Sports

Italy head coach Roberto Mancini says he would support the introduction of larger squad limits for the rescheduled European Championship due to the risk of players contracting COVID-19. The tournament is set to be staged across 12 different host cities from June 11 - July 11 after being moved back a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. National team managers are expected to name 23 players for the competition, but Mancini believes a change to the rules would be sensible as the virus

LONDON - Poland suffered a massive blow ahead of this week’s crunch World Cup qualifier away to England when striker and talisman Robert Lewandowski was ruled out because of a knee injury on Monday. Lewandowski injured his right knee just past the hour mark of Sunday’s victory over Andorra and underwent scans on Monday. The Bayern Munich player is expected to be out for 10 days. “Robert Lewandowski will not play in Wednesday’s World Cup qualifying match against England in London due to

DUBAI - Saudi Arabia said on Monday it would allow people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend sporting events at stadiums at a capacity of 40% starting May 17 as the kingdom pushes its immunisation campaign. The sports ministry said in a statement on state media that as an exception, vaccinated fans would be allowed to attend an Asia World Cup qualifiers match between the Saudi and Palestinian teams on Tuesday in the capital Riyadh. Admittance will be allowed for people

BELGRADE - A Cristiano Ronaldo goal not given in a dramatic World Cup qualifier between Serbia and Portugal would have stood if the two football associations had agreed before the game to use goal-line technology, UEFA said on Monday. Portugal captain Ronaldo was left fuming and got booked for dissent after his stoppage-time effort in Saturday’s Group A 2-2 draw at Serbia was cleared by Stefan Mitrovic after the ball had crossed the line as shown by television replays. With no Video Assistant

LONDON: Gareth Bale admits his international career could be drawing to a close, with the current World Cup qualifying campaign possibly his last in a Wales shirt. Wales play the Czech Republic in Cardiff on Tuesday seeking their first points in Group E after an opening defeat to Belgium. Wales still have the delayed Euro 2020 to look forward to, starting in June, but Tottenham's Wales captain will be 33 by the time of the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar. "I haven't

MIAMI: Top-ranked defending champion Ashleigh Barty advanced to the quarter-finals of the Miami Open on Monday (Mar 29) by outlasting former world number one Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 1-6, 6-2. Australia's Barty broke five times, the last when Azarenka netted a forehand volley to end matters after one hour and 52 minutes at Hard Rock Stadium. Barty, who had to save a match point on the way to a three-set victory over Kristina Kucova in the second round, will next face the winner of

Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero will leave the club at the end of the season when his contract expires. City manager Pep Guardiola met Aguero, 32, on Monday to inform him of the club's decision not to renew his deal after a season spent largely on the sidelines, with injuries and illness keeping him to only 14 appearances. Aguero, who was signed from Atletico Madrid in 2011, was later told by City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak that he would be honoured with a

Former France international Thierry Henry says he hopes his decision to step away from social media will inspire others to stand up against racist abuse and bullying online. The ex-Arsenal and Barcelona star, who won the World Cup with France in 1998, announced on Friday that he would be quitting his social media accounts until tech companies started doing more to hold users accountable for their actions. In April 2019, professional footballers in England and Wales boycotted social media for 24 hours, but

Former Indian cricketer and legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar has tested positive for COVID-19. Taking to social media, the Little Master informed that all other members at his home have returned a negative COVID result. "I have been testing myself and taking all the recommended precautions to ensure Covid is kept at bay. However, I've tested positive today following mild symptoms," Tendulkar said in a statement on Twitter. "All others at home have tested negative. I've quarantined myself at home and am following all

Olympian-in-waiting Rohan Browning can taste more seismic breakthroughs after storming to third on the Australian men’s 100m sprint all-time rankings at the Queensland Track Classic. The best domestic ensemble assembled for a meet outside of a national championships in more than a decade had the crowd anticipating something special and the 23-year-old delivered with a sizzling 10.05 seconds meet record in the final. Only Patrick Johnson (9.93) and Matt Shirvington (10.03) are ahead of Browning and it seems only a matter of time

Yusuf Pathan, former India all-rounder, took to Twitter on Saturday to reveal that he has tested positive for coronavirus. Earlier in the day, legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar had tested COVID-19 positive. Yusuf was part of the India Legends squad, captained by Tendulkar, during the recently-concluded Road Safety World Series T20 tournament. Yusuf said he has mild symptoms and is currently quarantining at home while taking all the precautions and medication.  "I've tested positive for COVID-19 today with mild symptoms. Post the confirmation, I have quarantined

Coach Steve Clarke hailed Scotland's never-say-die attitude after they twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with Austria in Thursday's (Mar 25) World Cup qualifier, a point which may prove crucial in their bid to reach the finals for the first time since 1998. John McGinn's spectacular bicycle kick five minutes from time secured a share of the spoils in the Group F match at Hampden Park as they kicked off their campaign to qualify for Qatar 2022. “We’re progressing. We can believe

CAIRO: Egypt coach Shawky Gharib told AFP on Thursday (Mar 25) that Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah was ready to add significant weight behind the country's quest for a first ever Olympic football medal in Tokyo. "I have made it public that I'd like to have him on board in our Olympic campaign and he hasn't refused, which means he also wants to play with us," Gharib, the celebrated former Egyptian player turned manager, said. "Salah's participation in the Olympics is endorsed by the

New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson has been fined 15% of his match fee for “showing dissent at an umpire’s decision” during Tuesday’s One Day International against Bangladesh in Christchurch, the governing International Cricket Council said. Jamieson had reacted angrily after the TV umpire ruled his return catch from Tamim Iqbal had not been taken cleanly. He admitted the offence and accepted the sanction, the ICC said in a statement. The 26-year-old also had one demerit point added to his disciplinary record. It

England skipper Eoin Morgan has been ruled out of the final two one-day internationals against India in Pune after splitting the webbing between his thumb and index finger in Tuesday’s opener, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Thursday. Jos Buttler will be captain from Friday’s second match, while batsman Liam Livingstone is set to make his ODI debut. Wicketkeeper batsman Sam Billings, who has a bruised collar bone, will be sidelined on Friday, with a decision on his fitness for

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton said he had spoken to Bahrain officials about human rights in the country after promising last year he would not let any abuses go unnoticed. The Mercedes driver, who will be chasing a record eighth world title in a season that starts in the Gulf kingdom on Sunday, detailed on Thursday efforts he had made to inform himself. The Briton said in December he had been moved by a letter from the son of a jailed man

Sebastian Vettel revealed on Thursday he had named his new Aston Martin AMR21 Formula One car ‘Honey Ryder’ after the character played by Ursula Andress in the 1962 James Bond movie ‘Dr No’. The film was the first of a long-running film franchise featuring the fictional British secret agent famed for his love of gadget-filled Aston Martins, and Honey Ryder was the first ‘Bond Girl’. Ironically, Bond’s first car in ‘Dr No’ was a Sunbeam Alpine Series II, with the Aston Martin DB5

LONDON - England kicked off their World Cup 2022 qualifying campaign with a 5-0 thrashing of San Marino as Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored twice and Ollie Watkins marked his debut with a goal. On a night when Gareth Southgate could have dispensed with defenders altogether, England toyed with FIFA’s lowest-ranked nation who rarely got past the halfway line in the Group I game. They might be disappointed, however, that San Marino goalkeeper Elia Benedettini only had to pick the ball out of his net

LONDON - Former champions Germany, England and Italy got off to winning starts in their World Cup qualifying campaigns on Thursday but Spain were held to a 1-1 home draw by Greece. Four-times winners Germany enjoyed a 3-0 win over Group J rivals Iceland in Duisburg thanks to goals from Leon Goretzka, Kai Havertz and Ilkay Gundogan. The German team followed the example of Norway on Wednesday in making a protest before the start of the game, lining up in Tee-shirts spelling out

DUISBURG, Germany - Germany displayed their support for migrant workers building 2022 World Cup stadiums in Qatar ahead of their 3-0 home win over Iceland in their opening Group J qualifier on Thursday. The players lined up before kickoff wearing shirts displaying the message “HUMAN RIGHTS” and midfielder Leon Goretzka, who scored Germany’s opening goal, elaborated on the protest. “We have the World Cup coming up and there will be discussions about it. We wanted to show we are not ignoring that,” he