Page 2207 - Sports
Pune City coach Popovic suspended for four matches
FC Pune City head coach Ranko Popovic has been suspended for four matches and fined Rs 5 lakh for his remarks against match officials after his side's Indian Super League match against FC Goa at Margao on December 23. The Pune side won the match 2-0. The suspension will apply with immediate effect. "AIFF Disciplinary Committee found FC Pune City coach Popovic in breach of Article 50 (misconduct against match officials) and Article 58 (offensive behaviour and fair play) for his remarks made against Match Officials at the post-match press conference in Goa after Match # 31 between FC Goa and FC Pune City," the ISL said in a statement. "Mr. Ranko Popovic, Head Coach of FC Pune City is fined Rs 5,00,000 (Five Lakh INR) and is suspended for 4 (four) matches of FC Pune City, from the date of this decision. The amount should be deposited to AIFF within 10 days from the date of communication of this decision and until such payment, the match suspension to continue, over and ...
MCA to host 44th Sub-Jr & 24th Fed Cup Carrom from Jan 2-5
The Maharashtra Carrom Association (MCA) will be hosting the 44th Sub-Junior National Inter-State Carrom Championship 2017-18 and the 24th All India Federation Cup Carrom Tournament 2017-18 in Dadar in Central Mumbai from January 2 to 5. The events recognised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports are being organised by the All India Carrom Federation (AICF). Budding young players from 22 states will compete for the top honours in the cadet (Under-12) boys and girls and sub-junior (Under-14) boys and girls categories, a media release issued here said. However, the main attraction of the event will be the participation of five world champions and 40 Indian stars, who will exhibit their skills in the Federation Cup. The format of the competition in the cadet category will be only singles and direct knock-out rounds while the sub-junior event will consist of team championship which will be played on a league cum knock-out basis and individual singles. In the ...
ISL: FC Pune City coach Popovic suspended, fined
Indian Super League (ISL) club FC Pune City head coach Ranko Popovic was on Thursday suspended for four matches and fined Rs. five lakh with immediate effect by the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
Kapur and Bhullar among five tied first in Pattaya
Indian golfers Shiv Kapur and Gaganjeet Bhullar were among the quintet in share of the first round lead at four-under 67 at the Royal Cup golf tournament here today. Two other Indians, Jyoti Randhawa and Khalin Koshi carded 70 each and were T-20. Making things close was the fact that 27 golfers are within three shots of the lead at 2017's final event being played at the Phoenix Gold Golf and Country Club here. Newly-wed Bhullar enjoyed a bogey-free round, highlighted by birdies on holes six, seven, 10 and 11. The 29-year-old Indian did not have ample time to prepare for the USD 500,000 tournament as he arrived in Thailand the previous night. However, he played on the same course last year and after five holes, he adapted to the set up. Bhullar said, "I had a good, stable round. I hit the ball really well. I gave myself a lot of birdie opportunities but because I misread the speed of the greens, I missed some of them. Overall, it's a decent start to the tournament. "I ...
Tunisia star Amri wants to learn about Maharashtra wrestling
Having joined the Veer Maratha squad recently, Rio Olympics bronze medallist Marwa Amri has asserted that she intends to educate herself on the rich wrestling tradition of Maharashtra ahead of this season's Pro Wrestling League (PWL).
PTI Exclusive: Bumrah can be good choice for 1st Test: Nehra
Former pacer Ashish Nehra feels the Indian team management can think of handing Jasprit Bumrah his Test debut in the opening game against South Africa as his awkward action and yorkers might prove lethal on the Cape Town track. "Jasprit Bumrah can be a good choice for the first Test in Cape Town. I don't know what's there in the team management's mind but he is the kind of bowler, who can be an asset on the Newlands track during the first Test," Nehra told PTI during an interview on the South Africa tour. The former left-arm pacer then elaborately explained why he feels that Bumrah could prove to be a good choice. "We have seen Bumrah primarily in white ball cricket but just go back a year and check out how many overs he had bowled for Gujarat in Ranji Trophy. "He has the most lethal yorker among the five pacers along with good slower ones. Also he has an awkward high-arm action, which can be very difficult to pick initially. All these factors work in Bumrah's favour," ..
Selection headache for Proteas before India tour
The South African team faces a few 'selection headaches' before their first Test against India at the Newlands on January 5, according to AB de Villiers.De Villiers feels that with the return of captain Faf du Plessis, the South African cricket management will have some tough decisions to make."If Dale is fit and Faf comes back ... I don't know. It's tough to say. All the guys seem to be in good form. Luckily it's not my issue ... we'll see what happens," de Villiers told Sport24.Earlier, du Plessis was ruled out of the inaugural day-night Test against Zimbabwe after his recovery from shoulder and back injuries was further delayed by a viral infection.In du Plessis' absence, de Villiers, who made his return to Test cricket for the first time since January 2016, was named as the stand-in captain.Pacer Dale Steyn also missed the one-off Test because of a virus.With Morne Morkel, Kagiso Rabada, Vernon Philander, and Andile Phehlukwayo chipping-in against Zimbabwe, it would be difficult ..
Mohun Bagan seek revival at 'home' debut
Mohun Bagan are set for an I-League debut at their home ground when they face Indian Arrows here tomorrow as top-tier football returns to Kolkata Maidan after ages. This is the first time an I-League match will be held at the Kolkata Maidan and the Mohun Bagan ground which had witnessed an average attendance of 20,000 in their Calcutta Football League matches this year is all set to make history. At the same time, the ground had seen some unruly crowd behaviour affecting the local league matches and the onus will be on the Mariners' officials to ensure a safe playing environment for a top-tier game. "It will be a proud occasion when we host the first-ever I-League game at our ground. We believe there won't be any glitch whatsoever and we can stage the game successfully without any hassles whatsoever," the club's finance secretary Debashish Dutta said. Talking about the match, the spotlight will be on Nongdamba Naorem, the 17-year-old lad from the All India Football ...
Viswanathan Anand defeats World No. 1 in Riyadh C'ship
Former World Champion Viswanathan Anand outclassed World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in the ninth round of the World Rapid Championship (WRC), here on Wednesday.Taking the revenge of his 2013 World Championship loss, Anand defeated Norway' Magnus in 34 moves.Anand, by far, has been unbeaten in the tournament with five wins and four draws from the nine encounters.The Indian Grandmaster currently is in lead with Vladimir Kramnik and Wang Hao at the ongoing Championship.
Shooting: RR Lakshya Cup 2017 tomorrow
R R Lakshya Cup, a shooting tournament, will be held tomorrow at Karnala in neighbouring Panvel where top shooters from across the nation will battle it out in the mixed event. Former Olympian shooter Suma Shirur today made the announcement of the one-day tournament, to be held at the Karnala Shooting Range, at a media briefing here. "We have received 35 entries altogether in the seniors and the juniors category for the event," said Shirur, the founder of the Lakshya Shooting Club, which is organising the event. The organisers said it was an 'invitation' only competition, where the winners in the senior and junior sections will get the cash prizes of Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000, respectively. Among the prominent shooters, who will take part are Olympian Anjali Bhagwat, Tejaswini Sawant, Ravi Kumar and Deepak Kumar, a media release said. Shirur claimed that this was the only mixed event in the country and it will be 60 shot format. She further said it will be an ideal match ..
Marin keen to regain World No.1 rank in 2018 (IANS Interview)
Four Superseries finals with one win could sum up Spanish badminton star Carolina Marin's form in 2017 which she conceded wasn't the best for her and hoped -- with an eye on regaining the top spot in the world rankings -- that the coming year will fetch her more titles.
Commonwealth chess champions Abhijeet Gupta and Swati Ghate in
Reigning Commonwealth Champions Abhijeet Gupta and Swati Ghate are among the leading players in the fray in the open category of the IIFL Wealth Mumbai International Chess Championship commencing here on December 30. Swati is the highest ranked woman in the tournament which has attracted 20 Grand Masters in the Open Category and offers a prize money of Rs 12 lakh, said a media release here today. Gupta, the 2012 World Junior champion, will have the home advantage as he battles several Grandmasters, including Ivan Rozum from Russia, Timur Gareyev from USA and David Alberto from Italy for the top prize of Rs 12 lakh at the Mount Litera School International, a media release said today. Challenging Gupta would be the countrys 40th Grandmaster Swanil S Dhopade, ranked 10th amongst the entries, and 12th ranked Grandmaster Shyam Sundar M who had once held the redoubtable Vladimir Kramnik to a draw, and two women Grandmasters Swati and Kiran Manisha Mohanty. "This is the first
Sorokin to replace Mutko as 2018 World Cup organising committee chief
Russia 2018 chief executive Alexei Sorokin will replace Vitaly Mutko as the head of the forthcoming FIFA World Cup organising committee.
Man Utd midfielder Fellaini complains of mistreatment in England
Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini on Thursday complained about being called an aggressive footballer and murderer while plying his trade for the English football giants.
Cook says he deserved the axe - before epic double ton
Alastair Cook said selectors would have been entitled to drop him over his poor form -- before his masterful double-century put England in a winning position in the fourth Ashes Test. The unflappable opening batsman crushed Australia's hopes of sweeping the five-Test series with an unbeaten 244 today to put the tourists 164 runs ahead of Australia with two days left. The Ashes are already gone after England lost the opening three Tests, with Cook contributing just 83 runs in six innings. But he made at least partial amends with his towering double-century. Cook, 33, said he would have understood being dropped, but he bounced back in the Boxing Day Test to present his team with a chance of victory. "(They) would have been entitled just because I literally hadn't scored a run since Edgbaston," Cook said, referring to his 243 against the West Indies in August. "I always feel I've got the backing of the selectors but you've still got to deliver the goods, I hadn't done that .
Delhi stand in way as Vidarbha chase maiden Ranji glory
A win away from their maiden title, Vidarbha embodied the allure often associated with underdogs as they braced up to face a battle-hardened Delhi that has for years braved a system that is anything but robust, in the final of Ranji Trophy. Since reaching their maiden semifinal of the country's premier domestic tournament, Vidarbha's story has been about getting familiarised with unchartered territories, and now they are up against a team that is also seeking happy endings for years. If Vidarbha's dream run ends in a heartbreak at the Holkar Stadium, it would pave the way for Delhi's eighth triumph -- the last coming almost a decade back. Some turnaround it has been after the off-field controversies that dogged the team last season, with much publicised altercation between then skipper Gautam Gambhir and coach KP Bhaskar. A team that has produced some of the finest players in recent years and looks set to supply a player or two more to the Indian cricket team in near ...
Ashes: Cook's double ton guides England to 164-run lead on Day 3
Opener Alastair Cook remained unbeaten on 244 as England scored 491/9, taking a 164-run lead against Australia at stumps on the third day of the fourth Ashes Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) here on Thursday.
New service rule 'ridiculous': Viktor Axelsen
Danish badminton player and world champion Viktor Axelsen has criticised the Badminton World Federation's (BWF) new service rule to fix the height of the shuttle, calling it 'ridiculous'.Earlier, to overcome questionable decisions by service judges, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) decided to test an experimental service law involving a fixed height for the shuttle from March 1.According to the new rule, the shuttle should be 'below 1.15 metres from the surface of the court at the instant of being hit by the server's racket'.The first tournament where the new law will be tested is at the All England Open Championships next year.Criticising the new rule, Viktor told ANI, "It is a ridiculous rule. It is like to lower the basket in basketball just because taller player have an easier time in dunking. I think it is really a bad rule."He added, "It is strange to start it at the All England, the most prestigious tournament during the calendar year. So, I don't like it."According to the
Cook's double ton takes Boxing Day Test away from Australia
England opener Alastair Cook scored his fifth Test double century at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Day 3 of the Boxing Day Test to steer his side to a dominating position.The former Test captain remained unbeaten at 244*, at close of play.The thirty-three-year-old Cook joined the great Wally Hammond (England) and Brian Lara (West Indies) to become the third player to register two overseas double hundreds in Australia.England, who are playing for pride after having already lost the Ashes urn to Australia, bundled out the hosts for 327 in their first innings just after lunch of Day Two.In reply, the Joe Root-led side were reduced to 80-2 after opener Mark Stoneman and James Vince were dismissed cheaply for 15 and 17 respectively.However, Cook along with Joe Root (61) and Stuart Broad (56) put England in a rare position of strength.England lead by 164 runs with a wicket remaining at stumps on Day 3.The home side had already regained the Ashes urn after they thrashed the visitors .
Messi remains Messi, India a little less 'messy'
India went from a "sleeping giant" to a "passionate giant" by successfully hosting their maiden FIFA under-17 World Cup but 'Messi Magic' once again reigned supreme in global football as he single-handedly dragged a blundering Argentina into the 2018 World Cup. Laggards in international rankings, India finally made their presence felt by pulling off an impressive under-17 World Cup that drew all-round praise even though the country was eliminated in the very first round. FIFA President Gianni Infantino called it a "resounding success" even though the event's legacy remains debatable given that India are not even a continental force till date. Globally, football fans the world over watched first in horror and then in amazement, two-time champion Argentina's floundering campaign to get to the 2018 World Cup's main draw. It all boiled down to one man in the end and Lionel Messi was up for the challenge as he quite literally carried the weight of the entire team and pulled it