PORTO, PORTUGAL (REUTERS) – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says having to leave out players from his starting lineup for the Champions League final against Chelsea is a task he would not wish on anyone. Given the strength in depth of Guardiola’s squad, top internationals such as Brazilian Gabriel Jesus, England’s Raheem Sterling and Spain... » read more
LIVERPOOL (AFP) – Liverpool must produce a “perfect performance” to overcome a 3-1 first leg deficit against Real Madrid on Wednesday (April 14) and reach the Champions League semi-finals, manager Jurgen Klopp said. A difficult season for the English champions will end without a trophy should they fail to pull off a fightback against the... » read more
LONDON (REUTERS) – Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has urged his players to execute their plans on the pitch rather than worry about different scoreline permutations for their Champions League quarter-final second leg against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday (April 14). City will take a 2-1 lead to Dortmund, knowing the German side could seal progress... » read more
SAO PAULO (AFP) – South American football’s governing body on Saturday (March 6) postponed two rounds of 2022 World Cup qualifiers scheduled later this month because of Covid-19 quarantine rules affecting European-based players and the threat of clubs refusing to release their international stars. The decision to call off the double matchday, which was set... » read more
PARIS (AFP) – Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino on Friday (March 5) called for a “fair and just” solution for players facing quarantine upon their return from international duty, an issue which prompted Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola to threaten to ground his jet-setting stars. French champions PSG risk losing Neymar, Marquinhos and Angel Di... » read more
Following Naomi Osaka’s fourth Grand Slam win at the Australian Open last Saturday, the time has come for more Asian players to try to reach her level, said Yoshihito Nishioka, the second-ranked male player in Japan. The 25-year-old told The Straits Times via a video conference call last Sunday: “She’s very supportive of Japanese tennis... » read more
The upcoming ATP 250 Singapore Tennis Open will start on Monday behind closed doors but up to 250 fans may be allowed for the semi-finals and final if there are no tournament-related positive coronavirus cases, among other factors like local transmissions, organisers said yesterday. At least 200 players, staff and officials from overseas are expected... » read more
Kasheef Sasi Abdullah will not let anything get in the way of his passion for ultimate frisbee. Three operations on his right leg? No problem. Take on several part-time jobs so that he can afford to join overseas events? You bet. He said: “I got a job as soon as I figured that if I... » read more
MELBOURNE • The world’s top tennis stars yesterday began emerging from a gruelling fortnight stuck in their hotel rooms and raced to get match-fit before their coronavirus-disrupted season resumes in Melbourne. Australian Open players were given the green light to start exiting Covid-19 quarantine yesterday, with the first group among the 960 players, coaches and... » read more
MELBOURNE • World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty is itching to get back to competitive tennis at the Australian Open but has poured cold water on the idea that she might be set to end the 43-year wait for a home-grown women’s champion. The 2019 French Open champion reached the semi-finals at Melbourne Park for the... » read more
NEW YORK • On Tuesday last week, the National Basketball Association (NBA) and its players’ union tightened their coronavirus protocols – mandating that players spend at least the next two weeks almost exclusively at home or at their hotels on the road when not playing. Three days later, the Washington Wizards held a news conference... » read more
MELBOURNE • Roberto Bautista Agut has slammed the Victoria state government’s quarantine requirements for tennis players ahead of next month’s Australian Open, saying that being subject to a hotel lockdown was no different to being imprisoned. Passengers who arrived on three charter flights have been placed into hard quarantine, including 72 players who are unable... » read more
MELBOURNE • Australian Open boss Craig Tiley yesterday insisted most players supported being locked down in hard quarantine as health officials confirmed two players scheduled to participate in the first Grand Slam of the year had tested positive for the coronavirus, taking the cluster of cases to seven. The Victoria state health department said two... » read more
MELBOURNE • Preparations for the Australian Open continued to be thrown into disarray yesterday after more players were forced into hard quarantine, while furore erupted over favouritism shown to athletes as well as the unequal treatment of participating stars. Officials yesterday confirmed that four additional participants, including a tennis player, had tested positive for Covid-19... » read more
LONDON • Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says he understands the pressure on beleaguered Newcastle counterpart Steve Bruce, having been in a similar situation this season. Bruce took responsibility for the Magpies’ winless run of six games, after a 1-0 loss to bottom side Sheffield United last week left them 15th in the English Premier League... » read more
LOS ANGELES • The National Basketball Association (NBA) postponed three more games and the National Hockey League (NHL) once again pushed back the Dallas Stars’ season opener, amid a surge of Covid-19 cases that has put professional sport on notice in North America. Two games between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards set for today... » read more
BANGKOK • Women’s badminton world No. 1 Tai Tzu-ying breezed into the quarter-finals of the Yonex Thailand Open yesterday, sweeping aside South Korea’s Kim Ga-eun 21-16, 21-10 in less than half an hour. The 26-year-old’s victory came as the Badminton World Federation (BWF) declared the tournament safe to continue following the latest round of Covid-19... » read more
LONDON • The Premier League has become the world’s richest league based on its staggering global appeal, with millions from around the globe tuning in to watch the best talent week by week. But a change of rules as a result of Brexit means English clubs will not have the same freedom to hoover up... » read more
LONDON • No team is too good to go down as Newcastle, West Ham and Leeds can attest. Arsenal have only once been relegated before – in 1912-13 – and boast the longest streak in the English top flight but that is the fate awaiting them if they do not stop the rot. Gunners manager... » read more
MELBOURNE • All the world’s top tennis players, including 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, are expected to be in Melbourne for the coronavirus-disrupted Australian Open, tournament director Craig Tiley has said. The opening Grand Slam of the year, in front of at least 50 per cent of normal crowds, has been pushed back three... » read more