but only a handful of clubs.
Only Arsenal have so far agreed a 12.5 percent cut in wages, while Southampton, West Ham, Sheffield United and Watford players are to defer a part of their salary.
Keane, the former Ireland assistant manager, acknowledged the pressure .

Premier League players should resist pressure over wage cuts, says Keane

Phil Neville will step down from coaching the England women's team when his contract expires next year, missing out on leading the country at the rescheduled European Championship in 2022.
The former Manchester United player could still coach the British Olympic team. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Tokyo Games have been pushed back a year to July 2021  the endpoint for Neville's England contract.
Sue Campbell, the English Football Association's director of women's football, said she will now discuss next steps about the Olympics with the British Olympic Association and the federations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The Olympics start in July 2021.
The 43-year-old Neville, who took charge of England in January 2018, took the Lionesses to the semifinals of the World Cup last year in his first job in women's football.
But seven of the last 11 games have been lost, a dismal run that started with the semifinal loss to the U.S. and included a defeat in a reunion with the ...

Phil Neville to leave England women's coach's job next year

The Kho Kho Federation of India (KKFI) has extended financial assistance of Rs one lakh to women's team skipper Nasreen, who is going through some tough time amid the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The 22-year-old, who is on a scholarship with Airport Authority of India (AAI), had played a crucial role in securing a top podium finish for the country at the 2019 South Asian Games.
With the local markets being shut due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nasreen's father, who sells steel utensils on the streets to earn a livelihood, has been going through financial hardships.
After the information reached the officials, KKFI transferred one lakh rupees, to Nasreen's bank account.
"We are always at the forefront to support sportsperson and deserving talents who face genuine issues. It's unfortunate that a national player had to face a tough time in such an unprecedented situation," KKFI general secretary M S Tyagi said.
The KKFI is also providing food packets to several other players and homeless through Kho .

KKFI extends help to women's team captain Nasreen

The German FA announced Friday that the national cup final, planned for May 23 at Berlin's Olympic Stadium, has been postponed, but said it hopes it can still take place this season behind closed doors.
The semi-finals of the Cup, which had been scheduled for this week, were postponed when the season was halted in mid March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Holders Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt and fourth division side FC Saarbruecken had all reached the last four.
Fritz Keller, president of the German Football Association (DFB), hopes the semi-finals and final can still be played, albeit without spectators.
On Thursday, the German Football League announced that they are ready to resume the Bundesliga season on May 9.
They still need the go-ahead from Chancellor Angela Merkel's government and state leaders, but the German FA hopes that the national cup competition will also be granted permission to be completed.
"It is extremely regrettable that this special ...

German Cup final postponed

Two former Real Betis footballers and five former directors of Osasuna have been given prison sentences after being found guilty on Friday of corruption relating to match-fixing in the 2013-14 season in La Liga.
They were among nine people found guilty of conspiring to fix results to help Osasuna avoid relegation from the top flight in 2014, in what the court file said was the first ever sentencing in Spain due to match-fixing.
Osasuna still went down after the team finished 18th in the table.
The case found that Osasuna paid Real Betis a total of 650,000 euros ($702,099), including 400,000 euros to beat their relegation rivals Real Valladolid and another 250,000 euros to lose to Osasuna.
The fixtures occurred in the final two rounds of the 2013-14 season.
Osasuna director Angel Vizcay was handed the longest sentence of eight years and eight months for sporting fraud, misappropriation of funds and falsifying documents and accounts.
Former Betis players Antonio Amaya and Xavi Torres ...

Five former Osasuna directors and two ex-Betis players jailed for match-fixing

Former tennis champion and convicted child rapist Bob Hewitt on Friday walked out of jail after he was granted parole, the South African correctional services ministry said.
Australia-born Hewitt was convicted in May 2015 of raping two girls aged 12 and 13 in the early 1980s, and of indecently assaulting a 17-year-old girl in 1994.  He was sentenced to six years imprisonment and has been incarcerated at a jail in the coastal Eastern Cape province.
Hewitt, 80, served the minimum sentence period required before he was considered for parole.
"We can confirm the parole placement and the parolee is now home," the ministry spokesperson Singabakho Nxumalo told AFP.
The disgraced former tennis star's previous attempts to get his sentence reduced were thrown out by the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court in 2016.
Born in Australia, Hewitt has lived in South Africa for most of his life.
The former multiple Gram Slam doubles champion's name was removed from the International Tennis Hall ..

Ex-tennis pro and convicted child rapist Bob Hewitt freed on parole

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe has warned any athletes tempted to use doping substances during the coronavirus pandemic, when drugs testing is proving more difficult, that they "will get caught".
"Clearly, because of lockdown, curfews and international travel restrictions, (drugs) testing has been more difficult," Coe, 63, told German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
"But nobody should run away with the idea that there is no testing taking place at all. It is.
"I want to send a very clear message to the athletes: do not sit there thinking that this is a test-free zone. It isn't.
"If you choose to step outside the integrity of our sport, you will get caught."
The 2020 athletics calender has been decimated by the coronavirus with the Tokyo Olympics, the season's highlight, postponed until 2021.
On Thursday, the European athletics championships, scheduled to be held in Paris this August, was cancelled.
So far eight major athletics meets have been cancelled or postponed this season ...

"You'll get caught", Coe warns cheats during coronavirus pandemic

With half of humanity in coronavirus quarantine those used to the great outdoors, such as world decathlon champion Kevin Mayer, are missing getting out and about more than the average person.
Speaking to AFP the day after the European Athletics Championships, due to be held in Paris in August, were cancelled, Frenchman Mayer said patience and acceptance were needed in these testing times.
"I would have loved to compete in my hometown (Paris), it's a pity. Sport has to take a back-seat for the moment and you just have to accept it," he said.
Mayer said he was doing well in lockdown, but like many of us was missing getting out and about.
"I miss going to the beach, the forest, to the river, surfing and stuff like that," the 28-year-old said.
"I can still go running a bit, but I do miss the open spaces."
A keen amateur astronomer, Meyer said it was impossible to predict when or how sports would develop in the near future.
"It's like looking into fog trying to discern the future. It's ...

Decathlon world champion Mayer missing the open spaces

FIFA will release USD 150 million (139 million euros) to its member football associations to help handle financial troubles caused by the coronavirus, the global governing body said on Friday.
FIFA said that "all operational funding" for 2019 and 2020 would be distributed amongst the 211 member associations in the next few days "as the first step of a relief plan to assist the football community impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic".
Each national governing body will receive $500,000, that FIFA says would normally be delivered "upon fulfullment of specific criteria", but will release those funds and any "remaining entitlement for 2019 and 2020".
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said that the funds were the "first step of a far-reaching financial relief plan we are developing to respond to the emergency across the whole football community".
"It is FIFA's duty to be there and support the ones that are facing acute needs," added Infantino.
"This starts by providing immediate financial ...

FIFA to give members $150m of virus relief funds

The organisers of the French Open, who were criticised for unilaterally moving the tournament to a September start without consulting other tennis federations, could delay the event by another week, a report said Friday.
The claycourt Grand Slam could now start on September 27 instead of September 20, preceded by a week of qualification matches, Le Parisien newspaper said.
The French Tennis Federation (FFT)  declined to confirm the report, but said in a statement: "The FFT is in contact with the international bodies, the AFP, WTA and ITF, and is waiting for the calendar to be confirmed by them."
The FFT caused surprise in the tennis world by announcing in mid-March, just as France was going into lockdown because of the pandemic outbreak, that it was moving from its original May 24-June 7 slot to the September date.
If the tournament is delayed until September 27, it would give a two-week pause after the US Open, which is currently scheduled to finish on September 13.  Wimbledon, which 

French Open now eyeing September 27 start: report

Footballers may not have enough time to get match fit if the German league resumes next month amid the coronavirus pandemic, warns Eintracht Frankfurt director Fredi Bobic.
"Should the politicians decide that we can play Bundesliga football again, we will need full team training again at some point," Bobic, 48, a former Germany striker, told broadcaster RTL.
"You need at least 14 days, ideally about three weeks." Bundesliga clubs have been back in training for three weeks, but so far only in small groups, observing social distancing and strict hygiene measures to reduce the risk of infection.
Defending champions Bayern Munich were four points clear at the top of the table when the league season was halted on March 13.
However, Bundesliga bosses said Thursday that they will be ready to resume from May 9.
The German Football League (DFL) still needs the go-ahead from Angela Merkel's government and state leaders, who will meet in Berlin next Thursday.
If the German league is granted ...

Footballers will lack fitness if Bundesliga returns in May

India skipper Virat Kohli and former South Africa batsman AB de Villiers will auction their cricketing gears, including the bats with which they scored hundreds for Royal Challengers Bangalore during an IPL match in 2016, to raise funds for the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.
The items to be auctioned also include their respective gloves and shirts from that particular game where both of them had scored centuries to power RCB to a challenging 248 for three against Gujarat Lions.
RCB had won the match by 144 runs.
"We had a few nice knocks together. There is a particular one in 2016 IPL against Gujarat Lions. I got 129 and you also got 100 right at the end, that doesn't happen always when two batters get 100s. It is a special memory for me," De Villiers said during an Instagram live chat.
"I was thinking how we can make a difference, that's why I told you to get hold of that bat from that game and I still got that shirt from that game, which I got you signed, I also signed my shirt. ..

Kohli, De Villiers to auction cricketing gears to raise funds for fight COVID-19 pandemic

The society needs to reconsider the concept of winning at all costs, India's chief national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand emphasised on Friday, suggesting that coaches should work in a way that the players realise their full potential.
Gopichand was speaking on the LIVE with SAI session on Sports Authority of India's (SAI) Facebook page.
"Winning at all cost is not necessary as a society. It should be more about good character than good features. If you are in a position of power it should be about justice to everybody and as a celebrity to be about being a good role model," Gopichand said.
"In money vs relationships, we should be able to choose good relationships and that is what matters," he said.
Gopichand reflected on his own life as a player and then as a coach, saying we should aim at realising our full potential.
"Coaches should give their 100% and not only think of success in terms of winning a competition but as something their ward sets out to do and then achieve. Each ..

Winning at all costs is not necessary, focus on process not goal: Gopichand

Coming back after injury is a challenge but the road could be smooth if teammates are supportive, feels senior India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Bhuvneshwar's career has been riddled with injuries and the last one was a surgery for sports hernia and he was set to come back during South Africa ODIs which got cancelled.
Prior to that, he had suffered a groin injury during tour of West Indies last year.
"You always need support from the management and the team and (I'm) lucky to have support from the management," Bhubaneswar, who has played 21 Tests and 114 ODIs apart from 43 T2Os, told Sunrisers Hyderabad teammate David Warner during an instagram chat.
Playing three formats as a fast bowler makes it difficult at times to maintain peak fitness.
"It is very difficult being a fast bowler especially when you play all the three formats. It gets difficult at times. Injury is something which is always associated with fast bowler," he said.
The difficult part is to get back the pre-injury ...

Lucky to have support from team management: Bhuvi after injury

The love and loyalty of the fans will never let him leave Royal Challengers Bangalore till the time he is playing IPL, skipper Virat Kohli said on Friday.
RCB have reached the IPL final thrice but have not gone on to win the trophy.
During a live session on Instagram with former South African captain and RCB teammate AB de Villiers, Kohli said winning the tournament remains the goal but he would not leave the team irrespective of the results.
"It has been such an amazing journey. It is always going to be our dream, winning the IPL together. There is no scenario where I could think of leaving the team ever.
"You can feel emotional about the season not going well but till the time I am playing IPL, I am never leaving this team. The fans, their loyalty has been amazing," said the India skipper.
Responding to Kohli's feelings towards RCB, De Villiers too acknowledged the support of fans over the past nine years. Kohli, on the other hand, has been with RCB since 2008.
"Same for me. I never 

Not leaving RCB till the time I am playing IPL: Kohli

India's limited-overs vice-captain Rohit Sharma says he has no idea "what's happening" with elusive former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, about whom he hasn't heard anything since India's semifinal exit from the World Cup last year.
With the IPL postponed indefinitely, the chances of an improbable India comeback look even more bleak for Dhoni, who has not played cricket for months now.
During an instagram chat with former India spinner Harbhajan Singh, Rohit said that he has "no news about Dhoni".
"We don't know what's happening with him. We haven't heard any news about him. The last match of the World Cup was in July. From there, till now we haven't heard anything, I have no idea," Rohit said during the live chat.
In his typical tongue-in-cheek manner, Rohit said that anyone who wants to know about Dhoni should personally contact him.
"When MS Dhoni is not playing cricket, he goes out of radar. He goes underground. Whoever wants to know, you can directly go to him, you know he stays ..

Don't know what's happening with Dhoni, haven't heard since World Cup: Rohit

Australian all-rounder Moises Henriques has opened up about his battles with depression which once forced him to contemplate suicide during a first-class match.
The 33-year-old, who played just 11 ODIs, 11 T20Is and four Tests for Australia, was diagnosed with clinical depression in 2017.
"If you looked up the depression symptoms on Google, I was ticking off almost every single one of them and quite severely," Henriques, who has played for many IPL teams including four-time winners Mumbai Indians, told 'Ordineroli Speaking podcast'.
"I remember lying in bed wanting to (self medicate) for a long time and considering all the different types of drugs that would be possible. At this stage, I was like who would I call? I wasn't even thinking of recreational or party drugs.
"I was thinking where do I get these opioids and these things that are going to numb my brain to a point of not thinking where I'm not capable of thought."
Henriques recalled how once he had thought of crashing his car ..

Henriques opens up about depressions, says once considered suicide

Former world champion Viswanathan Anand will spearhead India's challenge in the FIDE Chess.com Online Nations Cup, to be held from May 5 to 10.
The Indian team includes country's number two Vidit Gujrathi, P Harikrishna and Koneru Humpy. B Adhiban and D Harika are the the reserves membets.
Former world champion Vladimir Kramnik is the advisor to the Indian squad, FIDE said on its website
The field for the event includes six former world champions, plus 12 others who have been Candidates to the throne at some point.
China, with an average rating of 2717, is followed in the initial ranking by Europe (2687), Russia (2662), USA (2641), India (2605), and the "Rest of the World" team (2597).
The Chinese team includes world number three Ding Liren, Wang Hao, Wei Yi and Hou Yifan with Yu Yangyi and current women's world champion Ju Wenjun on the bench.
Frenchman Maxime Vachier-Lagrave will be leading a strong European team that also includes Levon Aronian, Anish Giri, and Anna Muzychuk, with .

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