Page 480 - Sports
'Dexit' worries in German football as Bayern complete Europe exit
Michael Ballack says Bayern Munich's exit from the Champions League -- meaning not a single Bundesliga club survived the last 16 -- mirrors deeper problems within German football. "We (the German national team) went out of the World Cup early, were relegated in the League of Nations and the Champions League has ended for all German sides in the round of 16," the former Germany captain told Sky. "It's a clue we're not doing everything right, we must not try to explain that away with excuses." For the first time since 2006, there will be no German club in the quarter-finals and for the first time since 2011, Bayern have failed to advance past the Champions League's last 16. "A perfect Dexit" commented broadcaster RTL. The combination of Deutschland and exit sums up the national mood after Bayern -- the last German hope in the Champions League -- bowed out with a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool. A hard truth for a proud footballing nation is that in three last-16 matches between Premier League ..
'Fake' coaches, fixers undermine China's football ambitions
Rapacious middlemen and coaches with forged or few qualifications are trying their luck in China's fast-growing grassroots football, imperilling its ambitions to become a major force in the sport, insiders warn. At the behest of football-fan President Xi Jinping, for whom it is a soft-power tool, the world's second-biggest economy is throwing resources at the game domestically. Central to that is getting more youngsters to play at schools, clubs and academies. The education ministry plans to have 50,000 "schools characterised by soccer" by 2025. But five people involved in youth football in the country told AFP they had encountered coaches with counterfeit certificates. Just being from overseas was sometimes enough to get work, many involved in the scene said, as so-called coaches -- Chinese and foreign -- rush for a share of the money swilling around football in China. Former international forward Xie Hui, now an assistant coach at Chinese Super League (CSL) champions Shanghai SIPG, .
Badminton's Lee likely to delay cancer comeback again
Lee Chong Wei is likely to miss next month's Malaysia Open and delay his comeback from nose cancer for a second time, an official said Thursday, as the badminton great struggles to make a full recovery. Norza Zakaria, president of the Badminton Association of Malaysia, warned fans to "lowe their expectations" for the 36-year-old former world number one. The three-time Olympic silver medallist has been on the sidelines since July last year, when he was diagnosed with early-stage nose cancer. He underwent a gruelling programme of specialist treatment in Taiwan but opted not to retire and resumed training in January. Lee originally planned to play the All England Open in March but then delayed his return to the Malaysia Open, where he is the defending champion, in early April. But Zakaria said Lee looked likely to miss his home tournament and was now targeting the Sudirman Cup mixed-team event in China in May. "The probability of him not playing in the Malaysia Open is very high," he ...
Twitterati slams Ravi Shastri after India lose series
India failed to clinch the series against Australia even after taking an early lead 2-0. The trounce has invited criticism against their head coach Ravi Shastri following the team's 35 run defeat in the decider match at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium in the national capital on Wednesday.Soon after India was thrashed by the Aaron Finch and company, Shastri was brought to light for all the wrong reason and the former cricketer had to face a backlash on Twitter."Waiting when @RaviShastriOfc resigned. If he will not resign we do Dharna against Ravi Shastri," a tweet read.[{f9704f7f-e03b-4034-8431-9b6dbe96fbb9:intradmin/RaviShastri1.jpg}]Another user tweeted, "if u wanna win world cup sack #Ravishastri and pull dhoni and let virat mind his batting" [{9eab152f-28d9-47dd-9970-cde618d3b763:intradmin/RaviShastri2.jpg}]While requesting to make Rahul Dravid as India's head coach, a tweeter wrote, "@BCCI i request plz bring Rahul Dravid india's head coach and throw out Ravi shastri.india will achieve ..
Arantxa stuns Rishabh to reach round of 32 at snooker tourney
Pune's Arantxa Sanchis stunned Mumbai's seasoned cueist Rishabh Thakkar 4-3 in the round of 64 matchof the Rs 12.9 lakh prize money CCI All India Open Snooker Championship here Thursday. The national women's runner-up, a left hander, played confidently and potted consistently against the experienced Thakkar to come out victorious 45-39, 51-60, 61-46, 59-22, 32-75, 28-59, 61-44, winning the final frame on the pink ball. Maharashtra No. 1 Sparsh Perwani staged a fight back to quell the challenge from Rovin D'souza of Railways, pulling off a 4-2 win to also advance to the round of 32. Perwani held his nerves to clinch a tense 48-66, 16-65, 50-41, 67-63, 63-54, 58-57 win. Former national champion Aditya Mehta (ONGC), after a tentative start and the loss of the opening frame, recovered to overcome Faisal Khan of Railways 4-1. Mehta scripted a 33-58, 67-28, 49-32, 60-22 and 64-17 victory. Rahul Sachdev, who plays for hosts Cricket Club of India (CCI), cracked the highest ...
Host of top athletes in action for Asian C'ships berth in Fed Cup
All the top athletes except star javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra and a few others will be seen in action in the four-day Federation Cup National Senior Athletics Championship which begins here on Friday. Neeraj, who is currently training in South Africa since January 12, has been exempted from participation in this first big meet of the season, which also serves as the selection trials for the April 19-24 Asian Championships in Doha. National record holder long jumper M Sreeshankar will also miss the event as he is injured while Delhi high jumper Tejaswin Shankar, who is on a full scholarship at the Kansas State University in USA, will not compete due to clash with examination dates. The Athletics Federation of India has made it mandatory for all the athletes, except those who have been exempted, to take part in the Federation Cup if they want to get selected for the Asian Championships. However, the selection committee is expected to take a final call on the matter. More than 700 ...
India can host Special Olympics, says SO Bharat's National Sports Director
India is capable of hosting Special Olympics but the lack of accommodation standards required for athletes with intellectual disabilities may come in the way of staging the event, said National Sports Director of SO Bharat on Thursday. The 15th edition of the Special Olympics World Summer Games is set to begin here with 7,500 athletes from 190 nations taking centre stage, making the largest sports and humanitarian event in the world. SO Bharat, which is accredited by Special Olympics International to conduct events in India, is fielding a contingent comprising 284 athletes and 71 coaches. This is the ninth time India will take part in the event. "India can host Special Olympics sports specific wise not all of them together. We have good officials to officiate the games equivalent to the ones here if not better," Victor Vaz told PTI. "We have good infrastructure for conducting the events the only place we are lacking is accommodation because the hygiene the European countries and US ...
Bengal Open golf: Baisoya extends lead on Day 3
Delhis Honey Baisoya may not have matched his score of 64 from the first two rounds but the 22-year-old, in his own words, came up with his most satisfying effort of the week on day three, a five-under-65 that helped him extend his lead at the inaugural Bengal Open Golf Championship on Thursday.
Karthik will play finisher's role as he is in WC mix: Katich
Kolkata Knight Riders assistant coach Simon Katich is confident that their captain Dinesh Karthik will once again excel in his designated finisher's role, making a case for his selection in India's World Cup squad. Karthik, who didn't play the one-dayers against Australia, is back in the mix after Rishabh Pant's failure to grab the chance. Asked about his batting position, Katich dropped a hint that the KKR skipper would use the Indian Premier League to showcase his skill set in pressure games. "I think what Dinesh brings in his experience (in crunch situations). He has played that role very well for India and for us. You know what you will get from him down the innings. He is hard to bowl to," Katich told reporters on Thursday. "So he will be in the mix for the World Cup. It will give the Indian selectors a tough job to pick with so much talent around," he added. He was all praise for young Shubman Gill, who, he though, will play across formats for India. "I am sure pretty soon he ...
Indian men slip at final hurdle, finish fourth
It turned out to be a disappointing final round for the Indian men as they went downing fighting against Russia 1.5-2.5 in the ninth and final round of the World Team Chess Championship on Thursday. Having done some real hard work to be joint second after the penultimate rounds, a 2-2 results would given Indian a bronze and a victory would have ensured the silver medal for the team. But unfortunately, the loss came from position of strength. National champion Aravindh Chithambaram missed out on a great opportunity to beat Dmitry Andreikin on the fourth board and Surya Ganguly, despite trying very hard, could not convert a complex but advantageous position against Ian Nepomniachtchi on the second board. Both these games ended in draws. B Adhiban did his bit and drew with Sergey Karjakin on the top board earlier in the day but S P Sethuraman lost a long-drawn game against Alexander Grischuk on the third board, putting an end to Indian hopes of a medal despite being among the front ...
Never dreamt of 1987 World Cup hat-trick: Chetan Sharma
Reliable seam-bowling option for the Kapil Dev-led side by the time of the World Cup 1987, former India pacer Chetan Sharma on Thursday said he never dreamt of a hat-trick during the tournament."As a fast bowler you don't even dream of a hat-trick," Chetan said in an ICC Cricket 360 special. "You dream of five wickets, you dream of 10 wickets but you don't dream of a hat-trick. Getting a hat-trick there ... I couldn't believe myself."Chetan, who made his ODI debut in late 1983, picked up the first ever World Cup hat-trick in the 1987 edition.However, during India's final group match against New Zealand in the 1987 edition, Chetan accomplished one of his greatest achievements as he cleaned bowled Ken Rutherford, Ian Smith and Evan Chatfield in three successive deliveries.His historic feat helped India restrict the Kiwis on 221/9 in Nagpur.Following the first two wickets, Chatfield had come on to the field with a visor. Reflecting on it, Chetan said: "I never expected that on a wicket ..
Minerva Punjab train but miss pre-match conference, meeting; AIFF calls it 'blatant disregard'
Barely hours before the tournament's scheduled kick-off, the Super Cup was shrouded in uncertainty with Minerva Punjab FC giving the customary pre-match conference and meeting a miss, prompting the All India Football Federation to label it as "blatant disregard". A cloud of uncertainty hung over the fate of the tournament after eight I-League clubs Tuesday pulled out citing unfair treatment by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). "While representatives from three clubs -- FC Pune City, Kerala Blasters FC and Indian Arrows -- were present on both occasions, Minerva Punjab FC did not attend either despite being present in Bhubaneswar," the AIFF said in a statement. "This is extremely disappointing, and a blatant disregard for the federation," the apex body added. As per the schedule, former I-League champions Minerva Punjab are slated to play Indian Super League franchise FC Pune City on Friday, the opening day of the qualifiers. In case Minerva Punjab stick to their decision to ...
Spoken to CoA, no conflict of interest: Ganguly on DC role
Former India captain and Cricket Association of Bengal president Sourav Ganguly on Thursday said that he has taken up an advisory role with IPL franchise Delhi Capitals after consulting Committee of Administrators (CoA). "There is absolutely no conflict of interest. I resigned from the IPL governing council earlier. I have spoken to the CoA too before committing myself to the role," Ganguly told PTI. He has been an administrator for more than five years now but contributing in technical matters and strategy is what excites him the most. "I am feeling very excited. Always wanted to return to cricket. You can say I am a happy man," Ganguly, who had captained KKR and now defunct Pune Warriors in the cash-rich league, said. "Yes I was the captain of KKR. But this role is totally different from that. Playing on the field is different from providing inputs sitting in the dugout. As a captain, I also had to execute the plans on the field. But this time the onus is on the cricketers to ...
BCCI case: Game must go on, says SC; appoints P S Narasimha as mediator
"The game must go on", the Supreme Court said on Thursday and appointed senior advocate P S Narasimha as mediator for resolving pending disputes related to cricket administration at the BCCI. A bench comprising Justices S A Bobde and A M Sapre also restrained all other courts in India from entertaining or proceeding with any matter pertaining to Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and state cricket associations till Narasimha submits his report in the court on the disputes. "P S Narasimha, the amicus curiae, is appointed to act as mediator in relation to any dispute raised in the applications before us," the bench said. It said Narasimha, assisting the court as an amicus curiae in the BCCI matter, will hear the parties on the issues raised by them and make recommendations to the court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) for BCCI. "In case the parties are not satisfied, this court will hear the matter," the bench said and asked him to look into the issue raised by ...
Series win will boost Australia for World Cup: Katich
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) coach Simon Katich believes that winning the just concluded One-Day International (ODI) series in India will give the Australian players a lot of confidence going into the World Cup later this year.
Rookie Hasnain could be a handful for Australian batsmen: Watson
Australia's Shane Watson believes that rookie fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain could be a handful for the Australians in the upcoming five-match one-day series in the United Arab Emirates. Watson, who has come to Karachi after 15 years, is playing for the Quetta Gladiators franchise, which picked Hasnain as an emerging player. "I have never seen a 18-year old bowl at such pace and I think even on the UAE pitches he will be a difficult proposition for the Australian team," Watson said. "Hasnain's control over his length and swing is very impressive and he varies his pace very well," the Australian said. The retired batsman, who has been a big force behind Quetta reaching the final, on Wednesday night at the National Stadium said he was impressed by the young players seen in action in the PSL. He said the quality of bowling was very impressive and it was heartening to see so much pace talent in Pakistan. Hasnain has been seen as a surprise selection for the series against Australia and ...
Lakshya Sen storms into quarters of China Masters
Asian junior champion Lakshya Sen stormed into the men's singles quarterfinals of China Masters badminton tournament with an easy straight-game victory over Ha Young-woong of South Korea on Thursday. The Indian, who is ranked 104 in the world, won 21-14, 21-15 in a 46-minute contest held at Lingshui. Sen, who was never really stretched in the match, will take on Zhou Zeqi of China in the round of eight match on Friday.
Kohli looking at Jadeja as third spinner in WC team
Considered a complete package for the limited-overs cricket, Ravindra Jadeja's career saw a surprise turn when he was left out of the national team after the ODI against West Indies in July 2017. For close to a year and two months, he was seen as India's spin weapon in only Test cricket. But the Asia Cup in Dubai last year saw the selectors deciding to give him another chance, and while he is still not the first-choice spinner in this Indian team, he has clearly booked himself a place in the flight for the World Cup.
Chennaiyin moves to AFC group stage beating Colombo
A second-half goal by Jeje Lalpekhlua helped Chennaiyin FC beat Colombo FC 1-0 in the 2019 AFC Cup qualifying play-off second leg, becoming the first Indian Super League (ISL) outfit to move to the AFC Cup group stage.
Dipa qualifies for final round of Artistic Gymnastics World Cup
India's Dipa Karmakar Thursday made it to the vault finals after finishing third in the qualifying round of the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup here. The 25-year-old Dipa, who had finished fourth in the event at 2016 Rio Olympics, performed a higher difficulty Handfront 540 vault for the first time in the competition. She scored 14.466 and 14.133 points in the two qualifying round vaults for an average of 14.299. American Jade Carey took the top spot in the qualifying round with an average score of 14.70 while Alexa Moreno of Mexico was second with 14.533. The top eight finishers in the qualification round will compete in the final. The vault final will be held on Saturday. Dipa will also take part in the balanced beam event on Friday. "It's a good performance by Dipa. Let us hope that she stands on the podium after Saturday's final and take one more step towards Olympic qualification," Gymnastics Federation of India vice president Riyaz Bhati said. Dipa had claimed a bronze at the ...