Page 367 - Sports
Hero MotoSports sign Portugal's Paulo Goncalves
Hero MotoSports Team Rally on Monday signed Portuguese champion Paulo Goncalves as its fourth rider. Paulo speedy' Goncalves brings with him over 12 years of rally-racing experience, including a series of remarkable performances at the world's most prestigious rallies. He was crowned 2013 FIM Cross Country Rally World Champion. He also clinched the runners-up position at the world's toughest off-road challenge, the Dakar Rally in 2015. Hero MotoSports Team Rally recently achieved an impressive podium finish at the 2019 Merzouga Rally in Morocco. "Paulo's entry will add further impetus to Hero MotoSports' campaign as it looks to improve on its already impressive results over the previous three year," the team said in a statement. Paulo will compete alongside the most experienced Indian rider in CS Santosh, compatriot Joaquim Rodrigues, and Spanish sensation Oriol Mena. He will make his debut for the team at the Silkway Rally (Russia-Mongolia-China) in July. Most recently, Hero's Mena .
AIFF's Technical Committee mulls over salary factor of high-profile coach applicants
The salary of high-profile applicants was a major issue of deliberation in the first meeting of AIFF's Technical Committee, which on Monday scrutinised around 40 candidates for the vacant post of the national team coach. The Committee also decided to ask the four contenders for the post of Technical Director to make a presentation before it. The AIFF had received over 250 applications for the post of national team coach left vacant by Stephen Constantine. After examining their CVs based on various criteria, 41 names were forwarded to the technical committee. The Committee, chaired by former India international Shyam Thapa, in its meeting on Monday segregated the 41 names into two lists. The first list of 17 has the likes of France's World Cup winning coach Raymond Domenech, former England managers Sven-Goran Eriksson and Sam Allardyce. These are pro-licence holders with national team experience in major global events, like the World Cup. The second list of 24 has the likes of highly ..
Hero MotoSports Team Rally ropes in Paulo Goncalves
Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the two-wheeler manufacturer -- Hero MotoCorp Ltd. -- has strengthened the team by signing Portuguese champion Paulo Goncalves as fourth rider.
AIFF chief's meeting with I-League clubs put on hold
All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel was expected to meet the seven I-League clubs - Quess East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Minerva Punjab FC, Aizawl FC, NEROCA FC, Gokulam FC and Churchill Brothers - between April 10 and 15, but that has now been postponed and no date has been decided as of yet.
Woods climbs to world no. 6, Johnson retakes top spot
Tiger Woods continued his stunning rise up the world rankings on Monday by officially returning to the top 10 for the first time since 2014 after his dramatic fifth Masters win. The 43-year-old climbed six spots to sixth after a one-shot victory at Augusta National which crowned one of the greatest comeback stories in sport with a first major title since the 2008 US Open. Woods' next target may be a return to the top of the rankings, where he spent a record 683 weeks between 1997 and 2014, including 281 consecutively. He was ranked outside the top 1,000 in November 2017 when he embarked on his comeback from a fourth back surgery, but now has the top five of Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose, Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas in his sights. Johnson reclaimed the world number one ranking from Rose just a week after losing it to the Englishman, thanks to his tied-second finish behind Woods as Rose missed the Masters cut for the first time in his career. Koepka jumped back above ...
AIFF panel discusses appointment of India coach
The All India Football Federation's (AIFF) technical committee meeting here on Monday deliberated on the short-listed candidates, from around 250 to 38, for appointment as technical director and national coach.
Dalima Chhibber credits AIFF for supporting women's football
Dalima Chibber, the Indian International and Gokulam Kerela right-back on Monday credited the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for supporting women's football in India."The AIFF has put in a lot of hard work, considering the exposure and opportunities they have given us. They are doing their part. The point here is the support that the federation gets in terms of promoting the sport," goal.com quoted Chhibber as saying.The 21-year-old was seen saying that the women football would improve in the country if more Indian Super League (ISL) and I-League teams start participating in Indian women's league."It would be better if more ISL and I-League teams start participating in IWL. Even this year, we have only Gokulam participating in the IWL. Now only if these clubs come in and develop a football team, imagine the fans that they have," Chhibber said."If they make people aware of women's football, imagine the impact it is going to have on their fans and the people who follow those ...
Mane, Salah lead Liverpool to 2-0 win over Chelsea
Liverpool seems to have learned a thing or two as they prevailed over Chelsea 2-0 on goals by Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah to stay in the fight for the Premier League title.
Karthik beat Pant on wicket-keeping skills: Prasad
BCCI chief selector M.S.K Prasad on Monday made it clear that wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik will not automatically start in the playing XI in the upcoming World Cup and will only get a chance when M.S. Dhoni gets injured.
Bangladesh hit by injuries ahead of World Cup
Bangladesh's hopes for the cricket World Cup have been hit by injuries to several key players, including star pace bowler Mustafizur Rahman. The 23-year-old left arm bowler sprained his ankle warming up for a Dhaka Premier League match on Thursday, joining a growing injury list which includes batsman Mahmudullah Riyad and pace bowler Rubel Hossain. Bangladesh had previously barred the injury-prone Mustafizur from playing in the Indian Premier League ahead of the World Cup, which starts May 30. It had let him take part in the domestic 50-over league to keep match-fit however. The new injury is expected to sideline him for at least two weeks. "Mustafizur is slightly better now. We are hopeful he will play the World Cup," Bangladesh Cricket Board chief physician Debashis Chowdhury told AFP. Debashis is being kept busy by the squad. Mahmudullah aggravated a shoulder injury during a recent tour of New Zealand and only returned to tentative training last week. Rubel Hossain has been ...
Sanchez in surprise contention for Barcelona clash
Alexis Sanchez could be in line for a surprise call-up for Manchester United's Champions League quarter-final second leg with Barcelona after travelling with the club to Spain. The 30-year-old Chilean forward, who scored 47 goals in 141 appearances for Barcelona from 2011-14, has been absent for six weeks due to a knee injury. However, United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may turn to him after his side failed to muster a shot on target in the 1-0 defeat at Old Trafford in last week's first leg. Sanchez, though, has rarely hit the sort of form he displayed for Arsenal prior to his move to Manchester in January 2018. A mixture of injury and poor form has seen him score just five goals in 41 appearances. Also included in the 22-player squad travelling to Barcelona are midfielder Nemanja Matic and full-back Matteo Darmian, but Ander Herrera and Eric Bailly miss out.
WC Squad: Experienced Karthik trumps young Pant; Shankar gets in too
Dinesh Karthik Monday returned to India's World Cup squad after 12 years, trumping Mahendra Singh Dhoni's heir apparent Rishabh Pant in a selection move that will be debated for a long time. The second wicketkeeper was the sole bone of contention for the marquee event starting in England and Wales on May 30 and the 33-year-old Karthik's experience of 91 ODIs gave him the edge over the 21-year-old Pant, according to the five-member selection panel headed by MSK Prasad. Karthik, the oldest Indian player in terms of international debut (three months before Mahendra Singh Dhoni in September 2004), was also part of the Indian squad during its disastrous 2007 World Cup campaign. He, however, missed the bus in 2011 and the 2015 editions. In the squad that was announced Monday, Dhoni will be playing his fourth, expected to be the final, 50-over World Cup. Kohli will play his third edition while Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were all a part
All hail Woods! Trump, Serena, Nicklaus join Tiger Twitter frenzy
President Donald Trump and Barack Obama were among those hailing Tiger Woods on social media after his 11-year major drought was ended by a thrilling and emotional Masters victory on Sunday. "Congratulations to @TigerWoods," tweeted the US president Trump, who played a round of golf with Woods earlier this year. "A truly Great Champion!" "Congratulations, Tiger!" former president Obama tweeted. "To come back and win the Masters after all the highs and lows is a testament to excellence, grit, and determination." As Woods went on a charge on the back nine at Augusta National with birdies at 13, 15 and 16 to win by a stroke and claim his 15th major and fifth Masters, social media lit up in a frenzy of congratulations. "I am literally in tears watching @TigerWoods this is Greatness like no other," tweeted 23-time Grand Slam tennis champion Serena Williams. "Knowing all you have been through physically to come back and do what you just did today? Wow Congrats a million times! I am so ...
Samuel Eto'o to be face of Qatar's Supreme Committee
The former Barcelona forward Samuel Eto'o has joined the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) as a Global Ambassador as Qatar steps up preparations for the quadrennial event.The SC is tasked with delivering projects and infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup which will be held in Doha.The Cameroonian international has appeared in four World Cups and bagged African Player of Year award four times.As a part of this new role, the 38-year-old will work closely with the SC on a range of projects, including workers' welfare projects, legacy programmes and event experience for the 2022 edition of the global showpiece.Back in 2017, Eto'o was named the UNICEF Goodwill Amabassador for Cameroon because of his involvement in the humanitarian projects."It's a great honour for me to be an ambassador for the SC and hope I am able to deliver what is expected of me. The World Cup is the biggest competition in football - there is nothing bigger - and I think that for the players who have had ..
India's WC squad: Karthik pips Pant, Shankar in at No.4
Dinesh Karthik has beaten Rishabh Pant in the race to become the second wicket-keeper in the Indian team for the upcoming World Cup in England and Wales. The five wise men of Indian cricket, led by M.S.K. Prasad, met in Mumbai on Monday and picked the 15-member squad. Vijay Shankar goes to the showpiece event as the number four batsman and Ravindra Jadeja has been picked as the third spinner ahead of a fourth pacer. KL Rahul joins in as the back-up opener.
Karthik makes it, Pant ignored in India's World Cup squad
Veteran Dinesh Karthik pipped young turk Rishabh Pant in the fight for the second wicketkeeper's slot in India's 15-strong squad announced Monday for the ICC World Cup starting May 30 in England. There were no surprises as the MSK Prasad-headed selection committee maintained continuity in their choices with the only topic of discussion being the second wicketkeeper. The 33-year-old Karthik got the nod ahead of the 21-year-old Pant despite an indifferent IPL campaign with the Kolkata Knight Riders. "The second wicketkeeper comes into play only if Mahi (Mahendra Singh Dhoni) is injured. We went ahead with Karthik because of his experience in big matches," Prasad said while announcing the squad here. The side, expectedly led by Virat kohli, comprises five specialist batsmen, two wicketkeepers, three fast bowlers, three all-rounders and two specialist spinners. Tamil Nadu all-rounder Vijay Shankar made it for his "three-dimensional" qualities. Squad: Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan,
Bayern, Liverpool battling for Werner: Reports
Reigning German champions Bayern Munich and Premier League side Liverpool FC are said to be battling over German international Timo Werner.
With all that happened, lucky to do this again: Woods
Ace golfer Tiger Woods, who won the Masters for the fifth time at the first major of the season played at the Augusta National course, believes he was "just lucky to do this again".
BJP issues notices to two party MLAs for engaging in verbal spat
The ruling BJP in Uttarakhand on Monday served notices to two party MLAs for engaging in a verbal spat in public. "It is a serious matter. Notices have been issued to the two MLAs asking them to explain their conduct," Pradesh BJP president Ajay Bhatt said. A verbal spat broke out recently between BJP MLA from Khanpur Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion and the party's Jhabreda legislator Desraj Karnawal when the latter cast doubts over Champion's educational and sports credentials. Champion, who claims to be a wrestler, challenged Karnawal to a wrestlingbout at a stadium in Roorkee after he learnt that Desraj had termed his educational degrees and achievements in the field of sportsas "fake". However, when Champion arrived at the stadium for the wrestling bout, Karnawal did not show up. Champion said he wanted to show Karnawal what stuff he was made of. He also said the Jhabreda MLA did not turn up as he was not strong enough evento bear a slap. When the Jhabreda MLA was asked by reporters .
Quarter-final curse looms as Barca and Messi look to set record straight
Four years have passed since Lionel Messi last reached a Champions League semi-final and his drought has become a source of unease for Barcelona ahead of their latest attempt on Tuesday. Manchester United are the ones looking to emulate Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Roma by sending Barca out in the quarters for a fourth year running but for the Catalans, another failure would be unforgivable, not least because of the implications for their captain. "Last season we did the double but we all felt bad about how it went in the Champions League," Messi said in August. "We promise this season we will do all we can to bring that beautiful cup back to Camp Nou." Barcelona's dominance in Spain has been shaped by Messi, who only this month overtook Iker Casillas as the player with the most La Liga victories, 335, in its history. Those wins have helped them capture seven of the last 10 league titles, a figure that will surely become eight from 11 next month, given their nine-point lead at the ...