Page 840 - Sports
Luka Modric beats Messi, Ronaldo to win maiden Ballon d'Or
Croatia and Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric on Monday grabbed the maiden Ballon d'Or of his career.The 33-year-old, with the victory, put an end to the ten-year dominance of Barcelona striker Lionel Messi and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo.Modric, who was accompanied by his wife and three children in the award ceremony, thanked his coaches and family in his acceptance speech. He admitted that he always wanted to play for big clubs as a child and winning Ballon d'Or was more than a childhood dream for him."It's a unique feeling. I'm happy, proud and honoured. The emotions I feel right now are hard to describe, but I would like to thank everyone who has allowed me to be here tonight. I would like to give thanks to my teammates and coaches at Real Madrid and Croatia. To all those who voted for me, and my family. My wife and kids are fulfilling me as a person and preparing me in all aspects to succeed as a professional," goal.com quoted Modric, as saying."As a kid, my dream was to play ..
Jon Ridgeon appointed as CEO of IAAF
The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) on Monday announced the appointment of Jon Ridgeon as its new CEO following approval by the IAAF Council on the first day of its 215th Council Meeting in Monaco. Ridgeon will take up the new role in March 2019.Expressing happiness over his appointment as the CEO Ridgeon claimed that this is his dream job."Having spent my life in sport, this is a dream job for me and I am absolutely thrilled. Athletics is my passion and I have devoted the vast majority of the last 20 years to creating successful commercial partnerships, developing new events that drive participation at both elite and grassroots levels, as well as leading organisations that deliver significant projects across the globe. I am delighted to be joining world athletics at this exciting time and look forward to working with Seb, a strong team and all our member federations across the globe," said RidgeonHe further expressed gratitude to the council, "My thanks, and
Luca Modric wins 2018 Ballon d'Or
Croatian midfielder Luka Modric playing for Real Madrid claimed the 2018 Ballon d'Or here on Monday to end the past decade dominated by Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the award.
Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana appeal to BCCI to keep Ramesh Powar as coach
Reacting to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI's) advertisement for the post of India women's team coach, T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana on Monday have written to the board and Committee of Administrators (CoA) appealing that Ramesh Powar should be allowed to continue as the head coach."I as the Twenty-20 captain and One-Day vice-captain is appealing before you to allow Ramesh Powar to further continue as our team coach. There are hardly 15 months for the next T20 World Cup and a month to go for the New Zealand tour. The way he has transformed us as a team, I feel no reason to replace him with any better at this point in time when the team is coordinating well with him and amongst each other. It takes a while to understand and select combinations and equate a coach's temperament," Harmanpreet said in a letter addressed to the BCCI.Meanwhile, Smriti said: "His guidance and inputs will be helpful for the team to perform well for the upcoming New
ISL: Mumbai floor Delhi 4-2 riding second-half blitz
Mumbai City FC turned the match on its head in the second session and consigned Delhi Dynamos to their sixth defeat in the Indian Super League (ISL) season with a 4-2 victory at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here on Monday.
Ranji: Siddhesh Lad to captain Mumbai against Maharashtra
Young batsman Siddhesh Lad was Monday named captain of the Mumbai team that will take on arch -rivals Maharashtra in the Ranji Trophy match beginning at Pune from December 6. The 15-member squad led by Lad was announced on the Mumbai Cricket Association's (MCA) website by its Chief Executive Officer C S Naik. Lad replaces experienced pacer Dhawal Kulkarni, who according to MCA sources, was not available for selection due to an injury. The Mumbai-Maharashtra game will be played at the MCA International Stadium at Gahunje on Pune's outskirts. Mumbai, a multiple time Ranji champion, are yet to register a win in this Ranji Trophy season so far as they have drawn two games and suffered an embarrassing nine-wicket loss to Gujarat at their home turf the Wankhede Stadium. Among others, Mumbai have included opener Jay Bista, Eknath Kerkar, Surya Kumar Yadav and all-rounder Shivam Dubey in the squad. Though Armaan Jaffer failed in the last game against Gujarat, the Ajit ...
Argentina seal quarter-finals spot in Hockey WC
With their composed performance, Argentina showcased absolute class on the field by thrashing New Zealand 3-0 to clinch three more points and seal their quarter-finals spot in the ongoing Men's Hockey World Cup here at Kalinga Stadium on Monday.Agustin Mazzilli, Lucas Vila and Lucas Martinez's goals displayed Argentina's dominant performance to retain their spot at the top of Pool A.There was not much to differentiate between both the sides in the opening exchanges as New Zealand and Argentina's defenses kept cancelling out each other. However, Argentina slowly gained more possession with New Zealand defending deep in the first quarter.Argentina, in the 16th minute, got the first shot on the goal in the second quarter through Vila's shot at the far post. But New Zealand goalkeeper Richard Joyce made a good save with his right glove to keep the ball out.A lapse of judgment from Argentine captain Pedro Ibarra in the 18th minute resulted in a penalty corner for the Kiwi side but Kane ...
Shaji Ul Mulk's T10 Cricket witnesses phenomenal success in second season
The second season of T10 cricket league has witnessed phenomenal success and league chairman Shaji Ul Mulk feels the tournament will grow bigger in the coming years.
Former Barcelona president Josep Lluis Nuñez dies aged 87
The longest-serving president of Barcelona, Josep Lluis Nuñez i Clemente, died on Monday at the age of 87 after a long battle with illness, the La Liga side announced.
Champions League to use video review in round of 16, says UEFA
Video review will be used to help referees in the upcoming UEFA Champions League round of 16, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin announced on Monday.
Klopp charged over wild celebrations after Liverpool win
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was charged by the Football Association on Monday after he raced onto the pitch to celebrate his side's late winner against Everton in the Merseyside derby. The German was overjoyed by Divock Origi's 96th-minute goal that sealed the 1-0 win and raced over to Reds goalkeeper Alisson Becker. He apologised for his actions but the FA announced he had been charged with misconduct. Klopp has until 1800 GMT on Thursday to respond to the charge. "Immediately after the game I apologised to Marco Silva when we spoke to each other," Klopp said following the match. "I told him how much I respect his work. "What can I say about it? I didn't want to run.It was not in my plan. I didn't want to run to Ali (goalkeeper Alisson), I couldn't stop obviously. Not cool, but it happened." Silva said he did not hear an apology from the Liverpool boss, and added: "To be honest, I didn't see so I don't know what he did and how he did it." The last-gasp win took unbeaten Liverpool .
Mark Hughes sacked as Southampton manager
Mark Hughes has been sacked as manager of Southampton after just eight months in charge, the struggling Premier League club announced on Monday, despite an improved performance in a 2-2 draw with Manchester United. The Welshman, 55, took over at St Mary's in March and guided them to Premier League survival as well as an FA Cup semi-final but was unable to inspire a better campaign this season. Former RB Leipzig boss Ralph Hasenhuettl is reportedly the front-runner to replace Hughes -- the new boss will be Southampton's fourth permanent manager in 18 months. "We would like to express our thanks to Mark and his staff for all of their efforts during their time at St Mary's," the club said in a statement. "The search for a new manager to take the club forward is already under way. "First team assistant coach Kelvin Davis will lead the team for Wednesday's Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley." Assistant first team manager Mark Bowen and assistant first team coach Eddie
UEFA to use VAR from Champions League knockout rounds this season
Video Assistant Referees will be used in the Champions League from the knockout stages of this season's competition and in the Nations League finals in June, UEFA confirmed on Monday. European football's governing body had previously stated its intention to introduce VAR only from the start of the 2019/2020 season. "If we can do it before, why wait? We cannot afford any mistakes if we can do it earlier," said UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin after a meeting of the European football body's Executive Committee. "We are ready to use VAR earlier than initially planned and we are convinced that it will be beneficial for our competitions as it will provide valuable help to match officials and will allow to reduce incorrect decisions." VAR is already used in a number of Europe's top leagues, including Spain's La Liga, Germany's Bundesliga and Serie A in Italy and was widely seen as a success at this summer's World Cup. The Europa League final and the under-21 European Championships in Italy
Mumbai floor Delhi with second-half blitz
Mumbai City FC turned the match on its head in the second session and consigned Delhi Dynamos to their sixth defeat in the Indian Super League season with a 4-2 victory at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium here on Monday. Last year, the match between the two sides had produced six goals with Delhi Dynamos winning 5-1. It produced six goals again on Monday but Mumbai had the last laugh this time around. A Souvik Chakraborty own-goal (3rd minute) had given Delhi the lead before Mumbai turned it around in the second half through a Rafael Bastos penalty (49th) and an own goal from Marti Crespi (61st). Gianni Zuiverloon (64th) restored parity for Delhi Dynamos but Raynier Fernandes (69th) and Paulo Machado (80th) put the result beyond any doubt for the visitors. The victory saw Mumbai climb to the fourth spot in the points table while Delhi Dynamos remained rooted to the bottom without a win to their name. It took an own goal from Souvik to put Delhi ahead when a cross from Lallianzuala ...
WWE to hold first ever talent tryout in India
WWE on Monday announced it will visit India in search of the next generation of superstars by holding its first-ever talent tryout here in March next year. The four-day tryout will give up to 40 athletes from India the opportunity to showcase their abilities with the goal of being selected to begin training at the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando, United State. The talent pool will comprise elite performers with a diverse background in sports and athletics, including kushti, kabaddi, wrestling, American Football, basketball, combat sports, cricket and body building. "India has an extremely large and passionate fanbase and remains a top priority for WWE as we continue to localize content globally," said Paul 'Triple H' Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative. "I am confident this latest talent tryout will result in a world-class pool of athletes ready to pursue their dream of becoming the next WWE Superstar from India." A major ...
Harmanpreet, Smriti back Powar; women's team split on coach
The acrimonious end to coach Ramesh Powar's tenure Monday split the Indian women's cricket team with T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her deputy Smriti Mandhana demanding his return despite senior player Mithali Raj's fallout with him. Committee of Administrators (COA) chairman Vinod Rai told PTI that Harmanpreet and Smriti have backed Powar to continue as coach till 2021. Powar's interim tenure ended on November 30 and the BCCI has already invited fresh applications for the job. Powar is free to re-apply. "Yes, they have written a letter stating that they want Ramesh Powar to continue," Rai said. Though Harmanpreet and Smriti are for Powar's extension, it is learnt that Ekta Bisht and Mansi Joshi are against his reinstatement along with ODI captain Mithali. Powar's term ended a week after India lost the semifinals of the World T20 to England. The team management dropped Mithali for the knock-out fixture, triggering a huge controversy. Mithali went on to accuse Powar and COA member ...
It was best to take a break before the Adelaide Test: Pujara
Indian middle-order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara on Monday revealed why the team management opted for a rest day before the first Test of the four-match series, starting here on December 6.
Jayaram hopes PBL will help turn things around
Shuttler Ajay Jayaram, who has recovered from a hamstring injury, is optimistic that the upcoming Premier Badminton League would bring him happy tidings. "It's been little tipsy-turvy kind of two years for me. I've been injured most of last year and early this year. I have just started playing from middle of this year. It's gone kind of reasonably well and I have had a few podium finishes in the run-up to the PBL," said the experienced shuttler here Monday. "I am kind of confident and hoping that PBL turns things around for me in the coming months as well. I am quite excited, it's a new team (Pune7Aces)," Jayaram told reporters after the launch of the new team that will make its debut in the franchise-based league. The 31-year-old Chennai-born shuttler will have the up and coming Lakshya Sen, Prajakta Sawant and doubles specialist Chirag Shetty, who were all present at the launch, as some of his teammates. Jayaram, who finished as the runner-up in the Vietnam Open, ...
Olympic champions Argentina beat NZ 3-0, brighten direct quarterfinal chances
Olympic champions Argentina lived up to their billing and beat New Zealand 3-0 to inch closer towards a direct quarterfinal spot at the men's hockey World Cup here on Monday. Argentina were the better side on display as they created more chances and scored thrice through Agustin Mazzilli (23rd), Lucas Villa (41st) and Lucas Martinez (55th) to pocket full three points from the Pool A encounter at the Kalinga Stadium. By virtue of two wins from as many games, Argentina are atop Pool A with six points and they have brightened their chances of a direct berth in the last eight round. New Zealand are at the second place with three points from two games ahead of Spain and France, both of whom have one point each. Argentina had earlier defeated Spain 4-3 in their tournament opener while New Zealand had beaten France 2-1. While Argentina will play world number 20 France in their last pool match on December 6, New Zealand will be up against Spain. Argentina started the proceedings on a bright ..
Hockey WC: Gritty Spain hold France to 1-1 draw
France and Spain on Monday showcased their valiant efforts on the turf, ending as a hard-fought 1-1 draw in the ongoing Men's Hockey World Cup here at the Kalinga Stadium.Timothee Clement's sixth-minute goal for France was cancelled out by Spain's Alvaro Iglesias in the 48th minute of the match.In the first quarter, Spain's Vincenc Ruiz made the first attack as he stole the ball on the left side, but a clash of sticks inside the penalty area dismissed their hope to take the lead. In the sixth minute, France, ranked world number 20, took an early lead with a goal by Clement.In the 14th minute, Spain's Enrique Gonzalez won a penalty corner, which was thwarted by French skipper Victor Charlet, however, the umpire awarded the Spanish side a second corner. But another clever deflection of Pau Quemada's drag flick by Charlet easily avoided the danger for France before the end of the first quarter.In the second quarter, Spain won another penalty corner, third of the match, but Quemada's drag