Page 1292 - Sports
Tycoon donates $3.5m for new S. Korea football coach
Hyundai scion Chung Mong-gyu has handed over $3.5 million of his own money to hire South Korea's new football coach, in an outlandish attempt to turn the team's fortunes around. Chung, president of the Korea Football Association (KFA), donated the four billion won after South Korea failed to reach the knock-out rounds at the World Cup in Russia. "He expressed hope that it would help pay the salary of a competent foreign coach," a KFA official told AFP on Friday. "We have contacted candidates and talked about possible contract terms, but it will take a while to appoint a new coach," he added, without elaborating. The 2002 semi-finalists lost to Sweden and Mexico to exit the World Cup at the group stage, despite stunning Germany in their final game. Candidates to replace coach Shin Tae-yong, whose contract expired this week, reportedly include Iran's Carlos Queiroz, Juan Carlos Osorio, who led Mexico at the World Cup, and Zlatko Dalic, who took Croatia to the final. South Korea's next ..
Lampard returned to football because he 'missed the bug'
Frank Lampard says he swapped the relative comfort of the pundit's chair for the fraught job of manager because he missed the "bug" as he prepares for his first competitive game at the helm of Derby County. Lampard has worked primarily in the media since retiring from playing in 2017 following a glittering career that included three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and a Champions League at Chelsea. His first competitive game in charge sees the Rams kick off the new Championship season against Reading at the Madejski Stadium on Friday. Asked why he is back in football in a hands-on role, Lampard, 40, said: "Because you miss the bug. "It (television work) is comfortable, but there is pressure there because you want to do the job as best as you can. But when you've been competitive for a long time as a player, you miss it. "Myself and Steven (Gerrard) were talking about that openly last year when we were working on BT Sport. Football draws you back in and for all the 24-hours-a-day ..
Gabriel Jesus signs new deal with Man City
Brazil forward Gabriel Jesus has signed a new deal with Manchester City that ties him to the Premier League champions until 2023. The 21-year-old, who was part of the Brazil squad that reached the World Cup quarter-finals in Russia, joined City in January 2017 and has scored 24 goals in 53 matches. "I would like to thank the fans for the welcome and for how well they have treated me," he told the club's official website on Friday after signing the two-year contract extension. "I can say that it was the best decision I've made in my life to come to Manchester City because while I'm here I'm improving as a professional and as a person." "(Manager) Pep (Guardiola) had an important role in my signing, but also the club. City is a huge club and it is getting bigger and bigger so I just want to say thanks for everything. I hope that I can keep making the fans happy." Director of football Txiki Begiristain said: "Gabriel is undoubtedly one of the best young forwards in world football, so to .
Pedro extends Chelsea deal
Chelsea winger Pedro has signed a one-year contract extension, the Premier League club announced on Friday. The 31-year-old, who moved to Stamford Bridge from Barcelona in 2015, is now under contract until 2020. "It is very good for me, I am really happy here in the club, with my teammates, the supporters and the club in general," the Spanish international told Chelsea's official website. "It's important for me to continue with Chelsea. I am comfortable here and want to win new titles and trophies. I want to help the team, score goals, and I repeat, I am really happy." Pedro has so far played in 131 games for the Blues, scoring 28 goals. Club director Marina Granovskaia said: "We are very happy to secure Pedro's services for another year. "Since becoming a Chelsea player he has regularly demonstrated his quality on the field and we look forward to seeing him continue to flourish under the guidance of Maurizio Sarri." FA Cup winners Chelsea, under new manager Sarri, take on Premier ...
Citi Open: Murray breaks down after reaching quarters
British tennis player Andy Murray broke down in tears after battling Marius Copil of Romania in the quarterfinal of the ongoing Citi Open here on Friday.Reflecting on the same, the 31-year-old said that he got emotional after a long day of competition."Just the emotions coming at the end of an extremely long day and a long match," Murray said.Murray thrashed the Romanian player 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(4) to enter his first ever quarter-final stage after Wimbledon 2017.The former world number one, who went through a hip surgery in January this year, is appearing in his third tournament since the operation and has been trying hard to get back to the regular tennis after his prolonged injury.Earlier, Murray had withdrawn from the 2018 Wimbledon championship with a 'heavy heart' saying that it might create hindrance in his 'recovery process'.Meanwhile, the two-time Wimbledon champion is scheduled to take on Alex de Minaur of Australia in the quarter-final match of Citi Open on August 4.
Neuer denies Ozil's claims of racism within Germany set-up
Germany captain Manuel Neuer has denied that Mesut Ozil was the victim of racism within the German FA (DFB), but admitted the fiasco has taken a toll on the players. Ozil quit international football last month amid the furore over his meeting and photo opportunity in May with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which raised questions about Ozil's loyalty to Germany. Having been booed by German fans in pre-World Cup friendlies, Ozil quit the national team following Germany's shock early exit from the finals in Russia and with his parting shot he accused DFB president Reinhard Grindel of racism. However, Bayern Munich star Neuer denies any claims of racism within the national team. "We've always tried to integrate all the players and we've also done everything for our teammates to make them feel good going into games," said Neuer at Bayern's pre-season training camp in southern Bavaria. The world-class goalkeeper admitted Ozil's comments have taken a toll on those who still play for
Lysenko suspended, out of Euro champs, after missed dope test
Russian high jumper Danil Lysenko will not compete at the European championships after being provisionally suspended for missing doping tests, athletics' world ruling body the IAAF said Friday. Lysenko, the world indoor champion, was one of 74 athletes vetted by an anti-doping panel and allowed to compete under a neutral flag despite the ongoing ban on Russian athletes in the wake of a major doping and corruption scandal in 2015. But the 21-year-old Lysenko was stripped of his status as an Authorised Neutral Athlete (ANA) after failing to "provide whereabouts information as required under the IAAF Anti-Doping Rules and Regulations and to make himself available for out-of-competition testing by the AIU", according to a statement by the IAAF. "Mr Lysenko is accordingly not eligible to compete at the 2018 European Athletics Championships to be held in Berlin next week (7-12 August 2018)." The IAAF in May stripped ANA status from five race-walkers, including world 20km silver medallist ...
On birthday, Chhetri named 'Asian Icon' by AFC, gets praise for rivalling Ronaldo, Messi
Talismanic Indian football captain Sunil Chhetri was today named an 'Asian Icon' by the game's continental governing body on his 34th birthday and received effusive praise for rivalling the world's greatest players of his generation in scoring goals. Chhetri is currently the highest goal-scoring active Asian player with 64 strikes from 101 matches and third in the world after superstars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) made his birthday a memorable one by presenting, on its official page, a throwback of his life and career and the best moments on the field, when he played for India and his clubs, beginning from 2005 in a match against Pakistan. "In the era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, to be the third highest scoring international footballer in the world is no mean feat, and for an Asian player to be within one goal of Messi's 65 goals for a national team is a record our latest inductee to the 'Asian Icons' list should be proud of," ..
Fulham sign defender Mawson from Swansea
Newly-promoted English top-division club Fulham have signed defender Alfie Mawson from relegated outfit Swansea City.
India to fight for all three gold in compound archery
Compound archers will compete in only three disciplines at the upcoming Asian Games and chief coach Jiwanjot Singh said India would be aiming for all three gold medals on offer. India had grabbed medals in all the four disciplines of the compound section in Incheon Asian Games in 2014 but this time the men's and women's individual events had been replaced by a mixed pair event. "It's a big loss for us, as two of our medals had come in the individual sections -- Abhisek Verma (silver) and Trisha Deb (bronze)," Singh told PTI from the sidelines of their camp at the Sports Authority of India, Sonepat. But the good news is the compound archers have peaked at the right time. The women's compound team has created history by reaching the number one ranking with their double silver medal winning efforts in the Antalya and Berlin World Cup stages. Indian mixed pair duo of Verma and Jyothi Surekha Vennam on the other hand has won a medal in each of the four World Cup stages in Shanghai, ...
Crystal Palace sign German midfielder Meyer
English top-division football club Crystal Palace has completed the signing of German midfielder Max Meyer, who has agreed to a three-year deal.
Dabang Delhi to host indoor Kabaddi meet for private schools
Dabang Delhi Kabaddi Club on Friday announced the start of its grassroots programme with the launch of an Inter-school Kabaddi Championship here.
Jesus signs two-year contract extension with Man City
Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus on Friday signed a two-year contract extension with reigning English Premier League (EPL) champions Manchester City.
Iyer banks on Chahal factor in A series against South Africa
India A captain Shreyas Iyer feels the return of leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal to red-ball cricket will help his team in the first unofficial Test against South Africa A here. "He (Chahal) will be playing red-ball cricket after a long time. Having a leg spinner in the team is always has an advantage, especially on these tracks and also they can get wickets at any moment of time because you get lot of turn on this pitch," Iyer told reporters on the eve of the game. "It is going to be a great exposure for him as well because he carries lot of experience being a senior player. Also, he has played in different conditions. He can play a major role if he backs himself." Chahal has not played first-class cricket since December 2016, but the Indian team management and especially skipper Virat Kohli had indicated that he wants the wiry leg-spinner for five-day matches too. It is widely believed that Chahal is being kept match-ready as the selectors have named senior squad for only three Test ..
Chelsea extend Pedro's contract by a year
Spain left winger Pedro Rodriguez has extended his contract with Chelsea till 2020, the English club announced on Friday.
Bombay Gymkhana to host two squash tournaments this month
The Bombay Gymkhana will hold two squash events at its courts here this month. The two events- 43rd Maharashtra state men's squash tournament and 3rd Indian classic junior open squash tournament- are being held under the aegis of Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) and Maharashtra Squash Rackets Association. The Maharashtra squash tournament beginning August 6 will see players compete in five different categories -- men's open, men's over 35, men's over 45, men's over 55 and professionals, Championship Director Sumeet Rewari told reporters here. The top-seed in the men's event is Mahesh Mangaonkar, who is the currently ranked number 3 in India. Abhishek Pradhan is the second seed. The state championship offers a total prize money of Rs 5.25 lakh with the winner in the men's event getting richer by Rs 1.30 lakh while the runner's up will take home Rs 75,000. Rewari also said that the Gymkhana has received 513 entries for the Indian Junior Classic Squash tournament .
England favourites to win Test series: Gayle
West Indian power-hitter Chris Gayle on Friday predicted that England will win the ongoing five-match Test rubber despite India giving a tough fight to the hosts in the first Test at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground.
Ton a test of physical, mental strength, says Kohli
Skipper Virat Kohli, who slammed his maiden Test ton on English soil to guide India to 274 in the first innings of the series opener, said the knock was a test of physical and mental strength.
Milan sign Higuain and Caldara
Italian football club AC Milan have confirmed the signing of Juventus players Gonzalo Higuain and Mattia Caldara into the team."AC Milan can confirm they have acquired the rights of Juventus footballers Gonzalo Higuain and Mattia Caldara," official statement of the club stated."Gonzalo and Mattia are two important additions in the club's new era. Gonzalo Higuain comes to Milan in a loan deal until June 30, 2019, with a purchase option," the statement added.In a straight swap-deal between the two clubs, Milan also confirmed the return of their defender Leonardo Bonucci to Juventus."Mattia Caldara comes direct, as part of the exchange that includes Leonardo Bonucci, who returns to Juventus. The 24-year-old defender has signed a contract with AC Milan until June 30, 2023," the statement said.The deal has been completed between the two Italian clubs without any further exchange of the money, goal.com reported.Welcoming Bonucci into the club, Juventus said that the defender is one of the ..
Perez slams door on Luka Modric's exit
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has swept aside any possible chances of Luka Modric's departure from the club, saying that the midfielder could only leave if the buyer pays a whopping amount of 750 million euros to him."The only possibility that Modric leaves is by paying €750 million," goal.com quoted Perez, as saying.Perez's comments came after the Italian club Serie A reportedly showed interest in roping the Croatian player into the team.The 32-year-old rose to heights after his sensational performance in the recently-concluded 21st edition of the FIFA World Cup. The footballer guided the Croatian team to the World Cup final, only to see the side ultimately losing 2-4 to France.Modric was awarded World Cup's Golden Ball for his outstanding performance in the tournament.Meanwhile, Modric will join his team next week ahead of the UEFA Super Cup clash against Atletico Madrid which is scheduled to be held on August 16.