Page 466 - Sports
UEFA probe Ronaldo for 'improper conduct' over 'cojones' goal celebration
UEFA on Monday opened an investigation into Cristiano Ronaldo's goal celebration after scoring a hat-trick in Juventus' Champions League comeback win against Atletico Madrid last week. European football's governing body said Ronaldo was facing charges of "improper conduct" after he mimicked Diego Simeone's crotch-grabbing 'cojones' gesture in last Tuesday's 3-0 win that sent Juventus through 3-2 on aggregate. After scoring the decisive penalty four minutes from time, Ronaldo turned towards the Atletico fans and replicated Simeone's gesture after the Spaniards' 2-0 first leg win by grasping his genitals and thrusting out his groin. A decision will be taken by UEFA on March 21. Juventus take on Dutch club Ajax in the Champions League quarter-finals over two legs, on April 10 in Amsterdam and April 16 in Turin. Coach Massimiliano Allegri has said he is confident Ronaldo will not be fined or suspended. "I think everyone celebrated their own way on the field and in the stands. I saw ...
Tendulkar on workload management: each player will have different requirements
There cannot be an uniform structure for workload management during the Indian Premier League as each and every player will have different set of requirements, the legendary Sachin Tendulkar said Monday. There have been a lot of discussions about how the World Cup-bound players need to effectively manage their workload during a demanding tournament like the IPL, and the maestro has his own take on it. "Preparation before the World Cup is different for each player and so their workload management will also be different," Tendulkar told PTI during an exclusive interaction. Tendulkar agreed with skipper Virat Kohli who recently said that it is up to the players to realise the kind of load they are taking as well as the form they are in. "To me, momentum is important. Every individual should be smart enough to assess if he needs to take a break or he needs to play games to stay in the thick of things. So the responsibility is on the individual to take a call," said the world's highest ...
About Kuldeep, it's purely skill and no mystery says Piyush Chawla
There is no mystery behind meteoric rise of Kuldeep Yadav but purely his skill set says Piyush Chawla, who worked with the Chinaman bowler in his formative years with the UP Ranji team. Chawla, the senior Kolkata Knight Riders spinner, said Kuldeep never stopped improving and that was key in his rise. "Kuldeep never labelled himself a mystery spinner. The term of being a mystery spinner is a myth. The main thing about Kuldeep is that he is a skillfull bowler. You need to make that skill powerful and Kuldeep is working on that," said Chawla. "The main thing about Kuldeep is he is not afraid of getting hit. I worked a lot with him in UP and here in KKR as well." Chawla reckons that Kuldeep and Yuzvendra Chahal will be able to make impact at the upcoming World cup. "Kuldeep is bowling really well. He has been consistent in the last few months. With him and Chahal I think India has two wicket taking wrist spinners. "If there are belters in the World Cup, the responsibility of the wrist ...
Steeplechaser Sable books Worlds berth
Steeplechaser Avinash Sable smashed his own national record to qualify for the World Championships while sprint sensation Hima Das clinched the gold in the women's 400m race in the Federation Cup here Monday. Hima though missed the Asian Championships mark on the final day competition. Jinson Johnson and Rajiv Arokia won the men's 1500m and 400m respectively to qualify for the Asian Championships. Heptathlete Swapna Barman also qualified for continental showpiece after the winning seven-event discipline with 5900 aggregate points. The 24-year-old Sable from Maharashtra was the star of the day as he came up with a new national record time of 8:28.94 in the men's 3000m steeplechase within six months of his earlier national record of 8:29.80 in September last year. Sable's rise has been remarkable as he shifted from cross country to steeplechase in 2017. He was with Belarusian coach Nikolai Snesarev when he created his earlier national record during the National Open Championships. He ...
Merkel aide 'sad' about Ozil's wedding invite to Erdogan
Angela Merkel's chief of staff on Monday joined the growing chorus of criticism of Arsenal's German midfielder Mesut Ozil for reportedly inviting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to his wedding this summer as his witness. The 30-year-old Ozil, who has Turkish family roots, sparked controversy last May when he was photographed with Erdogan, raising questions about the footballer's loyalty to Germany on the eve of their disastrous World Cup campaign. After 92 appearances for Germany, including a key role in the 2014 World Cup victory, Ozil suddenly quit the national squad last July, accusing German football officials of racism. On Sunday, Germany's top-selling tabloid Bild reported that Ozil, 30, and his model fiancee Amine Gulse, 25, a former Miss Turkey, personally presented Erdogan in Istanbul with an invitation to their wedding this summer, asking the Turkish leader to appear as the footballer's witness. The invite immediately drew sharp criticism in Germany, whose government .
UEFA opens disciplinary action against Ronaldo
The UEFA on Monday started disciplinary action against Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo for the celebration gesture following his team's 3-0 defeat of Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 in Turin, Italy.
2022 FIFA World Cup will be historic for Middle East: Xavi
World Cup-winning ace Spanish footballer Xavi Hernandez sees the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar as a historic occasion for the entire Middle East. He said the football scenario in the gas-rich Gulf nation has improved a lot over the years. "It (Qatar) is a new county (as far as football is concerned) and they are really excited to organise the 2022 (FIFA) World Cup. "And in my opinion, they are doing well and they have been organising since 2010. They had time and still have time to organise everything," Hernandez said. "So it will be a historic World Cup for the Middle East, and not just for Qatar," the 39-year-old footballer told reporters here Monday. Hernandez is in Mumbai for a 'Generation Amazing' programme and ceremonially kick-started the construction of a new community pitch in Colaba in south Mumbai. Qatar is all set to become the first country from the Middle East (West Asia) to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022. Hernandez, who played for long for La Liga club ...
East Bengal has three entities: CEO Sen
The rift in East Bengal is getting wider by the day. Things took an ugly turn on Monday when Quess East Bengal CEO Sanjit Sen said that one needs to understand that there are three factions in the club - investing company Quess, Quess East Bengal, the faction looking into club activities, and its executive committee.
Conditional ban on Pakistan will not work: Gambhir
Sharing his views on the demand to boycott Pakistan in the upcoming 2019 World Cup in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack, former India opener Gautam Gambhir on Monday said a conditional ban on the neighbouring country will not work.
Kuldeep knows when to play & when to rest: Chawla
Senior spinner Piyush Chawla on Monday said his Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) teammate and India leggie Kuldeep Yadav knows how to manage his workload during the Indian Premier League (IPL) keeping in mind the World Cup.
IPL participation depends on individuals, says Sachin Tendulkar
The Indian Premier League (IPL) will begin from Saturday, March 23 but there has been severe speculation over Indian player's participation in the tournament as the league will be immediately followed by the World Cup.But the former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar believes each player has a different requirement and that to play or not is an individual choice."To me, momentum is important, every individual should be smart enough to assess if he needs to take a break or he needs to play games to stay in thick of things. Each player has different requirements so the responsibility falls down to the individuals," Tendulkar told ANI.Mumbai Premier League will be played right after IPL and Tendulkar has said that these type of tournaments help to groom talent in the country as these type of matches give exposure to the players at an early stage."I think MPL is a great platform because not all the players get to play Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy or IPL for that matter. But they have been ..
Don't forsee threat to Indo-Pak WC match, they are bound by ICC agreement: Richardson
International Cricket Council CEO Dave Richardson on Monday said he doesn't forsee any threat to the high-profile India-Pakistan World Cup match, insisting that the two teams are bound by an ICC agreement to show up. "For ICC events, all teams have signed a members' participation agreement which requires them to participate in all the matches of the tournament and (in case of) any unjustified non-compliance with that provision, the playing conditions will kick in and the points will be awarded accordingly (to the other team)," he said when asked about the matter. There were demands that India should boycott the game against Pakistan in the World Cup in Manchester on June 16 in the wake of last month's Pulwama terror attack which killed more than 40 CRPF personnel. Responding to the outrage, the Committee of Administrators running Indian cricket also wrote a letter to the ICC urging it to boycott countries from where "terrorism emanates", but did not specifically name Pakistan. Another
MEA wins friendly cricket match against Australian High Commission
The Ministry of External Affairs team has won a friendly Twenty20 cricket match against the Australian High Commission at the Jesus and Mary College here. The Australian High Commission team won the toss and chose to bat. The Australian side, which included Deputy High Commissioner Rod Hilton and Political Counsellor Christian Hirst, set a target of 150 runs in 20 overs. The Ministry of External Affairs team achieved the target in just 11 overs, scoring 151 without any loss of wicket.
PCB defends music-filled PSL closing ceremony despite Christchurch mosque attack
"Cricket must not be stopped due to terrorism," PCB chief Ehsan Mani said, defending the decision to organise a music-filled PSL closing ceremony despite terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch. The Pakistan Cricket Board is facing public ire for not being sensitive enough considering that at least 50 people were killed during the Friday prayers in the terrorist attack. Mani said the ceremony was actually 'toned down'. "We acknowledged the incident, observed a minute's silence, released pigeons and cut out dancing. All the songs too were iconic Pakistani songs," said Mani. He claimed that Pakistan is the worst victim of terrorism and cricket should not be stopped because of terrorism or terrorists. Mani said that the incident in New Zealand proves that terrorism is a global menace. "We had a dilemma due to the unfortunate New Zealand incident. People forget that we are also the victims of terrorism. Now the world knows what challenges are there. Pakistan's problems are not ...
Prannoy to lead Indian badminton team in Asia Mixed Team Championships
World No. 24 H S Prannoy will lead a 13-member Indian badminton team at the Tong Yun Kai Cup 2019, the second edition of the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships to be held at Hong Kong from March 19-24. In the absence of top shuttlers Saina Nehwal, P V Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth, all of whom have been rested, Prannoy has been entrusted with the responsibility to lead a young Indian team. The troika of Saina, Sindhu and Srikanth have been rested ahead of the upcoming India Open. In its bid to give exposure to talented youngsters, the Badminton Association of India (BAI) has selected seven young shuttlers in the women's squad for the upcoming event, to be headed by Assam's wonderkid Ashmita Chaliha. The 19-year-old prodigy from Assam already has a couple of BWF titles under her name and even reached the semi-finals of the Nationals this year. She will be supported by Nagpur shuttler Vaishnavi Bhale, who was in last year's Uber Cup team. Bhale too proved her credentials by grabbing .
BCCI needs to take a decision on match against Pakistan, says Gautam Gambhir
Indian former cricketer Gautam Gambhir on Monday said that Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) needs to take a decision on the World Cup match against Pakistan. He said that there cannot be conditional bans, one needs to take a decisive move against Pakistan.There has been a huge outcry in the country asking India to boycott the World Cup match against Pakistan after the Pulwama attacks on February 14 in which around 40 CRPF personnel were killed."This is what BCCI needs to decide. There cannot be conditional bans, either you ban Pakistan from everything or you open everything with them. I know it is difficult to boycott Pakistan from the ICC tournaments. We do not play bilateral series against Pakistan, we should stop playing against them in Asia Cup as well, in my opinion," Gambhir told reporters.If India decides to boycott the World Cup match against Pakistan, they will end up giving two points to the neighbours, but the former cricketer believes that losing two points are
Women's senior team hail 2020 U-17 World Cup as game-changer
FIFA, on Friday, announced India as the hosts for FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in 2020. This will be the first time that a nation will host and take part in the tournament in its history.Maymol Rockey, the head coach of India Women's football senior team has said that this will be a huge step in developing the sport."I am delighted that an Indian women's team will take part at a World Cup for the very first time. It will increase awareness about women's football and in the process, create a bigger base for subsequent age-group and senior national teams - which is good for us as coaches as well," Maymol said."It has helped spread the game across the country and we have seen some great talents come out from that team as well. We can expect the same from the girls' team that will play in 2020 and a few years down the line, it will only help add more quality in the senior team as well," she added.The goalkeeper of the Women's team Aditi Chauhan hailed this announcement as gamechanger for ..
There can't be conditional bans: Gambhir calls on BCCI to go for all or nothing with Pakistan
Former India opener Gautam Gambhir Monday said the BCCI should either snap all cricketing ties with Pakistan, including multi-lateral events, or engage with the arch-rivals at every level as "there can't be conditional bans". Gambhir, who called for snapping ties with Pakistan after the Pulwama terror attack which killed more than 40 CRPF personnel, said the Indian Board has to decide and be prepared for the consequences. The responsibility of the Pulwama attack was taken by Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed. "There can't be conditional bans. Either you ban everything with Pakistan or open everything with Pakistan. What has happened in Pulwama is absolutely not acceptable," Gambhir, who was recently conferred the Padma Shri, told reporters on the sidelines of a promotional event for 'Funngage.com'. "I am sure it's going to be difficult for India to boycott them in ICC tournaments but stop playing Pakistan in the Asia Cup," said the left-hander. Outspoken in his support for
Historic day for Afghanistan: Skipper Asghar Afghan
Afghanistan skipper Asghar Afghan is elated after his side's maiden Test win and has described the victory as 'special' for his nation and countrymen.
Sunil Chhetri dubs Indian Super League win as 'special'
Bengaluru FC won their first Indian Super League title on Sunday as they defeated FC Goa 1-0. Post-victory their captain Sunil Chhetri dubbed the win as extremely special for him."I rate this win at probably number two, right after the AFC Cup 2016 final in Doha against the team that eventually won," goal.com quoted Chhetri as saying."After losing the final last year we did not speak about it but everyone knew that one day we will be presented with this chance. Everybody thought about it, everybody wanted this. You know what Asia, we are back," he added.Bengaluru was not able to get over the line last season, losing the title to Chennaiyin FC. The forward felt that there are no significant changes in the squad from last year but the addition of Carles Cuadrat as manager did wonders for the team."The characters are the same. There is not much of a difference in the style between Albert (Roca) and Carles (Cuadrat). Just slight alterations but their mentalities are the same. Also, Gerard