News

LOS ANGELES: Nike said on Thursday (May 27) it parted ways with Neymar last year after the superstar Brazil attacker "refused to cooperate in a good faith investigation" as the company probed an employee's claim that he sexually assaulted her. The apparel giant said in a statement that its investigation into the alleged 2016 incident - which was reported to the company in 2018 - was inconclusive. "No single set of facts emerged that would enable us to speak substantively on the matter,"

HONG KONG: FIFA have voided North Korea's results in the second round of Asian qualifying for the 2022 World Cup after they pulled out of the preliminaries earlier this month. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) confirmed North Korea's withdrawal on May 15, which followed the country's decision not to participate in the Olympic Games in Tokyo due to the COVID-19 pandemic. North Korea had been competing in Group H of Asia's preliminaries alongside South Korea, Lebanon, Turkmenistan and Sri Lanka. With North Korea's

PRAGUE: Slovakia are appearing in their second successive European Championship as an independent nation and will look to a clutch of veterans to lead the squad that booked a spot in the finals with shootout and extra-time wins in the playoffs. While Slovakia left it late to qualify for the tournament, victories over Ireland and Northern Ireland in two dramatic matches showed some steel that will be needed in Group E matches against Poland (Jun 14), Sweden (Jun 18) and Spain (Jun 23).

PARIS: Thirteen-time champion Rafael Nadal, 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer and world number one Novak Djokovic were placed in the same half of the French Open draw on Thursday (May 27). The three most successful players in the history of the men's game have won 17 of the last 20 Grand Slam titles between them and Federer and Djokovic are on a quarter-final collision course. Title holder Nadal, who starts against Australian Alexei Popyrin, could face Italian prospect Jannik Sinner, the 18th

LONDON: Six-times MotoGP champion Marc Marquez said on Thursday (May 27) that he considered a break in racing after the Spanish Grand Prix as he struggles with his comeback from injury but decided to continue after encouraging discussions with his doctors. Marquez fractured his humerus in the 2020 season-opening Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez last July and did not race again all year, making his comeback only at last month's Portuguese Grand Prix, the third race of the season. Marquez is well off

Indianapolis Motor Speedway will host 135,000 racing fans for the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday and the sold-out crowd will represent a big step forward as North American sports continue to turn the page on the COVID-19 pandemic. "We've hit our capacity for this year's Indianapolis 500 and look forward to hosting 135,000 fans at the world's largest sporting event since the pandemic began," race organizers said on Thursday. "We're thrilled to welcome fans 'Back Home Again' and appreciate our loyal customers and their

LAUSANNE: Up to 16,500 spectators will be allowed to attend the Champions League final in Porto on Saturday, UEFA announced on Tuesday (May 25) with the opening of ticket sales. The figure permitted by the Portuguese authorities is one-third of the capacity of the Estadio do Dragao which took over hosting the final in mid-May after Istanbul was ruled out by COVID-19 problems. UEFA had already allocated 6,000 tickets each to finalists Chelsea and Manchester City. To this will be added the traditional

MADRID: Veteran midfielder Luka Modric has signed a contract extension which will keep him at Real Madrid until the end of next season, the La Liga giants announced on Tuesday (May 25). The 35-year-old Croatian international, who won the Ballon d'Or in 2018, has played 391 times for Madrid since joining from Tottenham in 2012. "The Croatian midfielder will remain at our club until 30 June, 2022," Real said in a short statement. Modric has remained a key player for Zinedine Zidane's men

PARIS: Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will set their sights on more Grand Slam history at Roland Garros as the French Open embraces a new and eerily empty era of night time tennis. A 14th title in Paris for Nadal would take him to a record-setting 21st major, surpassing the mark he shares with Roger Federer who has already written off his hopes of adding to his lone success in the French capital back in 2009. Djokovic, the champion in 2016, can move

UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus over their attempts to launch a breakaway Super League, European soccer's governing body said on Tuesday. The clubs are the only three of the original 12 to have not distanced themselves from the project following an outpouring of criticism. "Following an investigation conducted by UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspectors in connection with the so-called 'Super League' project, disciplinary proceedings have been opened against Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus FC for a potential

India's cricket board (BCCI) considering moving IPL resumption date to September 19, avoiding clash with fifth Test between India and England at Old Trafford, scheduled to finish on September 14; IPL postponed earlier this month due to coronavirus cases England's Test series with India is set to go ahead as scheduled this summer, despite reports earlier this week that Indian cricket's governing body, the BCCI, had enquired about moving the fifth Test at Old Trafford. There had reportedly been concerns over a clash

Top-seeded Bianca Andreescu needed just 61 minutes on Monday to post a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Spanish qualifier Andrea Lazaro Garcia in the first round of the Internationaux de Strasbourg in France. The Canadian won 83.9 percent of her first-serve points while winning in her first match since losing to Australia's Ashleigh Barty in the Miami Open final on April 3. Andreescu next faces Belgium's Maryna Zanevska, who defeated Yuliya Hatouka of Belarus 6-2, 6-1 in a battle of qualifiers. Among other matches,

Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson won the Kia NBA Sixth Man Award, learning of the accomplishment while sitting with teammate Joe Ingles during a TNT interview. The two carved out a spot in league history, too, marking the first one-two finish by teammates in Sixth Man voting. Clarkson is the first player in Jazz franchise history to win the award. Clarkson received 65 first-place votes (407 total points) from 100 sportswriters and broadcasters around the globe. Ingles collected 34 first-place votes and 272

KIAWAH ISLAND, South Carolina: Phil Mickelson is not the first middle-aged person to change his diet and engage in brain training in a quest to feel and perform better, but he is the first to win a major golf championship after turning 50. While Mickelson's performance at the PGA Championship might not open the floodgates to a sudden glut of Senior Tour-eligible winners, it at least will provide further evidence to those creeping up in age that it is not too late to

LONDON: Sergio Aguero is close to agreeing a move to Barcelona that would unite him with fellow Argentine superstar Lionel Messi, according to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. City's record goalscorer, who has spent a decade at the Etihad, scored a quickfire double in the champions' 5-0 win over Everton in his final Premier League appearance for the club on Sunday. The goals took his Premier League tally to 184 - the most by any player for a single club. The 32-year-old forward

LONDON: Mateo Kovacic has three Champions League winners' medals tucked away but the Croatian has never played a minute of a final. The versatile midfielder hopes that changes on Saturday when Chelsea take on Manchester City in Porto. "I've played my part in three (Champions League winning teams) at Real Madrid, not the biggest, maybe not like here," Kovacic, who was injured for the 2016 final in Milan and was an unused substitute in Cardiff in 2017 and Kiev in 2018. Obviously, I

American Coco Gauff is brimming with confidence ahead of the French Open, buoyed by strong results in Italy on clay in the past two weeks that have helped the 17-year-old climb 10 places to a career-best 25th in the rankings. Gauff has already made the fourth rounds of the Australian Open and Wimbledon in her nascent career, and this week she will be seeded at a Grand Slam for the first time in her career when the clay court major starts on Sunday

Canadian Denis Shapovalov said on Sunday he will not play at the French Open due to a lingering shoulder injury. The world number 14 lost to Norway's Casper Ruud 7-6(6) 6-4 in Saturday's Geneva Open final. "I'm saddened to share that after consulting with my medical team I've made the difficult decision to withdrawal (sic) from @rolandgarros," he tweeted. "Unfortunately my shoulder has been bothering me and while medical tests look good, it is for the best to rest. See you in 2022,

The CAF Super Cup 2020 Local Organising Committee (LOC) has announced that fans will be permitted to attend the 29th edition of the match will be played in Doha, Qatar. The tournament match will be played by the TOTAL CAF Champions League champions Al Ahly SC, of Egypt, and Moroccan team RS Berkane, who won the TOTAL CAF Confederations Cup. The match will be held at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Qatar on Friday, as the game is scheduled to commence at 7pm.

Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo finished the 2020-21 campaign as Serie A's top scorer to become the only player to achieve the feat in the Premier League, La Liga and Italy's top flight. The 36-year-old scored 29 goals as the Bianconeri finished the season in fourth place. Inter Milan won the Serie A title, ending Juve's nine-year dominance. In Ronaldo's third season in Italy, he has won the Capocannoniere race for the first time after having scored 21 in 2018-19, which was five behind