Page 1599 - Sports
Lionel Messi wins fifth European Golden Shoe award
Barcelona star striker Lionel Messi has been confirmed to pick the prestigious fifth European Golden Shoe award of his career after finishing the campaign as top La Liga goal scorer.The Argentine talisman picked the coveted trophy after smashing a total of 34 goals for Barcelona in their Liga-winning campaign.Though Messi was all-but assured of clinching the Golden Shoe award, the Premier League's early finish left Liverpool and Tottenham's star strikers no chance of catching up the Barcelona star.Messi, who finished for a total of 68 points in the Golden Shoe scoring system, edged out competition from the Premier League duo of Mohamed Salah (32/64) and Harry Kane (30/60).The 30-year-old, who recently came off the bench late to help Barcelona edge past Real Sociedad 1-0 in their final La Liga match, also clinched the Pichichi Trophy for the top goal scorer in the Primera Division.Meanwhile, two Serie A strikers Ciro Immobile and Mauro Icardi as well as Bayern Munich's Robert ...
Maharashtra best place for a career in sports: Report
Jobs that support and supplement sporting talent are increasingly gaining ground and Maharashtra is the best place for such opportunities, as the state contributes 23 per cent of all sports jobs in India, says a survey. These jobs do not reflect sports profiles as pursued by athletes and sports professionals, but rather jobs that serve to support and supplement the key players on ground, the report said. In recent years, roles such as sports physiotherapist, sports manager, sports photographer, sports analyst, sports commentators and sports journalist have come into the limelight, courtesy of high-profile cricket events. According to data from job site Indeed, Maharashtra tops the chart followed by Karnataka, Telangana, New Delhi and Tamil Nadu, which contribute 16 per cent, 12 per cent, 11 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively. These states make up the leading five states in India for a career in sports. "While the various state governments and the central government are doing their .
Matic says Man Utd 'can fight for Premier League title' with right signings
Nemanja Matic says Manchester United "can fight for the title and the Champions League" if they make the right signings in the transfer window after defeat to Chelsea in the FA Cup final left the Old Trafford trophy cabinet bare. Jose Mourinho's team lost Saturday's showpiece at Wembley 1-0 to Matic's former club, with Eden Hazard's first-half penalty enough to settle the contest. The defeat means Jose Mourinho was unable to add to the League Cup and Europa League double from his first campaign in charge at Old Trafford. United finished second in the Premier League, their best position since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013, but they were 19 points behind their neighbours Manchester City. Mourinho has been backed heavily by the club since his arrival, bringing in the likes of Paul Pogba, Eric Bailly, Romelu Lukaku and Matic for big money, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexis Sanchez were signed on huge contracts. But midfielder Matic believes more is required if United are to ...
Iraq to host first international football tournament
Iraq is to host a West Asia Football Federation championship in the southern city of Basra in November, the first international tournament to be staged in the country since the 1990s. Iraqi authorities late yesterday hailed WAFF's invitation to host the tournament, following the decision in March of world football's governing body FIFA to lift a three-decade ban on Iraq hosting international football. Iraq is now "eager to organise a major footballing event and to show that it is ready at all levels", Iraqi Football Association spokesman Kamel Zaghir told AFP, confirming Basra would host the tournament between 12 Arab countries. For years, Iraq has been busily building and upgrading stadiums and campaigning for its return to the international fold. FIFA's decision followed an international friendly between Iraq and Saudi Arabia in the ultra-modern stadium in Basra on February 28. Iraq has not played competitive internationals on home turf since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait. The ban, ...
Iran announces World Cup squad without Belgium-based striker
Iran announced its 24-man squad for the 2018 World Cup late Sunday, surprisingly omitting striker Kaveh Rezaei, but with plenty of expectation after an unbeaten run through qualifying. The biggest shock was the decision not to take Rezaei, the 26-year-old coming off a blistering season for Belgium's Charleroi, scoring 16 goals in 39 games. But Iran has strong choices up front, including Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who became the first Iranian to top the scoring table of a major European league with 21 goals for Dutch side AZ Alkmaar. Also making the squad are Masoud Shojaei, 33, and Ehsan Haji Safi, 28, who were supposed to have been banned for life last summer after playing an Israeli team for their Greek club Panionios. Iran does not recognise the Jewish state and bars its athletes from appearing against Israelis. But there was uproar from fans and confusion reigned over the issue, with Shojaei returning to the national squad in March and Haji Safi never actually banned. Iran is unable to .
Sathiyan-Shetty settle for doubles silver in Thailand
The Indian duo of G Sathiyan and Sanil Shetty finished its campaign at the Thailand Open table tennis event with a silver in the men's doubles. Sathiyan and Sanil sailed through the opening rounds, first beating Japan 3-1 and then Malaysia 3-0 to storm into the semifinals. They faced another Indian pair, represented by Harmeet Desai and Manav Thakkar, in the semifinals which proved to be a close 3-2 affair. In the final, the Indian duo ran into Tobias Hippler and Kilian Ort of Germany. Sathiyan and Sanil won the first game 11-9 but fell short in the next three games, losing 12-14, 9-11, 7-11, to settle for silver.
FIFPro seeks Guerrero World Cup reprieve
World football players union FIFPro has asked FIFA to allow Peru captain Paolo Guerrero to play in the World Cup despite a doping ban.
Kenyans sweep medals at Kigali International Peace Marathon
Kenyans took the most medals in the 14th edition of the Kigali International Peace Marathon held in the Rwandan capital.
ISL: Delhi Dynamos appoint Mridul Banerjee as assistant coach
Indian Super League (ISL) outfit Delhi Dynamos on Monday appointed Mridul Banerjee as the new assistant coach of the club.
Preity apologises for Kings XI Punjab's loss in IPL
Actress Preity Zinta has apologised on behalf of her team Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) for "not being up to the mark" and losing to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).
IPL play-offs: Chennai, Hyderabad look to seal final berth (Preview)
As the 11th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) nears its climax, all eyes will be on the top two sides -- Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) -- locking horns in the first qualifier on Tuesday at the Wankhede Stadium here for a place in the May 27 final.
De Grandhomme moves to Northern Districts ahead of 2018-19 season
After representing Auckland for almost 12 years, New Zealand all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme has decided to leave the province and represent Northern Districts in the 2018-19 domestic season.The 31-year-old, who made his debut for Auckland in 2007 and appeared in 94 first-class matches for them, has opted to move to Northern Districts after purchasing a property in Tauranga.While the switch would make the things easier for De Grandhomme, the decision to leave Auckland was a tough one for the all-rounder."I have a lot of respect for Auckland Cricket and want to thank the team and the staff for everything they've done for me over the years. It was a hard decision, but I'm looking forward to representing Northern Districts in a big season ahead," ESPNcricinfo quoted De Grandhomme, as saying.De Grandhomme's stint in the ongoing 11th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) recently concluded with the exit of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).The New Zealand all-rounder had amassed 131 ..
Toss-less Tests: No harm in experimenting, says Miandad
Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad has backed the proposal to abolish toss from Test cricket. While Miandad said such a move would force the home team to prepare better pitches instead of focusing on preparing tracks that suit them, another former captain, Salim Malik said the International Cricket Council should not tinker with the traditions of the game. I don't see any harm in trying out this experiment of abolishing the toss, Miandad told PTI. It might ultimately lead to matches particularly Test cricket being played on good standard pitches, he said as the ICC's cricket committee meets in Mumbai this month to debate on whether the toss should be abolished from the game. The committee can only make recommendations to the ICC chief executives committee. Since it was disclosed that the cricket committee was considering a move to recommend abolishing the toss from cricket there has been a mixed reaction to the proposal. Miandad, a veteran of 124 tests and 233 ODIs, said there was .
South Korea team presented to thousands of fans in Seoul
South Korea's national football team will do their country proud at this summer's World Cup in Russia, the head coach told thousands of supporters in Seoul on Monday.
Fluminense rise to 5th in Brazilian Serie A
Four-time Brazilian Serie A champions Fluminense rose to fifth in the standings after a 2-0 victory over Atletico Paranaense.
Delhi Dynamos appoint Mridul Banerjee as assistant coach
Indian Super League outfit Delhi Dynamos has appointed Mridul Banerjee as the new assistant coach of the club. The 59-year-old will take over from Shakti Chauhan who left the side earlier this month. Banerjee joins Dynamos after completing his stint as the Head Coach of Mohammedan Sporting where he guided the team to a fourth-place finish in the I-League Second Division Group C. The former East Bengal head coach joins the club on the back of close to three decades of coaching experience that has seen him being associated with the likes of Mohun Bagan, Indian Arrows, India U-16 and India U-19 among others. The highly acclaimed Banerjee is no stranger to success as he comes on the back of guiding West Bengal to a Santosh Trophy title last year. His impressive record also saw him being awarded with the prestigious Amal Dutta Memorial Trophy'. The AFC A-Licensed coach guided the West Bengal U-21 team to two successive championships in 2001 & 2002 and also led Mohammedan Sporting to a .
Valencia ends La Liga season with win over Deportivo
Valencia earned a 2-1 home victory over relegated Deportivo La Coruna in the final round of the La Liga football season.
Raonic pulls out of French Open
Canadian tennis player Milos Raonic has withdrawn from the French Open, the second Grand Slam event of the season, in a statement on Twitter.
Torres bids farewell to Atletico with 2-2 draw vs Eibar
Spanish forward Fernando Torres scored a brace in his last game with Atletico Madrid in the team's 2-2 draw against Eibar in their final La Liga game of the football season.
Espanyol beat Bilbao 1-0 in their final La Liga game
Espanyol rode on a lone goal from David Lopez to beat Athletic Bilbao 1-0 in their final La Liga game of the football season.