Ronaldo still ‘very important’ for Portugal, says Martinez By: AFP on March 27, 2023Cristiano Ronaldo remains a “very important” player for Portugal, coach Roberto Martinez said on Sunday after the veteran striker scored a second successive brace in Euro 2024 qualifying against Luxembourg. The 38-year-old opened the scoring for the Euro 2016 winners by turning in Nuno Mendes’ header and slotted home another in the 31st minute as […]
Ratcliffe makes revised Man Utd offer By: AFP on March 24, 2023LONDON: British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe made a revised bid to buy Manchester United on Thursday as Finnish entrepreneur Thomas Zilliacus entered the race to own the Premier League giants. A second bid from Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber AI Thani, the chairman of Qatar Islamic Bank, is also expected to be lodged with […]
Transgender athletes banned from women’s events By: AFP on March 24, 2023PARIS: Transgender women, regardless of testosterone levels, will no longer be allowed to compete in female track and field events, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe announced Thursday, citing fairness over inclusion. Coe said no transgender athlete who had gone through male puberty would be permitted to compete in female world ranking competitions from March 31. […]
New Zealand runner hit with eight-year ban for doping, fraud By: AFP on March 22, 2023WELLINGTON: Commonwealth Games medallist Zane Robertson was banned from all sports for eight years by a tribunal in New Zealand on Wednesday after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug and falsifying documents. Athletics NZ chief executive Peter Pfitzinger told AFP this is the longest ban handed out to an athlete from New Zealand. The 33-year-old […]
Australian Olympian Owen Wright retires from pro surfing By: Reuters on March 22, 2023SYDNEY: Surfer Owen Wright, who fought his way back from a traumatic brain injury to win an Olympic bronze medal for Australia, announced his retirement from professional competition on Wednesday, saying he no longer wanted to risk his health. “Over the years I’ve had a number of head injuries and concussions and it’s got to the […]
Barca snatch Clasico win over Madrid to strike title blow on March 20, 2023BARCELONA: Barcelona snatched a 2-1 Clasico win over Real Madrid with Franck Kessie’s late goal Sunday to move 12 points clear at the top of La Liga. The victory dents Madrid’s ambitions of retaining the title and leaves the Catalans close to lifting the trophy for the first time since 2019. Carlo Ancelotti’s Real took the […]
Leclerc, Sainz slam ‘not good enough’ Ferrari cars By: AFP on March 20, 2023JEDDAH: Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz slammed the performance of their cars as “not good enough” after the Ferraris finished sixth and seventh in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Sunday. Their lacklustre showing as they were beaten comprehensively by both Red Bulls, by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and by both Mercedes, left them frustrated and […]
Russians are being tested: WADA By: Reuters on March 16, 2023LAUSANNE: World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) director general Olivier Niggli has told AFP that Russian competitors “are being tested now” despite their disappearance from global view after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. “The idea that the Russians are not being tested now is false,” he said. “They are being tested now.” However Niggli said the reinstatement of […]
Morocco joining Spain, Portugal in football’s 2030 World Cup bid By: AFP on March 15, 2023The announcement on Tuesday, which raises further doubts over Ukraine’s participation in the bid, was made through a statement signed by King Mohammed VI and read at a meeting of the Confederation of African Football. A spokesman for the Spanish football federation told AFP it would meet with its Portuguese and Moroccan counterparts in Kigali […]
Swiatek calls for more support for Ukrainian players By: Reuters on March 15, 2023(Reuters) – World number one Iga Swiatek has called for more support to be offered to Ukrainian players on the women’s tour after Lesia Tsurenko said she withdrew from her match against Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka at Indian Wells due to a panic attack. Tsurenko said the attack was triggered by a chat she had with […]