Page 1626 - Sports

Our main target is AFC U-16 Finals, says U-16 head coach Bibiano

Head coach Bibiano Fernandes isn't willing to read too much into U-16 Indian football team's performance at the recently-concluded four-nation International tournament in Serbia and set his eyes on the AFC U-16 Finals in Malaysia. The Indian colts pumped in as many as three goals in the first 10 minutes of the match to outplay Tajikistan 4-2 and emerge champions in the four-nation Under-16 Tournament held in Serbia. "It actually doesn't mean much as this is only the process for our main objective. We haven't yet achieved anything much, Bibiano told AIFF. "But yeah, I am very happy that the boys are showing great focus and hunger in the process. Our main target is the AFC U-16 Finals Malaysia 2018," he added. The AFC U-16 Finals will be held in Malaysia from September 20 to October 7 later this year. India defeated Jordan (2-1) and Tajikistan (4-2), both of whom have also qualified to the AFC U-16 finals before playing a goalless draw against Serbia to notch an inspirational triumph in

Federer back as No.1 in ATP rankings after Nadal's six-week lead

Switzerland's Roger Federer took back the No. 1 spot in the men's Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) world singles rankings released on Monday after being second to Spain's Rafael Nadal for six weeks.

AIFF suspends Minerva owner Bajaj for a year, fines Rs 10 lakh for racial abuse

I-League champions Minerva Punjab FC owner Ranjit Bajaj was today banned for one year from all football activity and also fined Rs 10 lakh after being found 'guilty' of making racist remarks by AIFF. The All India Football Federation Disclipinary Committee today said this was the fourth offence committed by Bajaj within a span of year. The latest incident happenend during Minerva's Under-18 Youth League play-off match against Aizawl FC that ended in a 1-1 draw at JLN Stadium in Shillong on May 12. According to the disciplinary committee's finding, Bajaj hurled racial comments and abuses against the referee Pynskhemhame Mawthoh, who is of North East descent. "The Committee holds Bajaj guilty of committing serious gross acts of infringements and imposes with sanction of suspension of 12 months," the disclipinary committee said in its 11-page report which is in possession with PTI. During the period of suspension, Bajaj will be "banned" from any football-related activities or entry into .

Levante end Barcelona's hopes of 'perfect' unbeaten La Liga season

Levante striker Emmanuel Boetang scored a hat-trick as they ended FC Barcelona's dreams of going an entire La Liga football season without losing a single match with an incredible 5-4 win in the penultimate round of the Spanish first division.

Juventus earn record 7th straight Serie A title; Napoli runners-up

Juventus became the first team to win seven consecutive Serie A titles and a record-extending 34th time in all after a 0-0 draw against AS Roma here, even as second-placed Napoli defeated Sampdoria 2-0 in Naples in the penultimate round on Sunday.

Iran World Cup squad includes stars banned for Israel match

Iran announced its squad for the 2018 World Cup late Sunday, with two midfield stars making the cut despite being banned last year for playing against an Israeli team. Masoud Shojaei and Ehsan Haji Safi were among the 35 players announced by Iran's Football Federation on its website. Sports officials said last August that Shojaei, 33, and Haji Safi, 28, would be banned for life after appearing for their Greek club Panionios against an Israeli team. 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 openly discuss the ban on facing Israelis because it breaches international sporting regulations. There were no surprises in the rest of the squad, but Iranian fans will be pinning their hopes on 24-year-old winger and attacking midfielder Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who plays ..

Pochettino urges Spurs superiors to take risks in transfer market

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino called on the club's chairman Daniel Levy to match his ambitions by being "brave" in the transfer market ahead of moving to a new 62,000 capacity stadium. Spurs sealed Champions League football for a third straight season by finishing third in the Premier League despite having reportedly just the sixth highest wage bill behind Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool. Tottenham have also spent only a fraction of the hundreds of millions outlaid in the transfer market by the two Manchester clubs to take the top two spots in the league. Instead, Pochettino has worked wonders by developing and improving an extremely talented young squad. However, patience may be wearing thin for some players not earning as much they could elsewhere after it was revealed last month that chairman Daniel Levy saw his own pay last season rise ?3.16 million ($4.3 million) to just over ?6 million a year. "I think Daniel is going to listen .

S.Korea presents tentative list for Russia World Cup

South Korean football coach, Shin Tae-yong, on Monday presented a preliminary list of 28 players for the 2018 Russian World Cup and explained that he hopes to announce a final squad of 23 players on June 3.

Federer replaces Nadal as number one, Djokovic on the slide

Rafael Nadal's surprise quarter-final exit at the Madrid Masters has seen the Spaniard replaced as world number one by Roger Federer in the latest ATP rankings published today. Federer returns to the top spot despite not having played since March. Former world No. 1 Novak Djokovic slipped six places to 18th after his second round defeat in Madrid, his lowest ranking since October 2006. Madrid winner Alexander Zverev remains in third, but the man he beat in Sunday's final, Dominic Thiem, dropped a place to eighth despite knocking out Nadal on his way to facing Zverev. Thiem saw off Kevin Anderson in the semi-finals and it is the South African who inherits his seventh spot, the 31-year-old's highest ever ranking. The highest mover in the men's charts is Madrid semi-finalist Denis Shapovalov with the Russian teenager jumping 14 rungs to a best ever 29th. ATP rankings as of May 14 1. Roger Federer (SUI) 8,670 pts (+1) 2. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 9,950 (-1) 3. Alexander Zverev (GER) 6,015 ..

Dan Christian inks multi-year BBL deal with Melbourne Renegades

Australian all-rounder Dan Christian has inked a three-year deal with Big Bash League (BBL) franchise Melbourne Renegades.The 35-year-old had earlier featured for a Hobart Hurricanes side that made it to the BBL finals, but he has now signed a multi-year deal with the Melbourne team.Reflecting on his appointment, Renegades coach Andrew McDonald said that Christian would surely prove to be crucial for them as he has got the opportunity to change the game with his big hitting in the middle order."By signing Dan we know we've got a T20 player who has proven his ability around the world over a long period of time. He has the ability to change the game with his big hitting in the middle order. He also brings useful variations with the ball and plenty of experience bowling at the death, so having that option gives the team added flexibility," ESPNcricinfo quoted McDonald as saying.Christian is currently playing for Delhi Daredevils in the ongoing 11th edition of the Indian Premier League ...

Real Kashmir football club qualifies for I-League 2nd division

For the first time in its history, a Kashmir based football club has qualified for the final round of the Hero I-League 2nd Division.

Kvitova up two places to 8th in WTA rankings

Czech Petra Kvitova jumped two spots to eighth in the latest WTA rankings released Monday after beating Kiki Bertens to win the Madrid Open for the third time on the weekend. Kvitova, who was also the champion in Madrid in 2011 and 2015, has now claimed four titles in 2018 after triumphs in St Petersburg, Doha and Prague. Losing Madrid finalist Bertens shot up five places to 15th, while Russian Maria Sharapova's quarter-final showing meant she went up 12 spots to 40th in the rankings headed by Romania's Simona Halep, Dane Caroline Wozniacki and Spaniard Garbine Muguruza. WTA rankings as of May 14 1. Simona Halep (ROM) 7,270 pts 2. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 6,845 3. Garbine Muguruza (ESP) 6,175 4. Elina Svitolina (UKR) 5,505 5. Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 5,425 (+1) 6. Jelena Ostapenko (LAT) 5,282 (-1) 7. Caroline Garcia (FRA) 5,080 8. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 4,550 (+2) 9. Venus Williams (USA) 4,286 (-1) 10. Sloane Stephens (USA) 4,059 (-1) 11. Julia Goerges (GER) 3,090 (+1) 12. ...

IPL: Rahane fined Rs 12 lakh for slow over-rate

Rajasthan Royals captain Ajinkya Rahane has been penalised Rs 12 lakh for maintaining a slow over-rate during his side's Indian Premier League (IPL) clash against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium.Yesterday, Rajasthan Royals thumped the defending champions Mumbai Indians by seven wickets, thanks to England batsman Jos Buttler (unbeaten at 94) for his fifth consecutive half-century in the ongoing 11th edition of the tournament.It should be noted that it was Rahane's first breach of the IPL Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences this season."As it was his team's first offence of the season under the IPL's Code of Conduct relating to minimum over-rate offences, Rahane was fined Rs 12 lakh," the IPL release said.Rajasthan Royals, who have won their last three IPL matches on the back of three consecutive 'man of the match' performances by England batsman Jos Buttler, will now lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders on Tuesday.The Rahane-led side is currently standing ...

Indian judokas win 9 medals in Asian Cadet and Junior C'ship

Indian judokas returned with a rich medal haul, bagging three golds, two silvers and four bronze medals in the 12th Asian Cadet and 19th Asian Junior Judo Championships. Rohini Sambhaji Mohite (40kg) and Tababi Devi Thanjam (44kg) clinched the gold medals in cadet category, while Pinckey Balhara (52kg) won the yellow metal in junior at the tournament, which was held in Lebanon from May 10th to 13th. Shiva Kumar (55kg) and Mohsin Gulab Ali (60kg) bagged the silver medals, while Krishna Faujdar (44kg), Tulika Maan (78kg) and Harshdeep Singh Brar (81kg) won the bronze in junior category and Harish (50kg) won the bronze in cadet.

I consider myself an all-format cricketer: Karun Nair (IANS interview)

Back in the Indian Test cricket team after more than a year, middle-order batsman Karun Nair says he is now working to become an all-format player in future.

Heena bags gold, Nivetha bronze in Hannover

Indian shooter Heena Sidhu clinched the gold medal while compatriot P Shri Nivetha settled for bronze in the women's 10m air pistol at the International Shooting Competitions of Hannover (ISCH) ahead of next week's ISSF Munich World Cup. Heena was in a rollicking form in the final where she was tied with France's Mathilde Lamolle on 239.8 points. She won the tie to win the gold ahead of Mathilde. While Shri Nivetha finished on 219.2. The finish marks a strong build-up to next week's ISSF World Cup in Munich. After beginning with a series of scores in the 9s, Heena switched gears and notched up 10 and above consistently to break away from the field. Her second series produced consistent 10s and she even hit a perfect 10.9 in the elimination round to put herself in contention for gold. After initially fighting for the 3rd-4th position, the Commonwealth gold medallist Indian scored a 10.9 on her 13th shot in the final to take the lead and then held her nerve till the end. Heena qualified

Sapporo 2026 Olympic bid faces bullet as city eyes 2030

- The Japanese city of Sapporo is reconsidering plans to host the 2026 Winter Olympics in favour of an improved bid for the 2030 Games, officials said on Monday. Sapporo, which staged the Winter Olympics in 1972, appears to have decided that waiting an extra four years for bullet train and road projects to be completed would give it a better chance of winning hosting rights. "Sapporo's urban development is unlikely to be fully ready by 2026," Sapporo mayor Katsuhiro Akimoto told a joint news conference with Japanese Olympic chief Tsunekazu Takeda. "By 2030 they will be ready to a degree, so we are currently discussing whether to go forward with our bid for the 2026 Games along with the possibility of looking instead at 2030." Akimoto insisted Sapporo had not yet decided to pull the plug on plans for 2026, but the northern city may also be conscious of the fact it would be Asia's third successive Winter Olympics and fourth overall. The 2018 Winter Olympics were held in Pyeongchang ...

Sanju Samson can be India's next superstar, believes Warne

Former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne seems to be highly impressed by Sanju Samson's impressive show in the ongoing 11th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as he said that Rajasthan Royals' wicketkeeper-batsman will be the next superstar of the Indian cricket.The 23-year-old amassed a total of 379 runs in 12 games he has played so far for Rajasthan Royals at an average of 34.45.And Warne, who is currently mentoring Rajasthan Royals, could not stop himself from gushing over "new rockstar" Samson."He's good against pace and spin in all conditions and I think he's going to be the next superstar of Indian cricket. He's the new rock star, Sanju Samson, that's for sure. He's an outstanding player and he's a quality international cricketer," cricket.com.au quoted Warne as saying.Samson has made just one international appearance during a T20I match against Zimbabwe in 2015, but Warne insisted that the Rajasthan Royals star and Delhi Daredevils' Rishabh Pant are rare talents that ..

IPL: Kolkata face Rajasthan in needle clash (Preview)

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) will look to outshine one another in their bid to secure a playoff spot when the two sides clash in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Eden Gardens here on Tuesday.

Juventus wrap up seventh straight Serie A title

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri hailed his side's winning mentality as they sealed a seventh straight Serie A title after a goalless draw against ten-man Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. The Turin giants had needed just a point to officially seal their 34th Scudetto title and become the first team to complete the league and Cup double for four consecutive seasons. Roma played the final twenty minutes yesterday a man down after Radja Nainggolan was sent off for a second yellow card after a foul on Argentina striker Paulo Dybala. Allegri's side also won the Italian Cup in the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday with a 4-0 win over AC Milan. With one game left to play Juventus cannot be caught by second-placed Napoli who are four points behind after winning 2-0 at Sampdoria on Sunday. "It's not easy to keep the right mentality just a few days after winning the Italian Cup final," said Allegri. "I think the greatest strength was keeping calm in all situations. You reach the final objective with .