Page 37 - Football

Ronaldo faces ban after red card for elbowing opponent in Saudi Super Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo is facing a two-game suspension after receiving his first red card in Saudi Arabia for elbowing an opponent as Al-Nassr lost 2-1 to Al-Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup semifinals. The five-time Ballon D'Or winner, who signed for Al-Nassr in December 2022, was dismissed in the 86th minute for striking Al-Hilal defender Ali Al-Bulaihi. According to media reports in Saudi Arabia, the 39-year-old soccer great may receive further punishment after seeming to mock the referee as he left the field in Abu Dhabi on Monday. I'm not going to take credit away from Ronaldo, Al-Hilal coach Jorge Jesus said about his Portuguese compatriot. He's still very strong, he always has been and will continue to be the most important player in the world, he's an example and a model. But he's not used to losing in his career, so it is natural for him to lose his head when he loses, as well as for him to lose emotional and mental focus in defeats. At the time of Ronaldo's dismissal, Al-Nassr wa

Premier League Arsenal vs Man City Highlights: Goalless draw at Etihad Stadium

With nine games left, Mikel Arteta's Arsenal, who are vying for their first league title in twenty years, sit second in the standings with 65 points, while City is third with 64.

AIFF forms panel to probe alleged physical assault of two women footballers

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Saturday asked its executive committee member Deepak Sharma to refrain from game-related activities till the conclusion of a probe by a panel into his alleged physical assault of two women footballers in Goa. Two footballers of Himachal Pradesh-based Khad FC, taking part in the Indian Women's Football (IWL) League second division, had alleged that Sharma, the owner of the club, had barged into their room and physically assaulted them on the night of March 28. They filed a complaint with the competition committee of the AIFF and the Goa Football Association (GFA), which was hosting the tournament, also lodged a complaint at the Mapusa police station on the basis of the complaint of the two women footballers. In the complaint, according to sources, the two players said Sharma was in an inebriated state for most of the time and they were "scared of their lives". Sports Minister Anurag Thakur earlier in the day asked the AIFF to take "quick"

Assam's Nehru Stadium to be rebuilt into world-class football venue: AFA

The Nehru Stadium here will be rebuilt and transformed into a 30,000 seater exclusive football venue with world-class facilities, a top official of Assam Football Association (AFA) said on Sunday. AFA's general secretary Sangrang Brahma said this ahead of the India-Aghanistan 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier to be played in the city on Tuesday. "Nehru Stadium will be demolished and rebuilt into a football exclusive stadium which would be of international standard. It would be an exclusive football stadium of international standard in India. Work on it would start soon," Brahma told PTI Videos. Brahma informed that the AFA also plans to set up 10 football academies in the state for developing grassroots level talent besides a dedicated centre of excellence in the capital. "We are planning to establish at least 10 academies in Assam in various locations. We also have a plan to establish a high-performance training centre that would be based in Guwahati." India and Afghanistan settled f

FIFA World Cup Qualifier:IND vs AFG live match starts at 12:30 AM IST today

India will take on Afghanistan at Khamis Mushait Stadium in Saudi Arabia at 12:30 AM IST on Friday, March 22, 2024. The match will be telecast live on DD Sports and can be live-streamed on Fancode

McDonald's becomes French soccer league's title sponsor for 3 seasons

McDonald's will become the title sponsor of the French league from July for the next three season, the league said on Thursday. The fast-food chain is succeeding Uber Eats as the title sponsor of Ligue 1. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. According to L'Equipe newspaper, which did not specify its sources, McDonald's will pay 30 million euros per season ($33 million). The sports outlet said the food delivery service Uber Eats currently pays about 16 million euros ($17.5 million) per season. This partnership marks the coming together of two major institutions that are deeply rooted in the daily lives and collective imagination of the French people, the French league said. Through its national network of 1,560 restaurants, McDonald's will enable Ligue 1 to get even closer to its fans across the country.

Games against Kuwait, Qatar crucial for qualification to 3rd round: Stimac

The results against Kuwait and Qatar in June will be the real indicator of the Indian football team's prospects of making a maiden appearance in the third round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, head coach Igor Stimac said on Wednesday. India will take on lower-ranked Afghanistan in their second round qualifying match here on Thursday, and a win in the hill town will only brighten their chances of progressing to the third round, something the Blue Tigers have never achieved. "Each game is important from the aspect of self-confidence and rankings. But our priority and the final goal is to qualify for Round 3. There are various options to get there and obviously, nothing will be decided in the next two games. The matches in June against Kuwait and Qatar will tell us everything," Stimac said. This will be the fourth time in five years that India will face Afghanistan in an official match. The two meetings in the World Cup Qualifiers in 2019 and 2021 ended 1-1 each, while India ran out

India's sport audience base 678 mn; 2 cricketers are most liked: Report

Cricket, football, kabaddi are top three favourites on TV and streaming platforms, it says

Cricket presses its field advantage, scores big in Rs 15.7K cr sports biz

The Indian Premier League or IPL, a cricketing event, remains the largest in revenue, reach, and popularity

I-League calendar should be in sync with FIFA windows: Indian coach Stimac

Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac said on Saturday that he is keeping a close watch on the players competing in the I-League for a possible national team call up. The Croatian also said that the I-League calendar should be in sync with the FIFA window so that players don't miss out of national selection. A 25-member Indian team, led by skipper Sunil Chhetri, underwent their first training session on Saturday evening after arriving here a week in advance to acclimatise to the high-altitude venue ahead of the away Round 2 tie of the FIFA World Cup 2026 and AFC Asian Cup 2027 Preliminary Joint Qualification here on March 21. "I watch all the games throughout the season but this time, I especially went to see some of our youngsters playing in the I-League," said Stimac, indicating how serious he is about scouting for talent in the domestic tournament. "(Coach of the India U-23 team) Mahesh (Gawali) is responsible for following I-League players and I wanted to see some of the

Europa League: Liverpool rout Sparta 11-2 on aggregate to reach last 8

Mohamed Salah scored one goal and set up three to help Liverpool demolish Sparta Prague 6-1 and march into the Europa League quarterfinals. After winning 5-1 the opening leg of their last 16 tie in Prague, Liverpool scored four in the opening 14 minutes at Anfield on Thursday to advance on a massive 11-2 aggregate score. Sparta had no answer to Liverpool's high pressure. Salah seized the ball on the right of the area before shooting inside the far post over Sparta goalkeeper Peter Vindahl for his 20th goal of the season, becoming the first Liverpool player to score at least 20 goals in seven straight seasons. Salah, who injured his hamstring with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations in January, started after having been used as a substitute in both the first leg in Prague and a 1-1 draw with Manchester City on Sunday. Darwin Nunez opened the rout with a clinical low finish seven minutes into the game after scoring two in Prague. A minute later, Salah won the ball on the edge of the

Champions League today's match: Atletico vs Inter time, streaming details

Atletico Madrid will take on Inter Milan at Civitas Metropolitan Stadium at 1:30 AM IST on Thursday, March 14, 2024. The match will be telecast live on Sony Sports and can be live-streamed on Sony LIV

Jim Ratcliffe's minority investment cost Man United nearly $44 million

Jim Ratcliffe's minority investment in Manchester United cost the club $43.78 million in fees, according to financial figures released Tuesday. United's latest quarterly results also showed current gross debts of nearly $1 billion. Ratcliffe, the British billionaire, last month bought a 27.7% stake in the Premier League club more than a year after American owners the Glazer family invited offers from potential buyers. United's results stated an exceptional item of 9.6 million pounds ($12.28 million) for costs incurred in relation to the Group's strategic review and agreed sale to Ratcliffe. United said that was on top of a $31.5 million fee to U.S. investment bank Raine Group, which oversaw the deal. Ratcliffe paid $1.3 billion for his minority stake and made an added investment of $200 million. United has said Ratcliffe intends to invest a further $100 million by the end of the year. While his arrival has been warmly greeted by United fans, large sections of supporters have lon

UCL today's match: Barcelona vs Napoli live match begins at 1:30 PM IST

Barcelona will take on Napoli at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on March 13, 2024 at 1:30 AM IST. The match will be telecast live on Sony Sports and can also be live-streamed on Sony LIV in India

Champions League today's match: Arsenal vs Porto live match time, streaming

Arsenal will take on Porto at the Emirates Stadium at 1:30 PM IST on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. The match will be telecast live on Sony Sports and can also be live-streamed on Sony LIV in India

Santosh Trophy 2024: Shafeel helps Services beat Goa, win 7th title

PP Shafeel netted the winner as Services edged out Goa to clinch their seventh Santosh Trophy title at the Golden Jubilee Stadium here on Saturday. Shakeel made the winning strike in the 67th minute after both the sides battled hard to find a goal. There were no final-day nerves from either side as the game started with end-to-end action, with both goalkeepers making some early saves. As early as in the sixth minute, Vijay J's cutback was met by Samir Murmu's shot, which was easily saved by Antonio Inacio da Silva in the Goan goal. At the opposite end, Mahammad Faheez tried his luck from 20 yards only for Sayad bin Abdul Kadir to collect comfortably. It was Goa who finished the first half stronger as Faheez's dipping cross from the right was met with a first-time right-footed shot from Necio Fernandes. But it was hit straight at Kadir. Services started to pile more pressure on the Goan goal in the second half. In the 50th minute, Shubham Rana's left-footed strike from a narrow a

EPL 2023-24: Fernandes and Rashford lead Man Utd to 2-0 win over Everton

Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford converted first-half penalties won by Alejandro Garnacho as Manchester United beat Everton 2-0 on Saturday to recover from back-to-back Premier League losses that had jeopardized its Champions League qualification hopes. Fernandes tucked away his spot kick in the 12th minute for his first home goal since August after James Tarkowski clipped the leg of Garnacho just inside the area. The Portugal midfielder then handed over penalty duties to Rashford after Garnacho went down under a rash lunge by Ben Godfrey. Rashford slotted his kick into the corner after a stuttered run-up to double the lead in the 36th. Sixth-place United, which was coming off losses to Fulham and Manchester City in the league, trimmed the gap to Tottenham in fifth to three points. Spurs, which plays fourth-place Aston Villa in a crucial match on Sunday, has two games in hand on United. United will be hoping the Premier League has five places rather than the current four in ne

EPL today's match: Liverpool vs Man City match time, predictions, streaming

Liverpool will take on Manchester City at the Anfield Stadium on Sunday, March 10, 2024. The match will be telecast live on Star Sports and can also be live-streamed on Disney Plus Hotstar in India

AIFF legal head removed post allegations of corruption on President Chaubey

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Sunday terminated the services of its principal legal advisor Nilanjan Bhattacharjee after he made serious "corruption allegations" against president Kalyan Chaubey, who had termed them "baseless". In a letter written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, Bhattacharjee said Chaubey worked out "corruption avenues" through non-transparent tender process and preferential allotment of tender. Chaubey had said that he would "reply legally". "... inform you of the AIFF's decision to terminate your engagement as principal legal advisor with immediate effect," AIFF acting secretary general M Satyanarayan wrote in the termination letter on Sunday. The AIFF will pay Bhattacharjee for another month at the "contractually agreed rate" as a notice period of one month is required for the termination. Bhattacharjee, on his part, said the termination of his service was on expected lines. "I could foresee the termination letter," he told PTI. "I

Man City's 3-1 win against Man United provides reality check for Ratcliffe

Good luck trying to knock Manchester City off its perch. With new investment and renewed hope, Manchester United fans have been encouraged to believe the good times will return. That great revival felt as far away as ever after a humbling 3-1 loss to City in the Premier League, which could have been even worse Sunday if not for a spectacular miss from Erling Haaland and a series of saves from United goalkeeper Andre Onana. "This team is legendary," City manager Pep Guardiola said afterward. The same cannot be said for United after a 16th defeat in all competitions this season and its 11th loss in the league. The latest setback delivered another blow to Erik ten Hag's hopes of securing Champions League qualification, with his team in sixth and 11 points off fourth-place Aston Villa. City, meanwhile, marches on in its three-pronged defense of the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup. "Don't forget City, at this moment, is the best team in the world," Ten Hag said. Such word