Page 499 - Sports
Sporting director Monchi leaves Roma
Roma and their sporting director Monchi parted ways by mutual consent on Friday a day after coach Eusebio Di Francesco was sacked, the Serie A club confirmed. The 50-year-old Spaniard's exit follows a poor run of results and Roma's Champions League last 16, second-leg defeat at Portuguese club Porto with former Leicester and Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri poised to return as head coach. "I want to thank Monchi for the dedication he has shown over the past two years," said AS Roma CEO Guido Fienga. Monchi -- full name Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo -- spent 17 years as a sporting director at Sevilla, a club he also represented as a player, before joining Roma in 2017. "I would like to thank President (James) Pallotta, the club's management, staff, players and fans for their support during my time at the club," said Monchi. "I wish Roma a lot of success in the future." Monchi has been linked with a move to Arsenal having worked with head coach Unai Emery at Sevilla, where he won 11 trophies ...
Real Madrid exit a warning for Barcelona
Ernesto Valverde has refused to rule Real Madrid out of the title race but says their Champions League exit should serve as a warning to Barcelona when they play Lyon next week. Barca are at home to Rayo Vallecano on Saturday in La Liga, four days before hosting Lyon in Europe, with the tie hanging in the balance following a goalless draw in the first leg. Their position is more comfortable in the league, where they sit seven points ahead of Atletico Madrid and 12 in front of Real, but Valverde insists there is no room for complacency. "I do not rule out any team, none of us do," Valverde said at a press conference on Friday. "Atletico is now the closest rival and our objective is to keep this distance at least. I do not rule out Real Madrid either out of respect and because of the maths. "We see the Real Madrid situation from a distance and with respect, because we know that football is what it is, a lot can change in a week. "When we see there are teams that go out of the Champions .
Anvit Bendre in line for double crown at tennis tournament
Giantkiller Anvit Bendre of Maharashtra will clash with second-seeded Kumar Anand of Delhi in the men's final of the Dhoot Transmission Poona Club Rs 3 lakh AITA men's and women's open tennis championship here Saturday. In the semi-finals Friday, qualifier Bendre scored a facile 6-2, 7-6(8) win over Suresh Dakshineshwar of Tamil Nadu, while second-seeded Anand was lucky to scrape past a fighting Dhruv Sunish of Maharashtra 6-2, 7-6(2) in a one hour and 50 minutes. Bendre also made it to the doubles final with city lad Rohan Bhatia as the scratch pair downed Shashank Theertha Macherla and Gunjan Jadhav 4-6, 6-2, 12-10. In the final, Bendre and his partner will take on second seeds Parikshit Somani and Dakshineshwar who halted fourth seeds Armaan Bhatia and Ishaque Eqbal 6-2, 7-5 in the other mens doubles semis. In the women's singles semis, seventh-seeded Nidhi Chilumula of Telangana upset top-seededVaidehi Chaudhari of Gujarat 7-6(7), 6-4, while fourth-seeded Soha Sadiq
Guardiola retains faith in Man City hierarchy over FFP claims
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola trusts his club will be exonerated after UEFA opened an investigation into potential breaches of Financial Fair Play regulations. German magazine Der Spiegel, using material purportedly obtained from the whistleblowing outlet Football Leaks, alleged in November that Abu-Dhabi backed City had set up sponsorship deals to circumvent regulations limiting how much money owners can put into a club. UEFA announced on Thursday those claims were being investigated and should they be found guilty, the English champions could be hit with a ban from the Champions League. City responded immediately by saying they supported the investigation and that they had nothing to hide. "Manchester City welcomes the opening of a formal UEFA investigation as an opportunity to bring to an end the speculation resulting from the illegal hacking and out of context publication of City emails," the club said in a statement. "The accusation of financial irregularities are entirely ..
Bajaj fires 83 break on way to round three
Mumbai cueist Abhishek Bajaj compiled a tournament-high break of an unfinished 83 in the CCI All India Open Snooker Championship on Friday. Bajaj easily defeated Sharad Kumar of Delhi 3-1 in a first round match and the notable run came in the fourth frame that he pocketed without conceding a point to wrap up a 69-37, 15-60, 66-7, 83-0 win. Bajaj's 83 break is currently the highest in the tournament surpassing Vishal Vaya's 76 effort on Thursday. He was given a fright by 13-year-old city rival Shahyan Razmi before winning 3-2 in a tense and nail-biting second round encounter. He won 74-18, 30-85(35), 59-43, 10-52, 67-51 to book a place in the third round. Shahyan's elder brother Rayaan also fell by the wayside, going down tamely to Nashiks Pankaj Khatri 0-3 in another second round contest. Results (all from Mumbai unless stated otherwise): Round 1: Avinash Kumar (Delhi) beat Chetan Chabbria 3-0 (71-15, 60-11, 69-62); R Santosh Kumar (Karnataka) beat Vaibhav Pandey (Delhi)
IDEMITSU Honda Racing India team geared up for ARRC
: The IDEMITSU Honda Racing India team is geared up for the first round of FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC), beginning at the Sepang International circuit in Malaysia on Saturday. The first round of the 2019 season would see 25 riders from seven nations fighting it out for top honours, a press note here said. After finishing the two-day pre-season testing on Thursday, the team finished practices on a high today. Both the riders of Honda Racing India team - the experienced Rajiv Sethu and rookie Senthil Kumar in the Asia Production 250cc class showed improvement on their timings. Clocking a best practice lap time of 2:26:858, Rajiv Sethu is now in the top seven bunch, his best-ever in practice. The combined practice result saw Senthil finish at 17th with his best lap time of 2:30:288. Prabhu Nagaraj, vice-president Brand and Communications, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said "Malaysia is a tricky round as the track is new to both the team and ...
Delhi Capitals announce online ticket sales for IPL 2019
Delhi Capitals on Friday announced the opening of the sale of online tickets for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Kohli completes 4k runs in ODIs as skipper
Virat Kohli on Friday another feather to his cap after becoming the fourth Indian captain to score 4,000 runs in one-day internationals (ODIs).
Klopp not stressing over Salah slump
Jurgen Klopp insisted Liverpool are in the Premier League title race thanks to Mohamed Salah's goals despite the Egyptian's faltering form of late. Salah missed two huge chances as Liverpool drew for the fourth time in six league games in a 0-0 stalemate away to Everton last weekend to fall one point behind Manchester City at the top of the table. Last season's Premier League Player of the Year has now scored just once in his last seven games. However, he remains only one goal behind City's Sergio Aguero in the race for the Premier League golden boot. "When you are a striker or offensive player and you have chances in a game, you want to score with them, that's clear," said Klopp ahead of Burnley's visit to Anfield on Sunday. "But as a manager I'm more than used to that, that players don't score all the time, so that's how it is. "He has an unbelievable record, that's all. His goals brought us where we are - not only (his goals), but a big part of it." Liverpool no longer have a first
Pakistan welcomes foreign cricket stars for Twenty20 league
UEFA took the unusual step on Friday to explain a series of controversial Video Assistant Referees (VAR) calls in this week's Champions League last 16 ties. European football's governing body bowed to pressure by bringing forward the introduction of VAR into the Champions League for the knockout rounds, having not used the technology for the group stages. Ajax and Manchester United benefited from disputed decisions in sealing dramatic comebacks to eliminate holders Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. The handball given against PSG defender Presnel Kimpembe to award United a stoppage time penalty, which Marcus Rashford converted to complete a 3-1 win on the night at the Parc des Princes and progress on away goals, was branded "a disgrace" by injured PSG star Neymar. Even former United players Rio Ferdinand and Michael Owen said in their roles at TV pundits the penalty should not have been awarded. However, UEFA explained why Slovenian referee Damir Skomina reversed his original ...
HC pulls up CBI for delaying probe into wrestler's complaint
The Delhi High Court on Friday pulled up the CBI for delaying the probe into wrestler Narsingh Yadav's complaint related to doping filed ahead of 2016 Rio Olympics and selectively leaking the status report to the media.
I-League: Churchill, Real Kashmir to fight for 3rd place in hills of North-East
Churchill Brothers and Real Kashmir will fight for the third place, taking on Aizawl FC and Neroca FC respectively in two separate I-League matches beginning simultaneously in the hills of North East on Saturday. While Neroca FC and debutants Real Kashmir FC will clash at Imphal's Khuman Lampak stadium, hosts Aizawl FC faces Goan giants Churchill Brothers FC at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in an exciting battle for the third spot. Churchill Brothers are placed third currently with 34 points and will be ending their league campaign on Saturday. Kashmir, on the other hand, are a point behind in fourth, but with a re-scheduled game in hand against Minerva, will know that if they win on Saturday and Churchill do not, the third spot is secure. It will certainly not be easy for the David Robertson-coached 'Snow Leopards', given Neroca are very strong at home, where they have lost only once in this campaign to East Bengal, that too in their very first game over four months back. Even in the first ...
Ashwin demonstrates non-electric cricket ball thrower
: India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin Friday live demonstrated a non-electric cricket ball thrower Freebowler at Centre for Sports Science (CSS) here. The one-of-its-kind machine that was launched a few months ago doesn't require any batteries, cords or electricity ports and is portable. "Throwdowns are a crucial aspect of a batsman's training, but more often than not, it becomes difficult to find another person to give throwdowns as it's a taxing activity," Ashwin said. The non-electric ball thrower can be packed in a bag, easily assembled and can be operated even by a young cricketer, he said adding moreover, this will help reduce the stress on the arms of the coaches, who usually end up giving 400-500 throwdowns in one practice session. Ashwin, who has scored four Test centuries, said, "It took me quite a few years to improve my batting and had this product been available in my formative years, I would have reached my batting pinnacle faster." He also said that ...
Maisnam Luwang cruises to round 3 of German Junior
Maisnam Meiraba Luwang got the better of compatriot Ishaan Bhatnagar to enter the third round of the German Junior tournament in Berlin on Friday. The Manipur boy needed just 31 minutes to win the all-Indian clash, defeating Ishaan 21-6, 21-19 to set up a meeting with the sixth seeded Yonathan Ramlie. Luwang had thrashed U Min Jeong of Korea 21-11, 21-10 in the first round. On Thursday, Samiya Imad Farooqui and Gayatri Gopichand made a winning start to their campaign. Samiya needed just 27 minutes to dismiss Denmark's Clara Lober 21-10, 21-17 while Gayatri was equally impressive in her 21-14, 21-15 first round demolition of England's Alexandra Oprisan. Kerala's Treesa Jolly set up a second-round meeting with Gayatri after her 21-17, 21-11 win over German Friederike Rudert. UP's Amolika Sisodiya was the fourth girl to progress into the second round following her 21-13, 21-8 victory over Caroline Racloz of Switzerland. Aashi Rawat, however, departed with an 18-21, 12-21 loss to Korea's .
I-League: East Bengal look to capitalise on Esqueda's bright form in title showdown
East Bengal, aiming to win their first title, will rely heavily on Mexican striker Enrique Esqueda to deliver the goods in their must-win last round I-League encounter against Gokulam Kerala FC here on Saturday.
Eleven Indian Arrows players named in India's under-23 squad for match against Qatar
Eleven Indian Arrows players were named in the national squad for the match against reigning Asian Cup Champions Qatar in Doha on Monday ahead of the AFC U-23 Championship qualifiers. AIFF's developmental side, the Indian Arrows, have notched up some bright results in the I-League, including a win against Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan and India U-23 coach Derrick Pereira is aiming to build his team around them. "They are our future. It's not only about the match against Qatar or the U-23 Championship qualifiers. We should have a long term plan for them so that they can excel in future," Pereira said. "The experience of representing the nation in the U-17 FIFA World Cup would help them improve on and off the pitch. If they are provided with the right kind of experience and exposure regularly, Indian football will go a long way," he added. Incidentally, India faced Qatar in the AFC U-23 Championship qualifiers in the previous edition. Almoez Ali, who broke Ali Daei's record of scoring the .
East Bengal look to capitalize on Esqueda's bright form against Gokulam
East Bengal will look to capitalize on Mexican forward Enrique Esqueda's bright form when they face Gokulam Kerala in a must-win match Saturday and also hope for results to go their way elsewhere in a bid to claim the I-League title. Esqueda was out of action after suffering a broken rib following a 3-1 win over Gokulam Kerala in December last year but the Mexican showed prolific form, scoring the first goal against Real Kashmir in a 2-1 win on February 28. The Mexican recorded astounding stats after returning from injury to help the Red and Golds in their quest. With 8 goals and 2 assists to his name in the I-League, Esqueda has been the go to player for East Bengal. However, a win Friday might not be enough for East Bengal to claim the title as currently they are one point adrift of table-toppers Chennai City FC, who will play Minerva Punjab at the same time at the Nehru Stadium in Coimbatore. A win for Chennai City FC will hand them the title regardless of East Bengal's result ...
Sarfaraz rested, Shoaib Malik to lead Pakistan against Australia
Pakistan on Friday rested captain Sarfaraz Ahmed and some other key players while recalling Umar Akmal and Junaid Khan for the upcoming five-match ODI series against Australia in the UAE. Besides Sarfaraz, Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Zaman, Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi are the other players who have been rested for the series, starting March 22 in Sharjah. In Sarfaraz's absence, veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik will lead Pakistan in the series. Medium-pacer Hussain Talat has been dropped from the squad that lost 2-3 to South Africa earlier this year, while Mohammad Hafeez was not considered as he is recovering from a thumb surgery. Pakistan chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq said the decision to rest Sarfaraz and others was taken largely to ensure they get adequate break before the World Cup. "The idea is to have them fresh and fully fit for the World Cup as they have been playing consistently for the last five months," Inzamam said. The 16-member squad also includes uncapped ...
Ranchi ODI: Aussies finish 313 after Finch, Khawaja laid foundation
Aaron Finch and Usman Khawaja helped fire Australia in the must-win third one-day international (ODI) of the five-match series against India, setting 313 runs for five at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi on Friday.Australia got off to a strong start after being asked to bat. Finch and Khawaja hammered the hosts with their regular boundaries, stitching together a 193-run partnership for the first wicket before India got their much-needed breakthrough as Kuldeep Yadav trapped Australia captain, who missed out on his 12th ODI ton.Glenn Maxwell came in at number three for Australia with a solid foundation. Maxwell along with Khawaja formed a quick 46-run stand for the second wicket, which saw Khawaja registering his maiden century off 107 balls in the format.India shrugged off the pressure for a while as Mohammed Shami struck Khawaja for 104 in the 39th over of the innings. The Australian opener was caught at mid-wicket by Jasprit Bumrah.In spite of losing both its settled
Liverpool title win will not heal Gerrard's 'wound'
As a Liverpool captain, Steven Gerrard won almost every trophy bar the Premier League and despite urging Jurgen Klopp's men to end the club's 29-year wait for the title this season he admits it will not ease his personal pain. Gerrard, now manager of Scottish giants Rangers, famously slipped to hand Chelsea the opener of a 2-0 win at Anfield in April 2014 with Liverpool on course to win the league. Liverpool currently trail Manchester City by one point at the top of the table with nine games remaining. "This wound has been open since my experience. I'm not sure it'll close because I can't change that experience," Gerrard, who left Liverpool after 17 years as a player in 2015, told reporters. "It doesn't affect how I feel now. I look at a squad of players, some of whom I'm still friends with. "I see a support that gave me absolutely everything from the terraces and around the world. "I just hope for their sake, and mine as a supporter, that come the end of the competition they are ...