LONDON: Sidelined with a hamstring injury, Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe has sparked anger among a section of the club’s supporters after a holiday in Sardinia, triggering a fresh media storm ahead of Sunday’s Clasico against Barcelona. For many Madrid fans, the striker’s Italian getaway – during rest days granted by Real Madrid to injured…
FIFA President Gianni Infantino defends ticketing policies for the World Cup at the Milken Institute Conference in Beverly Hills. Photo: AFP BEVERLY HILLS: FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Tuesday defended World Cup ticket prices, insisting that football’s global governing body was obliged to take advantage of US laws that allow tickets to be resold for…
Atletico Madrid’s Argentinian coach Diego Simeone applauds the fans after his team’s Champions League semi-final defeat by Arsenal. Photo: AFP LONDON: Arsenal’s Champions League elimination of Atletico Madrid condemned Diego Simeone’s side to a fifth straight season without silverware, inevitably raising questions over the Argentine coach’s future. Asked if he had the strength to continue…
Unsociable match occasions in Asia means monetisation alternatives for broadcasters come down massively. Picture: AFP LONDON: Swathes of football-mad Asia from China to India and Thailand are but to substantiate broadcast rights for the biggest-ever World Cup with kick-off barely one month away. Unsociable match occasions within the area is one motive why a whole…
Unfiltered online criticism is becoming a serious threat to cricketers’ mental health Fans remain central to the PSL experience, but the line between support and criticism grows increasingly blurred online. Photo: PCB/FILE KARACHI: “Brother, what can I tell you? Whenever I look at Twitter and Facebook, I feel like I have achieved nothing in cricket,that…
PARIS: FIFA have invited the Iranian football federation (FFIRI) to their headquarters for talks on the country’s participation at this year’s World Cup, a source told AFP on Tuesday. Mehdi Taj, the head of the Iranian federation, said Iran’s presence at the tournament was contingent on guarantees from FIFA chief Gianni Infantino. “We firmly believe…
LONDON: Jon Rahm has reached a deal with the European Tour that will allow him retain his membership and remain eligible for next year’s Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland. In an agreement similar to that signed by eight other LIV golfers in February, the Spaniard will pay all outstanding fines for playing in…
KARACHI: Clear your dues or face termination of contracts” the Pakistan Cricket Board has launched a recovery campaign against defaulters. Notices have been issued to all concerned parties, directing them to make payments within the stipulated deadline. According to details, the 11th edition of the PSL has now concluded, and the PCB had already begun…
SEOUL: A North Korean girls’s soccer membership would be the first sports activities staff from the nation to play in neighbouring South Korea since 2018 after they go to this month, Seoul’s unification ministry stated Monday. The 2 Koreas technically stay at warfare after their 1950–53 battle led to an armistice relatively than a peace…
PARIS: Top players including world number ones Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka kept up the pressure on the Grand Slam tournaments with a letter to Roland Garros on Monday expressing “deep disappointment” over the French major’s 2026 prize money. Last year almost all the leading players signed two letters to the four Grand Slam bosses…
