Page 253 - Sports
Nadal defeats Chardy, enters Italian Open 3rd round
Spanish tennis star and world No. 2 Rafael Nadal, here on Thursday, defeated world No. 42 Jeremy Chardy of France 6-0, 6-1 in the Italian Open to move to the third round.
FIFA deputy secretary general Boban looks forward to India's results under Stimac
Former Croatia captain and current FIFA deputy secretary general Zvonimir Boban Thursday said he was looking forward to ex-teammate Igor Stimac's tenure as Indian football head coach. The 51-year-old Stimac, a former center back, was a part of Croatia's golden generation, led by Zvonimir Boban, Davor Suker and Robert Prosinecki, which peaked at the 1998 World Cup in France by finishing third. "I would like to congratulate the Indian FA for appointing Igor Stimac as their national head coach. I know Igor from our childhood days and he is an experienced man, understand football," Boban said in a video posted by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on twitter. In the special message, Boban added, "He (Igor) is a football person very committed to his new job, obviously you never know what you are going to get from football. But I really hope you will achieve big things together, so all the best and looking forward to seeing you and see your great results with Igor." Croatian World ...
We are very happy with Valverde -- Barcelona president
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has indicated Ernesto Valverde's position as coach is safe, regardless of what happens in the Copa del Rey final. Barca play Valencia in Seville on May 25, when victory would secure them a second domestic double in as many seasons. But their collapse at the hands of Liverpool in the Champions League last week has left Valverde's future uncertain, with some reports suggesting defeat in the cup final will see him sacked. "Ernesto already said the other day that he has the support of the president and the board because he is the coach we want," Bartomeu said at a book launch in Barcelona on Thursday. "He has a contract and we are very happy with him." Valverde has led Barca to consecutive La Liga titles but failed to end the club's malaise in Europe, where they have not reached the final since 2015. "The planning for next season has been under way for some time," Bartomeu added. "Now it is about the players recovering from the mental shock that we
Arsenal say Baku 'unacceptable' as Europa League final host
Arsenal have branded the decision for Azerbaijani capital Baku to host their Europa League final with Chelsea as "unacceptable" as fans struggle with the logistics and cost of attending the game on May 29. The London clubs were given 6,000 tickets each by European football's governing body for the match at the 68,700-capacity Olympic Stadium, more than 4,500 kilometres (2,800 miles) from the English capital. UEFA cited Baku's limited airport capacity as one reason for not reserving more tickets for travelling fans. "We are bitterly disappointed by the fact that due to transport limitations UEFA can only make a maximum of 6,000 tickets available to Arsenal for a stadium with a capacity of well over 60,000," said Arsenal in a strongly worded statement. "Time will tell if it is even possible for 6,000 Arsenal fans to attend the match, given how extreme the travel challenges are." Liverpool and Tottenham supporters have also complained about the limited number of tickets given to both ...
Harry Kane in England's 27-man squad for UEFA Nations League finals
England's football team manager Gareth Southgate on Thursday announced a 27-man initial squad for the UEFA Nations League finals.Captain Harry Kane has been included in the initial squad as the striker is expected to be fit for the Champions League finals and international duty.Kane has been out of action since April 9 due to an ankle injury, resulting in a premature end to his Premier League efforts in 2018-19.Fabian Delph, Joe Gomez, Jesse Lingard and Harry Winks have all made a comeback to England's initial 27-man team."The Three Lions have a number of players still involved with their clubs, with the Emirates FA Cup, Champions League, and Europa League Finals all scheduled to take place over the next few weeks," the Football Association of England said in an official statement."And that means players will be reporting to St. George's Park for training at different times before a final squad of 23 will head to Portugal ahead of the semi-final with the Netherlands in Guimaraes on ...
Man Utd will back Solskjaer for 'fresh start'
Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward vowed that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be backed in the transfer market despite a bitterly disappointing end to the season. Solskjaer was only appointed on a permanent basis in March but is already under pressure after United won just two of their final 11 games in all competitions. "While the last few weeks were disappointing, we are delighted to confirm the appointment of Ole on a three-year contract," said Woodward on a conference call to investors as United's third-quarter financial results were revealed on Thursday. "Preparations for the new season are under way and the underlying strength of our business will allow us to support the manager and his team as we look to the future." United ended the season 32 points off Premier League champions Manchester City and failed to qualify for the Champions League after finishing sixth. Solskjaer has spoken honestly about the need for a huge rebuild at Old Trafford but is hoping ..
Porto want to keep 'keeper Casillas despite heart attack
FC Porto want to keep goalkeeper Iker Casillas on staff despite the Spanish veteran suffering a heart attack in training. "Casillas still has a year left on his contract and we want him to remain part of FC Porto's structure, and not only for one year," club president Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa told Thursday's sports daily O Jogo. "Casillas is one of us and he will always have a place at FC Porto." The former Real Madrid and Spain star, who will celebrate his 38th birthday on Monday, was taken to hosital and had surgery on May 1 after collapsing during training. He left hospital after five days and said he was "lucky" to be alive but had no immediate plans for the future. "The important thing is to be here... I don't know what the future may bring," he said. Casillas has 167 Spain caps, winning the 2010 World Cup and two European Championships, and also played more than 700 games for Real Madrid. He joined FC Porto in 2015 and recently extended his contract to 2020 with the option of ..
Bangladesh sweat over Shakib fitness before tri-series final
Bangladesh have been left sweating over the fitness of star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan ahead of their tri-series one-day international final against West Indies in Ireland, an official said Thursday. Shakib was in visible pain Wednesday during the 36th over of the Bangladesh innings against and briefly continued his batting before retiring hurt with a half-century off 51 balls. Bangladesh later won the match against the hosts by six wickets. "Shakib sustained a left-sided back muscle spasm injury while batting during the match against Ireland," Bangladesh team physiotherapist Thihan Chandramohan said in a statement. "He is undergoing assessment and treatment and we will make a decision regarding his availability for tomorrow's tri-series final on the morning of the match," he added. Bangladesh won all three of their matches in the tri-series comfortably to set up a final against West Indies with one game against Ireland rained off. A win Friday would give Bangladesh their first ...
Man City referred to UEFA financial body in fair play probe
Manchester City said Thursday they were "disappointed" but "not surprised" after being referred to UEFA's adjudicatory chamber for alleged breaches of financial fair play rules. In 2014, the Premier League champions were fined ?49 million ($63 million) and subjected to squad, wage and spending caps in a settlement agreed with football's European governing body following a previous breach of the rules. UEFA began a new probe after further allegations were made in German publication Der Spiegel last year. The reports alleged that City, bankrolled by Sheikh Mansour, a member of Abu Dhabi's royal family, had set up sponsorship deals to circumvent regulations limiting how much money owners can put into a club. City could reportedly face a season-long ban from the Champions League if they are found to have breached the regulations but it is not known if chief investigator Yves Leterme supports such a penalty. UEFA introduced the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules to prevent clubs that qualify .
Super Cup fiasco: Rs 10 lakh fine for 5 clubs, Rs 5 lakh for East Bengal
The All India Football Federation's Disciplinary Committee Thursday imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh each to five I-League clubs, including former champions Aizawl FC and Minerva Punjab FC, while East Bengal were told to pay Rs 5 lakh for pulling out of Super Cup in March-April. Churchill Brothers, Gokulam Kerala FC and Neroca FC were the other three clubs fined Rs 10 lakh each. The Committee did not give any decision against Mohun Bagan and referred the case for arbitration since the Kolkata side did not sign for participation. The premier knockout club tournament among I-League and ISL teams was severely depleted this season following the boycott by seven clubs -- Minerva Punjab FC, East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Churchill Brothers, NEROCA FC, Gokulam Kerala FC and Aizawl FC. "The Committee thus imposed penalty of Rs 10 lakh upon Aizawl FC, Churchill Brothers, Gokulam Kerala FC, Minerva Punjab FC, and NEROCA, each, to be utilised exclusively for benefit and further development of football at
Running best for fitness: Spain's ex-tennis star Arantxa
Flagging it as a universal sport with no barriers, former Spanish woman tennis star Arantxa Sanchez Vicario on Thursday said running was the best forms of exercises for fitness.
Tendulkar steals show with witty remark to ICC's troll
A masterblaster on the cricket field, Sachin Tendulkar stole the show online when he made a witty response following the ICC's attempt to troll the batting great. In a video posted on Twitter, Tendulkar could be seen practicing at the nets along with his former teammate and childhood friend Vinod Kambli at the Tendulkar-Middlesex Global Academy camp in Navi Mumbai. "Felt great to be back in the nets with Kambli during the lunch break! It sure took us back to our childhood days at Shivaji Park Very few people know that Vinod & I have always been in the same team and never played against each other," Tendulkar had written few days ago. The video showed Tendulkar overstepping while bowling his trademark leg spin to Kambli. The official ICC Twitter handle took notice of the tweet and, in a lighter vein, tried to troll him. "Watch your front foot, @sachin_rt ??," the ICC wrote with a picture of former umpire Steve Bucknor. In response, Tendulkar wrote: "At least this time I am bowling .
Indian WC team lacks one more quality fast bowler: Gautam Gambhir
Former Indian cricketer Gautam Gambhir on Thursday said India's fifteen-member World Cup squad needs an additional quality pacer."I feel Indian team lacks one more quality fast bowler. Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar need more support. You may argue that India has two fast bowling all-rounders in Hardik (Pandya) and Vijay Shankar but I am not convinced," International Cricket Council (ICC) quoted Gambhir, as saying.Bumrah has been the key weapon in the bowling scheme of things for India and Gambhir reckons the bowler will once again be the trump card for India and his form will be crucial for its chances in the World Cup."The wickets are going to be very flat and it's going to be hot. So how Jasprit Bumrah bowls will decide where India reaches because it's going to be a high-scoring World Cup," Gambhir said.The selectors did not pick Ambati Rayudu in the fifteen-member team. Chief selector MSK Prasad at the time of announcing the squad had said Vijay Shankar will .
Cricket Ireland announces squad for ODI series against Afghanistan
Cricket Ireland on Thursday announced 14-member squad for the two-match ODI series against Afghanistan. The team has made one change from their Tri-series squad as Tyrone Kane replaces the injured Josh Little.Little who picked up a four-wicket haul on his ODI debut against England earlier this month, has been rested from the series against Afghanistan as a precaution to get him ready for the home series against Zimbabwe in July this year."During the Tri-Series, Josh reported some minor back pain related to bowling. A precautionary scan showed a small area of bone stress in an area commonly seen in fast bowlers. We take these findings very seriously given the potential for such stress responses to develop into a more serious stress fracture that could put Josh out of action for up to 3 months if he were to continue bowling," Mark Rausa (Head of Physiotherapy) said in an official statement."We want to rest Josh from bowling for around four weeks and begin rehab immediately in ...
Pakistan's Olympic hockey participation uncertain after FIH drops it from pre-qualifying tournament
The Pakistan hockey team's chances of playing in next year's Olympic Games appeared to have ended after the International Hockey Federation (FIH) did not include it in the pre-qualifying tournament scheduled for next month. The new secretary-general of Pakistan Hockey Federation, Asif Bajwa, said that the development was a big setback for Pakistan. "The FIH has taken this decision since we did not send our team for the FIH Pro-Hockey League in February-April," he said. Bajwa, who has taken over from legendary player Shahbaz Ahmed, said he would write to the FIH to reconsider its decision and make a spot for Pakistan to at least try to qualify for the Olympics. "I will also be meeting with important government officials soon to discuss the future of hockey in Pakistan and the funding issue." The FIH has already fined PHF around 170,000 Euros for not sending the team to the Pro-Hockey League in Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, which, it says, damaged the sport's growth ...
Ireland's Andrew Balbirnie reprimanded for showing dissent
Ireland's top-order batsman Andrew Balbirnie on Thursday was reprimanded by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for breaching the level one of ICC Code of Conduct during the team's Tri-nation series match against Bangladesh on Wednesday.Balbirnie was found guilty of breaching Article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for players and player support personnel.The article relates to "showing dissent at an umpire's decision during an international match".One demerit point has also been added to the disciplinary record of Balbirnie. This is the first offence for Balbirnie since the introduction of the revised code in September 2016.The incident happened after Balbirnie was dismissed in the tenth over of Ireland's innings. The player was seen spending an excessive amount of time at the wicket and then he displayed displeasure at the umpire's decision as he left the field of play.The 28-year-old cricketer accepted the offence imposed by the ICC. The sanction was imposed on him by match ...
Tank helps SuperSonics beat Triumph Knights
SoBo SuperSonics defeated defending champions Triumph Knights Mumbai North East by four wickets to register their second successive win in T20 Mumbai League at Wankhede Stadium here on Thursday. Opting to bowl first, the SuperSonics restricted the Knights to a sub-par 143 for eight and lateropener Hersh Tank's 47 (39b, 5x4, 1x6) laid the foundation stone of the win. Despite a mini-collapse in the middle, the lower middle-order, assisted by sloppy catching, helped the SuperSonics cross the line off the penultimate ball. Tank's dismissal off the last ball of the 13th over triggered a mini-collapse, with Knights picking three wickets for 25 runs in 24 balls to leave SuperSonics at 118 for five. But they eventually overhauled the target. Earlier in the afternoon, SuperSonics bowlers tied the Knights batsmen. Except diminutive Karan More, who scored a fluent 55 (35b, 8x4), none of the other batsmen could make a mark. Brief scores:Triumph Knights Mumbai North East 143/8 in 20 ..
Bangalore, Kolhapur win in Hero IWL
Bangalore United FC and FC Kolhapur City registered an identical 2-0 win over Baroda Football Academy and SAI-STC Cuttack respectively in the HERO Indian Women's League here Thursday. Bangalore got their first win of the 2018-19 campaign, beating Baroda, while Kolhapur City finished off their 2018-19 campaign with a win over SAI-STC Cuttack. Sivakumari Arumugam (36th) and Paromita Sit (86th) scored the two goals as Bengaluru waltzed to the win. Their winger Amsa got the player of the match award. With this win Bangalore now move on to four points from as many games in Group II. For Kolhapur City, Kamala Devi (4th) and Renu (33rd) found the back of the net, while SAI-STC Cuttack drew a blank. SAI defender Jyoti Kumari was awarded the Player of the Match for her exploits in the defence. With this win, Kolhapur climbed over SAI to the third place on the table with seven points, but it was not enough for them to make it to the semifinals.
Federer kicks off Rome Open run with victory
Roger Federer on Thursday marked his return to the 2019 Italian Open tennis tournament with a solid win over Joao Sousa in the second round while Fernando Verdasco battled back to stun Dominic Thiem.
BCCI president 'disregarded protocol' during India-Aus ODI: Diana Edulji
Accusing BCCI's acting President CK Khanna of "disregarding protocol" during India's ODI against Australia here earlier this year, the Committee of Administrators (CoA) member Diana Edulji on Thursday said she wanted to present the IPL winners' trophy herself.In an official statement released by Edulji, she accused Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) acting President CK Khanna for showing disregard to the office of the board's President during the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy presentation."To set the facts straight, in the COA meeting dated April 8, the topic was discussed. During the discussion, I had mentioned that as the acting President had abdicated his right to give away the trophy during the BCCI bilateral match in Delhi, he had shown disregard for the protocol and an office bearer of a state association was allowed to give the trophy away and hence for the IPL Final, COA members should give the trophy," Edulji said"This was because the acting President had ...