Page 1649 - Sports
Bayern's winger Ribery signs 1-year contract extension
French veteran winger Franck Ribery has signed a one year contract extension with Bayern Munich until 2019, the record German football champions announced on Monday.
Ribery signs Bayern extension until 2019
Veteran winger Franck Ribery, 35, has signed a one-year extension to stay at Bayern Munich until 2019, the German giants announced today. "I am very happy to be able to play for another year at this great club," said Ribery in a statement. "Munich has long since become a home for my family and I, therefore, am proud to be able to play in the FC Bayern shirt next season." Ribery joined Bayern in 2007, scoring 80 goals in 247 Bundesliga appearances, and won the German league title for a joint record eighth time this season. "We are very pleased that Franck has been retained," said Bayern's sports director Hasan Salihamidzic. "This season, Franck has proved once again in the Bundesliga, as well as in the Champions League and German Cup, what he is capable of and what great quality he has. "He is also one of our crowd pleasers." Despite a knee injury in October which kept him out for 10 games, Ribery, who will be 36 when his contract expires, has managed five goals in 19 league games this
Giggs hopeful of full recovery for stricken mentor Ferguson
Manchester United's most decorated player Ryan Giggs is hopeful his legendary former manager Alex Ferguson will make a full recovery from emergency surgery on a brain haemorrhage. Considered the most successful manager in the history of British football, Ferguson, 76, won 38 trophies in just over 26 years in charge of United, including 13 Premier League titles and the Champions League twice before retiring in 2013. United have offered no update on Ferguson's condition since saying a procedure on the haemorrhage on Saturday had gone "very well", but that a period of intensive care is needed to optimise his recovery. Wales manager Giggs was part of all 13 of Ferguson's title-winning sides in a 24-year playing career at Old Trafford. "Now is the time to pray and hope he can make a full recovery," Giggs told BBC Wales. "He has been the biggest influence in my career, both on and off the pitch. "I know the operation has been a success - but he is a fighter and that is what makes me think ..
Mohun Bagan president steps in to clear player dues
City football giants Mohun Bagan club president Swapan Sadhan Bose on Monday stepped in to clear the players' arrears, stating he would provide Rs one crore to resolve the crisis.
Cash-strapped Mohun Bagan get Rs 1 cr from its president
In a state of turmoil with their players not receiving salaries, Mohun Bagan today got a breather with their president Swapan Sadhan Bose promising to donate Rs one crore to clear the dues on "urgent basis". The players have not received payments for the last three months, while the club is unable to decide on the squad for the upcoming season. To make matters worse there's been an internal squabbling among some office bearers. "We might have many differences but that should not affect the players who bring glory and laurels to our club. In view of the above I have decided to give Rs 1 crore so that the salaries of players can be paid on an urgent basis," Bose wrote to general secretary Anjan Mitra in an email, which was circulated to the media. Led by former international Satyajeet Chatterjee, 15 members of its executive committee recently resigned, citing lack of commitment and transparency in functioning of the club. The club's top officials -- assistant secretary Srinjoy Bose and .
IPL: Bangalore opt to field against Hyderabad
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli won the toss and opted to field against Sunrisers Hyderabad in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium here on Monday.
Barca president admits to meeting Griezmann representatives
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has admitted he met with representatives of Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann in October. Griezmann has indicated he wants his future decided before this summer's World Cup after Barca were forced to deny in January they had already agreed a deal to sign the Frenchman. "We had conversations with his representative, as we have with other representatives," Bartomeu told Catalan radio Rac1 today. "This was last October, a meeting, nothing more. It should not give rise to speculation." Griezmann has scored 30 goals in 51 games this season and can end the campaign by winning the Europa League, with Atletico up against Marseille in the final later this month. Any deal with Barcelona would place in further doubt the future of Ousmane Dembele, who has endured a difficult first season at the Camp Nou. Dembele joined Barca from Borussia Dortmund for 147 million euros last year and Bartomeu insists the 20-year-old will not be leaving this ...
Spanish veteran Casillas wants to carry on
Porto's veteran Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas, coming to the end of his contract with the Portuguese champions, has admitted that he wants to continue playing. "I want to carry on playing football and if Porto come knocking on my door I'll welcome them with open arms," Casillas said in an interview with Marca today. Casillas, his country's most-capped player with 167 appearances, left Real Madrid, for whom he played 725 times, in 2015 to join Porto. He captained his country to their first World Cup title in 2010 as well as consecutive European Championships, in 2008 and 2012. The 36-year-old broke through into the Real first team as a teenager in 1999, winning the Champions League on three occasions before moving to Porto. "The reality is that my contract ends on June 30 and I don't know what will happen," Casillas said. "What's certain is that club president Pinto da Costa has shown a lot of interest and affection to me." Porto have long announced that Casillas was to leave at the
Marquez wins at Jerez, Pedrosa crashes out
A masterful performance by Marc Marquez at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto earned him and the Repsol Honda Team a second consecutive win and leadership in both the Rider and Constructor Classifications in the MotoGP. This was the 63rd win of Marc's career and his 37th in MotoGP (equalling Mike Hailwood's mark in the Premier class), and success on a track where he has always struggled. On the other hand, a turn-six race incident on lap 18 prevented Dani Pedrosa from fighting for a podium finish that was clearly within his reach. The incident also involved Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso. Dani escaped a heavy high-side without major injury, but he suffered a hard blow to his right hip and will wait until tomorrow before deciding whether to take part in the one-day test that the Repsol Honda Team will attend at the same Jerez track. Repsol Honda team rider Marquez said, "This win in front of these amazing fans is great. I'm very happy with the result, which is especially important ..
Cilic slips to fifth, Nadal stays top in ATP rankings
Croatian tennis maestro Marin Cilic, who made an early exit from last week's Istanbul tournament, has slipped to the fifth spot in the latest ATP Tour rankings released on Monday.After receiving a bye into the second round, the 29-year-old slumped to straight sets 4-6, 2-6 defeat at the hands of unseeded Tunisian Malek Jaziri in the last-16 round of the men's singles event in Istanbul.Cilic, who sumped to defeat in both last year's Wimbledon final and this year's Australian Open final to 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, recently also pulled out of next week's Madrid Open due to a knee injury.Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal, who recently bagged his 11th Monte Carlo Masters as well as his 11th Barcelona Open title, continues to remain at the top spot and maintains a lead of 100 points over his long-time rival and Spanish tennis maestro Federer.German tennis star Alexander Zverev holds on to third spot ahead of Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, who sealed fourth spot despite not having ...
Young Panthers look to upset Minerva in U-13 Youth League Final
The youngsters from the Kolkata-based club Mohamedan Sporting Club have already shut their critics by fixing a summit showdown against none other than Minerva Punjab FC, who have run amok in their way to the final of the U-13 Youth League.Be it the youth league or the holy grail of the Indian Football, whatever the Punjab-based club have touched this season, turned into gold.While the youngsters got the better of DSK Shivajians to clinch the U-15 Youth League title, their senior counterparts went on to clinch the I-League trophy.Nonetheless, Punjab have to start afresh when they face Mohammedan SC at their own backyard Vidyasagar Stadium in Barasat tomorrow.Having stunned SAI East Zone 2-0 in the semifinal, the Young Panthers will need to pull off an even greater shock in order to deny the Minervans the trophy, who grounded high-flying Sudeva FC 5-0 to book their place in the finale.Mohammedan SC like to play counter-attacking football, as they soak up pressure for long periods before
Razzaq eyes PSL contract via return to domestic cricket
Former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razaaq, who last played a first-class game in 2014, is set to return to competitive cricket to push his selection for the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Serbia's Mazic to referee Champions League final
Serb referee Milorad Mazic has been appointed to officiate the UEFA Champions League final pitting Real Madrid against Liverpool on May 26 in Kiev, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) announced on Monday.
Bjorn Kuipers to referee Europa League final
Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers is to officiate the 2018 UEFA Europa League final between Olympique de Marseille and Atletico Madrid, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) announced on Monday.
Kadhe, Bhosale, Banthia top MSLTA 2017 year end rankings
National sub-junior champion Rutuja Chaphalkar,India No 5 Mens player Arjun Kadhe, India No 4 womens player Rutuja Bhosale and India No 1 junior Siddhant Banthia emerged as No 1 ranked Maharashtra tennis players in their respective age groups for 2017. The annual rankings of Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) for 2017 were announced today by its secretary, Sunder Iyer, here. Mihika Yadav, Aryaan Bhatia, Prerna Vichare, Arjun Gohad, Manas Dhamne, Neel Joglekar, Madhurima Sawant and Asmi Adkar were the other players to emerge number 1, a media release issued by MSLTA said here. Pune region took the honours by finishing with nineNo 1 players in Maharashtra in 2017. They are Arjun Kadhe (Mens Singles), Rutuja Bhosale (Womens Singles), Siddhant Banthia (Boys Under 18), Rutuja Chaphalkar (Girls Under 14), Arjun Gohad (Boys Under 14) Madhurima Sawant(Girls Under 12), Manas Dhamne (Boys Under 12), Neel Joglekar (Boys Under 10) and Asmi Adkar (girls Under ...
U-13 Youth League: Mohamedan SC face spirited Minerva Punjab in final
Mohamedan Sporting Club will have their task cut out when they take on high-flying Minerva Punjab FC in the final of the U-13 Youth League at the Vidyasagar Stadium in Barasat on Tuesday.
Gaganjeet back in the spotlight after 2nd-place finish
India's Gaganjeet Bhullar compiled a four-day total of one-under-par 283 to get into a play-off with Yikeun Chang, Junggon Hwang and Sanghyun Park but was edged out after the first extra hole, which saw him finish joint second at the challenging Nam Seoul Country Club here.
AIFF eyes another U-17 WC participation, plans more preparatory tournaments
The All India Football Federation is trying to field India's U-16 team in a four-nation tournament in Japan, aiming to mould it into a battle-hardened outfit good enough to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2019. According to AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das, the age-group tournament in Japan is being planned on the lines of the Intercontinental Cup for the senior team, which will take place in June in Mumbai. "We are trying for a four-nation tournament in Japan. The target is to do well in the AFC U-16 Championships, where the top four teams get direct tickets to the next U-17 World Cup. So, we are trying to build a strong team that can perform well at the AFC Championships," Das told PTI. Though almost all the players who were part of the team for U-17 World Cup at home last year have graduated to the next level, the top AIFF official expressed optimism about the current bunch coached by Bibiano Fernandes. "One or two players are there from that side (last year's U-17 squad),
IPL betting racket busted; 12 people held
: As many as 12 people were arrested here today for allegedly betting on the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket matches, police said. The arrests followed raids conducted by them simultaneously at four hideouts of cricket bookies and collection agents when they were collecting betting amounts, city police said in release. Twelve people were arrested and Rs 15.50 lakh cash, 22 cell phones and other 'incriminating' material were seized from them, it said.
Manchester United thank outpouring of support for stricken Ferguson
Manchester United thanked well wishers from around the football world for showing their support for legendary former manager Alex Ferguson following emergency surgery for a brain haemorrhage. Considered the most successful manager in the history of British football, Ferguson, 76, won 38 major trophies in just over 26 years in charge of United, including 13 Premier League titles and the Champions League twice before retiring in 2013. United have offered no update no Ferguson's condition since saying a procedure on the haemorrhage on Saturday had gone "very well" but that a period of intensive care is needed to optimise his recovery. However, United thanked the many well wishers, including from the likes of rival managers Arsene Wenger, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, who spoke of their admiration for Ferguson. "Manchester United would like to thank its friends in the wider football world for the countless messages of support that have been conveyed following the news that Sir Alex ...