UEFA remains committed to completing the suspended football season in Europe despite the coronavirus pandemic after making "a strong recommendation" on Tuesday that leagues across the continent be played to a conclusion.
"There was a strong recommendation given to finish domestic top division and cup competitions," European football's governing body said in a statement after holding a videoconference with its 55 member associations.
However, it added that "some special cases will be heard once guidelines concerning participation to European competitions -- in case of a cancelled league -- have been developed."
That could be of particular interest to Belgium and Scotland, whose top flights appear to have been awaiting a green light from UEFA to call an end to their seasons now.
UEFA said any decisions would be announced after its Executive Committee meets on Thursday. Before that it is due to meet with the powerful European Club Association (ECA) and the European Leagues grouping, ...

UEFA urges leagues to complete suspended football seasons

PTI Automatic

UEFA made a "strong recommendation" on Tuesday that domestic European football league seasons, currently on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, be completed.
"There was a strong recommendation given to finish domestic top division and cup competitions," European football's governing body said.
It added that "some special cases will be heard once guidelines concerning participation to European competitions -- in case of a cancelled league -- have been developed."
UEFA said any further decisions would be announced after its Executive Committee meets on Thursday.
League seasons across Europe were halted in March as coronavirus spread across Europe.
The German Bundesliga is set to become the first top-flight league to attempt to restart its season, with clubs expected to agree to a May 9 resumption when they meet on Thursday.

UEFA recommends completion of league seasons

The first trial held in Switzerland's five-year investigation of corruption in soccer moved closer Tuesday to ending without a judgment amid problems running a court during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Swiss federal criminal court said it extended a suspension of the prosecution  of three German organizers of the 2006 World Cup and a former FIFA secretary general from Switzerland  until next Monday.
On that same date, a statute of limitations will expire on fraud allegations linked to a 6.7 million euro ($7.6 million) payment 15 years ago that implicated German soccer great Franz Beckenbauer.
The court said judges will decide after Monday how to proceed with the case.  The trial in Bellinzona briefly opened March 9 when defendants and witnesses  most at least 70 years old  were already unwilling to travel close to a coronavirus outbreak area on Switzerland's border with northern Italy.
Two members of the 2006 World Cup committee, Theo Zwanziger and Horst Schmidt, plus former FIFA ...

Swiss trial in 2006 World Cup case suspended, nears collapse

Veteran coach Dick Advocaat has extended his contract with Feyenoord by one year to keep him in charge of the Rotterdam club through next season.
Feyenoord, which announced the contract extension Tuesday, hired Advocaat in late October to succeed Jaap Stam, who resigned after less than half a season in charge and with the team struggling at 12th in the Eredivisie.
Under the experienced Advocaat, Feyenoord surged up the table to stand third behind Ajax and AZ Alkmaar when the coronavirus crisis halted matches and cast doubt on the remainder of the season.
Advocaat said it felt strange to extend his contract amid the uncertainty of the virus restrictions, but it also spurred him to build on the team's form before the enforced stop.
"Before everything ground to a halt, we at Feyenoord were putting together something great; something was building in the team," he said in a statement posted on the club's website.
"I, the team and staff, want to finish it."
The 72-year-old Advocaat has ...

Veteran coach Dick Advocaat extends Feyenoord contract

It took an intervention by the government  and an eight-hour meeting  to bring some peace to the relationship between the Spanish league and the Spanish soccer federation.
Apparently concerned with Spain's image ahead of a joint bid with Portugal for the 2030 World Cup, the sports council brought together the league and the federation for a meeting this weekend and said both parties came to terms on several issues, finally leaving behind longstanding differences and agreeing to work together instead of against each other.
Spanish media called it the "Viana Pact," as the deal happened in a government building called Palacio de Viana.
The government said there were "constructive talks" in the daylong conversations in the meeting that included sports council president Irene Lozano, league president Javier Tebas and federation president Luis Rubiales.
Tebas and Rubiales, two of the most outspoken figures in Spanish soccer, have been at odds over most issues involving the sport, often ...

Truce: League and federation reach peace deal in Spain

Prevented from doing their jobs and often confined at home, there are concerns about the mental health of "isolated" and "lost" professional footballers during the coronavirus pandemic.
A study by global players' union FIFPro published Monday warned of a sharp rise in the number of footballers reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression since the game was suspended worldwide.
"We have had many concerns about players with their mental response to the isolation. Many of the foreign players don't have family with them, spend a lot of time on their own, away from their loved ones, which is very challenging," said Jonas Baer-Hoffmann, FIFPro's general secretary.
The union's survey of 1,602 players in 16 countries revealed 13 percent of men reported symptoms of depression, and 16 percent symptoms of anxiety. Among women the numbers were higher: 22 percent for depression and 18 percent for anxiety.
It is a major increase on a similar study done in January and indicates the same worries felt 

Depression a worrying side-effect of virus shutdown for idle footballers

South African Rugby announced on Tuesday huge budget cuts and the cancellation of several events because of the coronavirus pandemic but said it still hoped scheduled Test matches for the world champion Springboks would go ahead.
Chief executive of SA Rugby Jurie Roux said the sport's stakeholders had agreed to cut between R700 million (about US$36.8 million) and R1 billion (about US$52.6 million) from the budget for the next eight months against what he said was a "worst-case" scenario in which no rugby would be played during the period.
The cuts will include salary reductions for officials and players.
"Our income is tied to the playing of professional rugby and without matches we potentially don't have any income," said Roux.
He said the decision had been agreed in principle by all stakeholders, including representatives of players.
"These are unprecedented times, not only for rugby in South Africa, but across all spheres of life all over the globe," said Roux.
Roux said all age ...

SA Rugby cut budget but Springbok Tests still planned

Tottenham will speak to Serge Aurier and Moussa Sissoko after the Premier League stars flouted government guidelines on social distancing during the coronavirus.
Ivory Coast defender Aurier posted a video of himself training with Tottenham team-mate Sissoko on Instagram on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old, who was wearing a mask, has since deleted the videos, which showed him running shuttles and sitting next to France midfielder Sissoko, disregarding the current social distancing advice.
Aurier and Sissoko are the latest high-profile figures at Tottenham to ignore the guidelines while Britain is on lockdown due to the pandemic.
Just two weeks ago, Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho was pictured holding a one-on-one training session in north London with French midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.
Mourinho was forced to admit his mistake, saying his "actions were not in line with government protocol".
On the same day, Tottenham duo Ryan Sessegnon and Davison Sanchez were filmed running side-by-side, while 

Spurs stars Aurier, Sissoko flout social distancing advice

Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith on Tuesday said his country will welcome back former Kolpak players willing to be part of the domestic structure as he sees it as a possible way to provide more depth to the national team.
Kolpak registrations, which give sportsmen from countries with associate trade agreements with the European Union the same rights as EU workers, are set to be terminated at end of 2020 following the UK's exit from the EU.
Dozens of South African cricketers have signed lucrative contracts with county cricket sides over the years but this automatically disqualifies them from playing for the national team.
"With Kolpak coming to an end, I guess the willingness is always to have our best players in the system. It is up to the players to come back into the system and to make decisions on their careers," Smith, who was recently appointed as Director of Cricket by his Board, said.
"From our perspective, we want to encourage all our best players to play here ...

South Africa will welcome Kolpak players: Smith

Amnesty International has warned the Premier League that it "risks becoming a patsy" unless it takes a serious look at Saudi Arabia's human rights record in connection with the proposed takeover of Newcastle.
The Magpies are on the verge of being sold to a Saudi-backed consortium that involves Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for around ?300 million ($368 million).
It was reported on Tuesday that a non-refundable deposit of ?17 million has already been paid to current owner Mike Ashley as part of the deal.
The Premier League must decide if the new owners meet the criteria in its owners and directors test.
Amnesty, a global non-governmental organisation that seeks to prevent abuses of human rights, said that unless the league provides thorough justification for its decision to approve the takeover, it risks damaging its own reputation.
Amnesty International UK director Kate Allen has sent a letter to Premier League chief executive Richard Masters spelling out the concerns of the ...

Amnesty warns Premier League over Newcastle takeover

Former world champion Viswanathan Anand will lead the Indian challenge in the Online Nations Cup, a team competition to be held from May 5 to 10.
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) and Chess.com announced the Online Nations Cup which will see six teams take part.
The participating teams are Russia, USA, Europe, China and India plus a team representing the "Rest of the World," FIDE said on its website.
Two retired legends, Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik, will be the captains for the European and Indian teams respectively. A former world championship rival of the two -- Anand -- will defend the first board for India.
The event would see six teams of four players each fight under a rapidplay format, for a prize fund of USD 180,000 (166,109 euros).
It is expected to feature nearly all the top players in the world.
The first stage, a double round-robin with the six teams, will take place on May 5-9. The top two teams will then play in a Superfinal on May 10 to determine the ...

Anand to lead Indian challenge in Online Nations Cup chess tourney

- Sheffield United players will defer part of their wages until the end of 2020 to help the Premier League club ride out the economic storm caused by coronavirus.
The Blades manager Chris Wilder, senior members of his coaching staff and chief executive Stephen Bettis have also agreed a wage deferral for six months.
Southampton and West Ham have agreed wage deferrals, while Arsenal became the first Premier League club to reach a deal on pay cuts with players taking 12.5 percent less for a year.
"It is a difficult period for everyone, but our football club also needs to be taken care of and I'm delighted that the players want to mirror the gesture of Chris and the staff by contributing, it confirms that they care about Sheffield United," said Bettis in a club statement.
"The players should be commended, not only for this action, but also for their role in the #playerstogether initiative with other Premier League clubs."
PlayersTogether is a charitable fund set up by Premier League ...

Sheffield Utd players defer wages till end of 2020

Football fans have the chance to showcase their skills at Wembley Stadium during the coronavirus lockdown... as part of the English FA's "Footballs Staying Home" campaign.
With sport on hold due to the coronavirus crisis, the FA is giving advice on making the most of time "off the pitch", including tips on saying safe and healthy and football activities.
The FA now wants fans to share videos of themselves and family members honing their skills from home via social media by including the hashtag #FootballsStayingHome.
They will have the chance to see their skills shown on giant screens at the home of English football, which will be streamed to millions of people worldwide via social media channels.

Fans get chance to showcase skills at Wembley

All 20 Serie A clubs on Tuesday voted unanimously to complete the Italian league season, which has been suspended for the past six weeks amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"The Assembly of the Serie A League met this morning and confirmed, with the unanimous vote of all twenty associated clubs in video conference, the intention to complete the 2019-2020 sports season," Italy's top flight said in a statement.
It added that any resumption would "take place if the government authorises it and in full compliance with the rules for the protection of health and safety".
The Italian football federation (FIGC) will meet on Wednesday with Sports Minister Vincenzo Spadafora to present the medical protocol established for the resumption of competition.
It would allow players to start training again in small groups and under strict medical supervision from May 4, the date on which the government plans to start easing the lockdown measures imposed in Italy since March 10, to deal with the virus which .

Serie A clubs vote unanimously to continue season

The boss of the Bundesliga says the German league must repay the trust shown by Angela Merkel's government if football returns, as expected on May 9, despite the coronavirus pandemic.
"It is our task to repay this trust," said Christian Seifert, CEO of the German Football League (DFL).
"It is the task of the clubs, but also of the players.
"This has a lot to do with hygiene measures, it has a lot to do with behaviour in private life," Seifert said, in a video message.
"It's a matter of being particularly disciplined" With the German government slowly easing restrictions, there is hope the top two tiers of the Bundesliga can return to action.
On Thursday, Seifert will host a video conference with the top clubs to discuss how to restart league football, which was halted on March 13.
Many details are set to be finalised, including the key issue of regular testing of players.
Matches would be played in near-empty stadiums -- known as 'ghost games' in German -- with fans locked out.
Hopes .

German football 'must repay trust': Bundesliga boss

Sporting bodies and leagues across the globe might have felt the impact of COVID-19 but Cricket South Africa has not yet reached a position of financial vulnerability due to the pandemic, CSA CEO Jacques Faul claimed.
While Faul maintained that CSA is still safe, he admitted that the future looks uncertain.
He, however, said as of now the financial condition of CSA is stable enough to do away with salary cuts of its players and staffs.
"At this stage there is no indication for us and we haven't lost income. Everybody's financial position is a bit different I think money available for players will be less probably not in the forthcoming season but the season after," Faul was quoted as saying by timeslive.co.za.
"Historic rights are sold that gets paid over a certain period of time. Ours were sold for eight years so there is still money that flows into your account.
"(But) if your future content doesn't take place then your money gets cut. At this stage we are monitoring but we can't ...

We are still safe, but future is uncertain, says CSA CEO Faul

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has described Brian Lara as "sheer class", saying he never felt confident whenever he bowled to the West Indies legend.
Afridi and Lara locked horns only twice in Test cricket but the former Pakistan skipper said the left-handed batting great had quite an "effect" on him.
"I got him out a few times but whenever I was bowling to him I always had the feeling in the back of my mind that he is going to hit me for four the next ball. He had an effect on me. I never bowled with any confidence to him," Afridi was quoted as saying by Wisden.
The 40-year-old Afridi, who snapped 395 and 48 wickets in 398 ODIs and 27 Tests, lavished praise on Lara, saying he had a brilliant footwork.
"He was a world-class batsman who dominated the best spinners he came up against, even the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan in Sri Lanka," said Afridi.
"His footwork against spinners was brilliant and the way he batted against such bowlers was a wonderful sight. He was sheer ...

Lara is sheer class, I never bowled to him with any confidence: Afridi

India skipper Virat Kohli on Tuesday said people seem to have become more compassionate while coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and hoped the sense of gratitude towards frontline workers like doctors and police personnel remains even after the crisis is over.
Speaking in an online class organised by "Unacademy", Kohli and his actor wife Anushka Sharma spoke at length about the challenges they faced before tasting success.
"The one positive out of this crisis that we as a society have become more compassionate. We are showing more gratitude to the frontline workers in this war, be it police personnel, doctors or nurses.
"I hope it stays this way even after we overcome this crisis," said Kohli with Sharma seated next to her.
Kohli said the pandemic has taught the world a very important lesson.
"Life is unpredictable. So, do what makes you happy and not get into comparisons all the time. People have a choice now how to come out of this phase. Life is going to be different after this," ...

COVID-19 crisis has made us more compassionate: Kohli

Barcelona will sell the title rights to its storied stadium for one year in an effort to raise money for the fight against the coronavirus.
The Spanish club's executive board said Tuesday it will donate the entire fee raised by selling the title rights to the Camp Nou to fighting the global pandemic.
The Camp Nou is the biggest stadium in Europe with more than 99,000 seats. It has never had a sponsor since it opened in 1957.
We want to send a universal message: For the first time someone will have the opportunity to put their name on Camp Nou and the revenues will go to all of humanity, not just Barca, club vice president Jordi Cardoner told The Associated Press.
The initiative arose in an emergency situation. We think that we have to have a very quick response, putting our crown jewel at the service (of the fight).
The club had planned to wait to sell the stadium's title rights for the first time in the 2023-24 season. At that time, the club hopes to bring in 300 million euros ($326 .

Barcelona to sell title rights to Camp Nou to raise money

UEFA vice president Sndor Csnyi says playoffs to decide the last four places in the postponed European Championship could be played in October or November.
The 16-nation playoffs have twice been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Euro 2020 has been delayed one year.
Csnyi tells Hungarian media that October and November are options while there is uncertainty about when soccer can resume in Europe. All 55 UEFA member countries are currently scheduled to play Nations League games in October and November.
Hungary was drawn to play at Bulgaria in the single knockout Euro 2020 playoffs. The winner will host either Iceland or Romania with a place in the final tournament at stake.
Hungary is one of 12 host nations of Euro 2020.

Euro 2020 playoffs could be in Oct or Nov

Novak Djokovic has reiterated he is against taking an anti-coronavirus vaccination if it becomes mandatory to travel once the pandemic subsides, but says he's open to changing his mind.
The top-ranked Djokovic said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press on Tuesday, ''Personally I am opposed to the vaccination against COVID-19 in order to be
able to travel.
But if it becomes compulsory, I will have to make a decision whether to do it or not. This is my current feeling, and I don't know if it will change, but it really influences my profession.
A vaccine hasn't been made yet, but some such as Amelie Mauresmo have said the world tennis tours shouldn't restart until there is one.
Djokovic caused a stir in a live Facebook chat with fellow Serb players on Sunday when he said that if a vaccination was compulsory when the tours resume then he wouldn't want to be forced by someone to take it.
In his statement on Tuesday, Djokovic said many tennis players and other athletes have asked ..

Page 84 -