Friday, 23 February 2024
TENSIONS BETWEEN CHINA AND NBA ARE 'WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE' - NETS OWNER
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| Joe Tsai. USA TODAY Sports |
Joe Tsai, owner of the Brooklyn Nets basketball team, said the NBA is “in a very good place” in its relationship with China, four years after Beijing took games off air following remarks about the 2019 Hong Kong protests by a team executive.
At a sports convention in Macau on Friday, Tsai said the U.S. basketball league and China, home to 300 million NBA fans, have mended their relationship.
Beijing suspended the broadcast of NBA games in 2019 after Daryl Morey, then general manager of the Houston Rockets team, tweeted in support of anti-government protests in Hong Kong. Chinese state television only resumed broadcasting games about a year later.
AC MILAN, ROMA, MARSEILLE, BENFICA ADVANCE TO EUROPA LEAGUE ROUND OF 16
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| AP Photo |
AC Milan advanced to the round of 16 in the Europa League despite a 3-2 loss at Rennes in the second leg of their playoff on Thursday.
Milan, which won 3-0 at the San Siro last week, eliminated its French opponent on a 5-3 aggregate score.
The Italian powerhouse, a seven-time European champion, has never won the second-tier Europa League or its predecessor, the UEFA Cup.
Midfielder Benjamin Bourigeaud’s hat trick put the hosts up three times with Milan quickly answering twice.
Bourigeaud netted the opener in the 11th minute with a fierce right-footed shot from over 20 meters to beat goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
Forward Luka Jović canceled it out 10 minutes later with a header off a cross by captain Theo Hernández.
Bourigeaud made it 2-1 early in the second from the penalty spot but Rafael Leão equalized after four minutes on a fine solo effort.
Bourigeaud sent Maignan the wrong way with another spot kick to make it 3-2.
The eight runners-up in the Europa League group stage played the eight third-place teams from the Champions League group stage in the playoffs.
The eight winners will take on the Europa League’s group winners, who qualified directly for the round of 16. They are Liverpool, West Ham and Brighton from the Premier League, as well Leverkusen, Atalanta, Villarreal, Rangers and Slavia Prague.
The draw is scheduled for Friday.
ECUADOR'S LIGA BEATS BRAZIL'S FLUMINENSE WITH LATE GOALIN 1ST LEG OF RECOPA SUDAMERICANA
QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuador's Liga de Quito beat Brazil's Fluminense 1-0 on Thursday in the first leg of the Recopa Sudamericana final. Alex Arce scored the only goal two minutes into injury time.
The Ecuadorians won the the Copa Sudamericana in 2023, while the Brazilians secured their first-ever Copa Libertadores title. The second leg of the Recopa will take place next Thursday at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.
Arce's goal was initially disallowed by the referee, but a video review decision showed he was not offside when he touched the ball to the left corner of veteran goalkeeper Fábio.
Liga and Fluminense have an old rivalry. The Ecuadorians won their only Copa Libertadores title in a penalty shootout against Fluminense in 2008. One year later, they won their first Copa Sudamericana trophy also against the Brazilian team.
Thursday, 22 February 2024
RADCLIFFE INVOKES WORDS OF FERGUSON ON SETTING OUT 3-YEAR PLAN TO END CITY AND LIVERPOOL DOMINANCE
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| AP Photo |
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Invoking the famous words of Alex Ferguson, British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe set out his ambition to knock local rivals Manchester City and Liverpool “off their perch” within three years after becoming a co-owner of Manchester United.
Ratcliffe completed his purchase of a minority stake in United on Tuesday, with an initial injection of $1.5 billion meaning he owns approximately 27.7% of the iconic club — with the promise of further investment of $100 million by the end of the year.
Ratcliffe, 71, now partly owns a club he has supported since the age of 6 but which has been in the shadow of City and Liverpool over the past decade since the retirement of Ferguson in 2013.
Ferguson once said his greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool “right off their perch,” with United managing to surpass its great rival’s tally of 18 league titles before Ferguson retired. The Scot also once branded City as the “noisy neighbors” in 2010.
phrases in his first public words since officially becoming co-owner.
“We have a lot to learn from our noisy neighbor and the other neighbor. They are the enemy at the end of the day,” Ratcliffe said. “There is nothing I would like better than to knock both of them off their perch. Equally, we are the three great northern clubs who are very close to one another.
“They have been in a good place for a while and there are things we can learn from both of them. They have sensible organizations, great people within the organizations, a good, driven and elite environment that they work in. I am very respectful of them but they are still the enemy.”
Ratcliffe said it would not be an “overnight change.”
“It’s going to take two or three seasons,” he said. “You have to ask the fans for some patience. I know the world these days likes instant gratification but that’s not the case with football, really.
“It’s not a 10-year plan. The fans would run out of patience if it was a 10-year plan. But it’s certainly a three-year plan to get there.”
REAL MADRID MIDFIELDER KROOS AGREES TO PLAY FOR GERMANY AHEAD OF HOME EURO 2024
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| AP Photo |
MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos said he has agreed to play for Germany again after a request from coach Julian Nagelsmann ahead of the home European Championship.
The 34-year-old Kroos has not played for Germany in three years since the team's exit in the round of 16 at the last European Championship.
“I will play for Germany again from March. Why? Because I was asked by the national team coach, I'm keen to do it and I am sure that much more is possible with the team at the Euros than most people believe!” Kroos wrote on Thursday on Instagram.
Germany has friendlies against France on March 23 and the Netherlands three days later. The host nation has been drawn against Scotland, Hungary and Switzerland in the group stage at the European Championship, which starts on June 14.
SOCCER STAR DANI ALVES FOUND GUILTY OF RAPE, SENTENCED TO FOUR AND A HALF YEARS IN PRISON
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| AP Photo |
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Dani Alves, one of the most successful soccer players of his generation, was found guilty of raping a woman in a Barcelona nightclub and sentenced to four years and six months in prison on Thursday.
Besides disgracing the former Brazil and Barcelona right back, the conviction was applauded in Spain as a victory for a pioneering sexual liberty law that emphasises the lack of consent of the victim as key to determining sex crimes.
A three-judge panel at the Barcelona Provincial Court convicted the 40-year-old Alves of sexual assault for the incident on Dec. 31, 2022.
The court ordered Alves to pay 150,000 euros ($162,000) in compensation to the victim, banned him from approaching the victim’s home or place of work, and from communicating with her by any means for nine years.
“I still believe in the innocence of Mr. Alves,” Inés Guardiola, Alves' lawyer, said. “I need to study the ruling, but I can tell you that of course we will appeal.”
Guardiola said Alves was “calm and collected" when he heard the verdict in court.
“We are satisfied," David Sáenz, a member of the victim’s legal team, said, "because this verdict recognizes what we have always known, that the victim told the truth and that she has suffered."
The victim’s lawyer, Ester García, said on Wednesday she and her client would not be present for the verdict.
The victim said Alves raped her in the bathroom of a Barcelona nightclub on the morning of Dec. 31, 2022. The court considered it proven that the victim did not consent to sex and there was evidence, in addition to the defendant’s testimony, that she was raped.
Alves denied during the three-day trial this month that he raped the woman, testifying to the court “I am not that kind of man.”
WOLFF SAYS HORNER CASE NEEDS TRANSPARENCY AND AN ISSUE FOR ALL F1
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| Reuters |
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said an inquiry into the conduct of Red Bull boss Christian Horner raised issues for Formula One as a whole and needed to be carried out rigorously and transparently.
Red Bull's parent company in Austria has launched an independent investigation into allegations against Horner, who denies any wrongdoing and is currently attending pre-season testing in Bahrain.
Neither the energy drink company nor the reigning champions have said what the allegations are, although media reports have spoken of inappropriate and controlling behaviour towards a female colleague.
No time frame has been given for an outcome, with the Formula One season starting in Bahrain on March 2.
"I think it's clear," Wolff told reporters at the Sakhir circuit on Wednesday in his first response to the turn of events.
"Formula One and what the teams do, we stand for inclusion, equality, fairness, diversity and that's not only talking about it but living it day in, day out.
"These are the standards that we are setting ourselves. We are a global sport, one of the most important sport platforms in the world and we are role models."
Wolff, whose intense rivalry with Horner has become a feature of the popular Netflix 'Drive to Survive' docu-series, noted considerable speculation surrounding the case in recent weeks and said it was important for there to be "a process with rigour".
ATP ROUNDUP: KAREN KHACHANOV ADVANCES IN DOHA
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| Karen Khachanov. Reuters |
Second-seeded Karen Khachanov recorded a 6-4, 7-5 win over Fabian Marozsan on Wednesday in the second round of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha.
Khachanov, of Russia, fired six aces and benefited from three double faults by his opponent to dispatch the Italian in 88 minutes.
Top-seeded Andrey Rublev of Russia cruised past France's Richard Gasquet 6-3, 6-4.
The third seed, Ugo Humbert of France, also sailed through to the quarterfinal round with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Pavel Kotov of Russia.
Fourth-seeded Alexander Bublik had a tougher time in his match against Marton Fucsovics of Hungary. The Kazakhstan native overcame six double faults and rebounded from a first-set misstep in his 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 win.
Also Wednesday, Alexei Popyrin of Australia notched a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (8), 6-1 victory over Frenchman Hugo Grenier, and Finland's Emil Ruusuvuori posted a 6-3, 6-3 win over Christopher O'Connell of Australia.
Former World No. 1 Andy Murray of Great Britain fell in a tough three-set match to Czech 18-year-old Jakub Mensik, who ousted No. 5 seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina of Spain in the first round. Mensik needed three hours, 26 minutes to beat Murray 7-6 (6), 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4).
France's Gael Monfils eked out a 4-6, 7-5, 7-6 (2) victory over China's Zhang Zhizhen.
GAUFF 'FUELLED' BY UMPIRE ROW TO ADVANCE IN DUBAI
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| Reuters |
Coco Gauff said a heated exchange with the chair umpire midway through her match with Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday had spurred her on to complete a 2-6 6-4 6-3 victory and reach the quarter-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships.
The U.S. Open champion lost the first set but was leading 4-2 in the second when her first serve at deuce, which Pliskova returned into the net, was called out.
The American challenged the call and her review was successful but instead of awarding Gauff the point French chair umpire Pierre Bacchi told the 19-year-old to replay it.
That sparked a lengthy back-and-forth between the pair, with Guaff's repeated requests to speak to a supervisor denied by the umpire.
Wednesday, 21 February 2024
CHRISTIAN HORNER WITH RED BULL TEAM AT START OF F1 TESTING IN BAHRAIN DESPITE ONGOING INVESTIGATION
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| AP Photo |
SAKHIR, Bahrain (AP) — Team principal Christian Horner was with Red Bull as Formula 1 preseason testing began Wednesday even as he faces an ongoing investigation by the team's parent company into an alleged claim of misconduct.
Horner was alongside the team's chief technology officer, car designer Adrian Newey, as Max Verstappen drove the team's new car at the start of Wednesday's morning session. It is the start of the Dutch driver's campaign for a fourth consecutive world title.
The Red Bull parent company said Feb. 5 it was investigating allegations of misconduct toward a team employee. Horner denies any wrongdoing and has continued in his role as team principal during the investigation.
On the track, Red Bull still had the fastest car in testing. Max Verstappen set the pace with a time that was more than a second faster than anyone else and completed 142 laps. That's more than double the distance of next week's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix and more than any other team completed Wednesday.
Lando Norris was second-fastest for McLaren, 1.14 seconds off Verstappen's pace and 0.1 faster than Carlos Sainz Jr. for Ferrari. Mercedes lacked pace on the first day of testing with George Russell only 12th fastest despite completing 121 laps.
While most teams designed cars broadly similar to the 2023 Red Bull which won all but one race, Red Bull has changed its approach. Its new car has slim sidepods with vertical air intakes. It resembles an approach Mercedes tried previously with little success, but Verstappen's times indicated Red Bull has found a way to make it work.
CHESS-EIGHT-YEAR -OLD BECOMES YOUNGEST TO BEAT GRANDMASTER
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| Singapore Chess Federation |
An eight-year-old became the youngest player to defeat a grandmaster in classical chess on Sunday when Ashwath Kaushik beat Poland's Jacek Stopa at the Burgdorfer Stadthaus Open in Switzerland.
Indian-born Ashwath, who lives in Singapore, defeated 37-year-old Stopa to break the record set a month earlier by Leonid Ivanovic from Serbia when he beat grandmaster Milko Popchev, according to the Chess.com website.
Ivanovic is also aged eight but was born five months before Ashwath.
"It felt really exciting and amazing, and I felt proud of my game and how I played, especially since I was worse at one point but managed to come back from that," Ashwath told Chess.com.
Ashwath learned to play the game at the age of four and became a World Under-Eight Rapid Champion in 2022, the website said.
"He picked it up on his own, playing with his grandparents," his father, Kaushik Sriram, said.
"It's surreal as there isn't really any sports tradition in our families. Every day is a new discovery, and we sometimes stumble in search of the right pathway for him."
Ashwath finished the tournament in 12th place after losing to International Master Harry Grieve.
- Reuters
BAYERN TO PART WAYS WITH COACH THOMAS TUCHEL AT SEASON END, SAYS CLUB
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| Reuters |
Bayern Munich have decided to end their collaboration with coach Thomas Tuchel at the end of the current season despite a contract to 2025, the club said on Wednesday.
Bayern lost their last three games in all competitions, including a 3-0 defeat to league leaders Bayer Leverkusen and have now dropped eight points behind them in the Bundesliga.
They were also beaten 1-0 by Lazio in last week's Champions League first leg and now risk going without any silverware for the first season in more than a decade.
Tuchel had taken over in March 2023 from Julian Nagelsmann with high expectations but he suffered a bumpy start, crashing out of the German Cup and the Champions League before snatching the Bundesliga title from Borussia Dortmund on the final matchday.
This season they have been equally mercurial, showing only glimpses of the form that saw them dominate German football for the past decade. They were eliminated from the German Cup by third-tier club Saarbruecken.
Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said there would a 'a new direction' next season with a new coach.
NBA HISTORY | DAMIAN LILLARD
🏆 3-point contest Champion
🏆 All-Star Game MVP
Damian Lillard is the first player in NBA history to do both in the same season. #MilwaukeeBucks #damianlillard #nbaallstar #nba #nbahistory
BAYER LEVERKUSEN EQUALS BAYERN MUNICH UBEATEN RECORD
Bayer Leverkusen have now equalled Bayern’s all-time German record for the longest unbeaten run across all competitions 🤯🧱🔥