Page 476 - Sports
Solskjaer says Man Utd have quality to win Champions League
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is convinced that Manchester United have enough quality to win the Champions League, but says they may need luck on their side if they are to lift the trophy for a fourth time. United face a two-legged quarter-final against Barcelona in April after staging a dramatic comeback from a 2-0 first-leg deficit to knock out Paris Saint-Germain on away goals in the last 16. Solskjaer scored the dramatic winner in the 1999 final as United struck twice in injury-time to beat Bayern Munich 2-1 in Barcelona and become champions of Europe for the second time in their history. United, having won the trophy in 1968, lifted it again in 2008 by defeating Chelsea on penalties in Moscow but have not reached the final since 2011, when they were beaten 3-1 by Barcelona. Solskjaer has acknowledged that his team benefited from a significant decision in their favour to beat PSG, with Marcus Rashford scoring the decisive goal from a penalty awarded for handball with the help of VAR in the
FIFA push to spread 2022 Qatar World Cup faces resistance
Concerned by political and logistical impediments, FIFA will face resistance in Qatar to attempts to expand the 2022 World Cup to 48 teams and spread games across the Persian Gulf, people with knowledge of the talks told The Associated Press. FIFA President Gianni Infantino was given the backing of the governing body's ruling council on Friday to pursue his mission to enlarge the 2022 tournament from 32 to 48 teams, requiring at least two more stadiums in at least one additional country. FIFA and Qatar have until June to come up with a joint proposal to present to the congress of soccer nations, but the concept is mired in complexities stemming from the blockade of Doha by neighbors, tension highlighted in a report considered by the council Friday. During this next phase of the consultation process, FIFA will face Doha-based World Cup organizers highlighting potentially insurmountable issues involved in adding more venues outside of Qatar and hope the concept collapses, people with ...
It's Federer vs Nadal in Indian Wells semi final
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, arguably the two greatest men's tennis players of all time, have set up a dream semi-final at the BNP Paribas Open with straight-set victories.
Qatar resists FIFA push to spread 2022 World Cup
Concerned by political and logistical impediments, Qatar World Cup organisers are planning to privately resist FIFA's attempts to expand the 2022 World Cup to 48 teams and spread games across the Persian Gulf, a person with knowledge of the talks told The Associated Press. FIFA President Gianni Infantino was given the backing of the governing body's ruling council on Friday to pursue his mission to enlarge the 2022 tournament from 32 to 48 teams, requiring at least two more stadiums in at least one additional country. FIFA and Qatar have until June to come up with a joint proposal to present to the congress of soccer nations, but the concept is mired in complexities stemming from the blockade of Doha by neighbors, tension highlighted in a report considered by the council Friday. During this next phase of the consultation process, Doha-based World Cup organizers plan to highlight insurmountable issues involved in adding more venues outside of Qatar and hope the concept collapses, a ...
India to host U-17 Women's World Cup in 2020
India will host the U-17 Women's World Cup in 2020, International Football Federation (FIFA) President Gianni Infantino announced on Friday. "We are delighted to announce that India has been confirmed as the host of the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in 2020," Infantino said after the FIFA Council meeting in Miami, USA, This will be the second FIFA tournament India will be hosting, after the U-17 Men's World Cup in 2017. Confirming the development, All India Football Federation General Secretary Kushal Das told PTI: "We are thankful to FIFA for giving the right to host the U-17 Women's World Cup. This will raise the profile of women's football in the country. "We have been giving a lot of emphasis on the development of women's football in the country. So we bid for the U-17 Women's World Cup and now we have got it." The bidding process for the tournament started last year. France had also expressed interest to host the tournament. Das said the venues to host the mega event will be ...
Personality and mental strength makes Kohli the best in ODIs: De Villiers
South African great AB de Villiers feels Virat Kohli's "personality and mental strength" makes him the best ODI player at the moment. De Villiers, who has retired from international cricket, will be seen batting alongside India and RCB skipper Kohli in the IPL beginning March 23. "Virat's performances over the last while have been incredible and I can't see it stopping very soon. I have played with him for eight years now in the IPL and you can never take the class out of the guy," de Villiers told sport24. "However, he is human after all and, like any other cricketer, he will go through patches from time to time where he has to go back to the basics and work his way through it again. I believe it's his personality and mental strength that gets him through those moments and makes him the best ODI player in the world at the moment." The 35-year-old sees a lot of similarities between himself and Kohli. "We are both fighters and don't enjoy losing, we love batting together and taking the
Arrows stun Kerala Blasters 2-0 to qualify for Super Cup main tournament
Captain Amarjit Singh struck twice as Indian Arrows stunned Kerala Blasters 2-0 to qualify for the main round of the Super Cup football tournament here on Friday. Amarjit gave the Arrows the lead in the 39th minute and then converted from the spot in the 77th minute after Blasters defender Anas Edathodika handled the ball in front of goal to notch up a remarkable win in the qualification round. The Indian Arrows, the developmental side of All India Football Federation, play in the I-League and used Kalinga Stadium as their home venue. They will be up against Indian Super League side FC Goa on March 30 in the round of 16 match of the main tournament. The first match of the qualification round was, however, called off earlier in the day after former I-League champions Minerva Punjab did not turn up against ISL side Pune City FC. The Super Cup is a knockout tournament hosted by the AIFF where top six teams each from the I-League and ISL gets a direct qualification to the main round while
European teams to boycott enlarged Club World Cup: clubs
Top European clubs said Friday they will boycott a planned 24-team Club World Cup in 2021, dealing a blow to FIFA chief Gianni Infantino's overhaul of the competition. In a statement released shortly before FIFA's ruling council were expected to greenlight the new tournament at a meeting in Miami, the European Club Association said its members would not participate. "ECA clubs will not participate in the Club World Cup in 2021 and will assess participation in the Club World Cup in 2024," an ECA spokesman told AFP. A 17-page report distributed to the 37 members of FIFA's ruling body calls for the new tournament to take place between June 17 and July 4, 2021, replacing the Confederations Cup international tournament. But the ECA have argued against the plans despite FIFA President Infantino pushing strongly for the new-look competition. Any boycott by European clubs would instantly diminish the viability of the competition. A report distributed to FIFA Council members this week said ...
Dipa fails to qualify balanced beam final, to compete in vault final on Saturday
India's Dipa Karmakar Friday failed to make it to the balanced beam finals as she finished a lowly 20th in the qualifying round of the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup here. The 25-year-old Dipa could only score 10.633 in her balanced beam routine to end at 20th among 25 competitors. She also got penalty points. Australia's Emma Nedov took the top spot in the qualification round with a total of 13.466 points. The top eight finishers qualify for the final round. Dipa will, however, compete in the final of her pet vault event on Saturday. The gymnast from Tripura, who had finished fourth in the vault event at 2016 Rio Olympics, secured the third spot in the qualifying round on Thursday to make it to Saturday's finals.
Super Cup match called off after Minerva's boycott, play unlikely on Sat also
The country's premier knock-out football tournament, Super Cup, was on Friday thrown into jeopardy after Minerva Punjab did not turn up for the first match of the qualification round, prompting the national federation to describe it as a "crazy" and "unacceptable" move. Former I-League champions Minerva did not take the field on Friday against Indian Super League side Pune City FC. The Punjab side had also skipped the mandatory pre-match press conference on Thursday. However, Friday's second qualification round match between ISL side Kerala Blasters and I-League club Indian Arrows, a developmental team of All India Football Federation (AIFF), took place at the Kalinga Stadium. The situation is set to get worsen on Saturday as I-League sides Gokulam Kerala and Aizawl FC said they will not play their respective qualification round matches against Delhi Dynamos and Chennaiyin FC. Gokulam and Aizawl did not turn up for pre-match press conference on Friday. Aizawl FC said that they will ...
Dream11 to be official partner for IPL
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday announced Dream11, Indias biggest sports game, as the official partner for the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Zamal wins inaugural Bengal Open Golf Championship
It turned out to be an unbelievable week for Bangladeshs Md Zamal Hossain Mollah who stole the show on the final day of the inaugural Bengal Open Golf Championship 2019, winning the title by just one shot at the Tollygunge Club here on Friday.
Kuldeep, Rashid and Yasir are three spinners I enjoy watching currently: Shane Warne
Shane Warne doesn't like defensive bowlers in limited overs cricket and that's the reason three of his current favourites are India's Kuldeep Yadav, Pakistan's Yasir Shah and Afghanistan's Rashid Khan, who are "not at all scared of getting hit". In the past couple of years, the wrist spinners have dominated the white ball space primarily due to their wicket-taking ability but the legendary Australian refuses to buy the argument that finger spinners are losing relevance in limited overs format. "A good spinner bowler is a good spin bowler. It doesn't matter if he is a wrist spinner or a finger spinner. Saqlain Mushtaq, Muttiah Muralitharan, Daniel Vettori, there were so many good finger spinners in my time," Warne, who is a brand ambassador of Rajasthan Royals, told PTI during an interaction. But having a good wrist spinner in a line-up has it's own set of advantages. "If you get a good wrist spinner, they are always going to get picked as they will always take wickets. They might go ..
PCB condemns terrorist attack in Christchurch
The Pakistan Cricket Board on Friday condemned the terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch that left at least 49 people dead. The attack also led to the cancellation of the Bangladesh team's tour of New Zealand. The PCB expressed its grief and shock over the incident with the Peshawar and Islamabad franchise teams wearing black armbands during their match in the Pakistan Super League here. In a statement, PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani said: "On behalf of the Pakistan cricket fraternity, I would like to condemn in the strongest possible way the cowardly, uncivilised and inhuman terrorist attacks on the innocent worshippers in Christchurch mosques." The third Test between Bangladesh and New Zealand, which was to begin in Christchurch on Saturday, was called off after the terror attacks. "Our hearts go out to all those affected by this tragedy who will feel and understand their pain and loss better than us. In these difficult times, we also stand firmly with our colleagues in New ...
Solskjaer in Camp Nou return as Man Utd draw Barcelona in Champions League
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United face Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals while Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur clash in an all-Premier League tie following Friday's draw. The second leg will take Solskjaer back to the Camp Nou, where in 1999 the Norwegian won United the Champions League by coming off the bench to score a stoppage-time winner against Bayern Munich. With City and United not allowed to play their home leg in the same week, United will entertain the leaders of La Liga at Old Trafford on April 10, with the return six days later. Barcelona have not lost any of their last 30 home games in the competition, winning all but three of those. United's bitter rivals Liverpool will meet FC Porto in the knockout rounds for the second year in succession, while Ajax's reward for eliminating the holders Real Madrid is a two-legged tie against Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus. English hopes are high that this could be their year in Europe after all four Premier .
Mookerjee bows out in Swiss Open quarters
India's Riya Mookerjee crashed out in the women's singles quarterfinals of the Swiss Open badminton tournament with a straight game loss against top seed Chen Yufei of China here Friday. The unseeded Mookerjee was no match for her fancied Chinese rival, losing 10-21 8-21 in just 25 minutes to bow out of the competition. It was also curtains for Indian mixed doubles pair of Arjun M R and K Maneesha in the quarterfinals. Arjun and Maneesha lost 19-21 16-21 against Denmark's Mathias Bay-Smidt and Rikke Sob.
Arsenal draw Napoli in pick of Europa League quarter-finals
Arsenal will take on Napoli in the pick of the ties in the quarter-finals of this season's Europa League following Friday's draw, as Chelsea were paired with outsiders Slavia Prague. Unai Emery's team will host Napoli at the Emirates Stadium in the first leg on April 11, with the return in Italy a week later. It is a tough draw for the Gunners, with Carlo Ancelotti's Napoli currently second in Serie A -- they were eliminated from the Champions League in the group stage despite beating Liverpool at home and drawing twice with Paris Saint-Germain. The winners of that tie will go on to a semi-final against the winners of an all-Spanish quarter-final between local rivals Valencia and Villarreal. Both La Liga sides defeated Russian opposition in the last 16, with Valencia edging out Krasnodar and Villarreal, who are struggling domestically, knocking out Zenit Saint Petersburg. Before winning the Europa League three years running with Sevilla between 2014 and 2016, Emery really came to ...
Dhoni, Raina, Rohit joust to become first Indian to hit 200 IPL sixes
In this year's Indian Premier League (IPL), three Indian batsmen namely Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma will vie each other to touch the landmark figure of 200 sixes.The former Indian team captain has 186 sixes under his belt, placing him at the third position of the most sixes hit by an individual in the league.Swashbuckling southpaw Raina, who is the top scorer in the IPL, is placed on the fourth rank and his six-count stands at 185. Whereas, Rohit, the Hitman, has smashed 184 sixes and currently holds the fifth position. All of the three batsmen are just four, five and six colossal hits away to become the first Indian to hit 200 sixes in the upcoming league.Meanwhile, the King of Sixes Chris Gayle tops the list with the count of 292 maximums.West Indies brawny hitter, however, has the lowest innings count as compared to other top five in the list, to achieve this gargantuan number. Whereas, South African wicket-keeper batsman AB de Villiers is on the second ...
Man City face FIFA transfer ban: report
Manchester City will be banned by FIFA from making signings in the next two transfer windows after they broke rules related to the protection of youth players and third-party ownership, according to a report in the Sun newspaper. The club are already being investigated by the Football Association and Premier League over allegations related to youth transfers and financial fair play rules. European football's governing body UEFA is also looking into potential breaches of financial fair play, an investigation that could result in City being banned from the Champions League. A transfer ban for the Premier League champions would come less than a month after Chelsea were hit with the same sanction for 29 breaches of article 19 of FIFA's regulations on the transfer and status of players. The west London club have already lodged an appeal against that punishment but were told by world governing body FIFA last week that the sanction would not be frozen while the case is being reviewed, as ...
Zidane keeps options open for outcasts at Real Madrid
Zinedine Zidane has offered a way back for Gareth Bale, Isco and Marcelo at Real Madrid as he prepares for his first game against Celta Vigo on Saturday since being re-appointed as coach. Bale, Isco and Marcelo have all endured difficult seasons under Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari, with Bale heavily criticised for his form while Isco and Marcelo have been dropped. Zidane's return puts Bale's future in further doubt, given the pair's relationship became strained last season, before the Welshman said he was considering his future at the club. "I am not going to talk about Bale's season, I only talk about the 11 games we have left," Zidane said on Friday. "We all know the player that Gareth is. I am counting on him like everyone else, we are ready and Gareth is ready." Whether Zidane's words come with a place for Bale in his first starting line-up at the Santiago Bernabeu remains to be seen, as Madrid look to rebuild following a turbulent few months. Isco never started a single La .