Group urges Montreal mayor to exclude Israel cycling team from Grand Prix Cyclistes
A Montreal-based group has asked Mayor Valérie Plante to bar the Israel Premier-Tech cycling team from competing in the Grand Prix Cyclistes de Montréal on Sept. 14.
Palestine Sport News
De Bruyne says Manchester City return will feel strange
BRUSSELS: Belgium midfielder Kevin De Bruyne said on Saturday that a return to Manchester City later this month in the colors of his new club Napoli will be a strange sensation. De Bruyne, 34, left City at the end of last season when his contract was not renewed and joined Napoli, who visit the Etihad Stadium for their Champions League group opener on September 18. “I’ve only played two matches in Serie A. It’s different under manager (Antonio) Conte than the years under Pep Guardiola,” De Bruyne told reporters on the eve of Belgium’s World Cup Group J qualifier against Kazakhstan in Brussels. “My first impression is that it’s more tactical in Italy and things move a bit slower.
Pro-Palestine protester causes crash during Spanish Vuelta. Pedersen wins stage
MONFORTE DE LEMOS, Spain: A man carrying a Palestine flag caused a crash on the 15th stage of the Spanish Vuelta on Sunday when he ran toward the road as riders approached in the latest disruption to the Grand Tour race by protesters. The stage was won by Mads Pedersen, while Jonas Vingegaard kept the overall lead entering the final week of the race. Javi Romo and Edward Planckaert went down moments after a man carrying the flag approached. Romo crashed just after he looked back at the protester.
Over 57,000 spectators set attendance record for German women’s league soccer game
BERLIN: A crowd of more than 57,000 spectators set an attendance record for a German women’s league soccer game Saturday when Bayern Munich hosted Bayer Leverkusen. Bayern said that a total of 57,762 people turned out to watch the hosts win 2-0. That smashed the previous women’s Bundesliga high of 38,365 at a match between Cologne and Eintracht Frankfurt from 2023. The European record for a domestic club match is the 60,739 set when Atletico Madrid hosted Barcelona in 2019 in the Spanish league. Barcelona’s 2022 Champions League win over against Real Madrid drew over 91,553 people to Camp Nou stadium, setting a world record for women’s soccer.
Cristiano Ronaldo extends goal-scoring record as he targets a sixth World Cup
MANCHESTER: Cristiano Ronaldo’s quest to play in a record sixth World Cup began in typical fashion with two goals as Portugal made a winning start to its qualifying campaign by routing Armenia 5-0. Ronaldo’s goals extended his record as the highest scorer in men’s international football to 140 and underlined his enduring motivation to keep setting more benchmarks before his storied career comes to an end. The 40-year-old soccer great has recently signed a new contract with Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr and led Portugal to victory at the UEFA Nations League last summer. The World Cup is the one major trophy that eludes him — leaving him behind his great rival Lionel Messi, who lifted soccer’s biggest prize with Argentina in 2022. Next year would likely be Ronaldo’s last chance to win it when the tournament is staged in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Soler wins Vuelta stage 14 with climbing attack, Vingegaard keeps red
SOMIEDO, Spain :Spain's Marc Soler left the competition far behind with a solo attack on a climactic category one climb to win stage 14 of the Vuelta a Espana on Saturday as Jonas Vingegaard retained his lead in the general classification with a second-place finish.
Under-fire Nagelsmann promises ‘changes’ after Slovakia upset
The Germans were thoroughly outclassed against Slovakia on ThursdayNagelsmann, 38, slammed his players’ attitude after the defeat on Thursday, saying they lacked emotion and were “miles away” from a good performanceBERLIN: Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann on Saturday pledged changes to his side for Sunday’s crunch World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland in Cologne after falling to a 2-0 defeat in Slovakia.The Germans were thoroughly outclassed against Slovakia on Thursday, losing to the underdog side for the first time in their history.The four-time World Cup winners had never previously lost a qualification match for the tournament.A further disappointment against Northern Ireland would leave Nagelsmann’s men with little room for error in their bid to qualify directly for the World Cup.Nagelsmann, 38, slammed his players’ attitude after the defeat on Thursday, saying they lacked emotion and were “miles away” from a good performance.“We had five decent minutes. That’s not enough,” the coach said.At full-time, captain Joshua Kimmich said “if we perform like we did today, we’ll definitely not qualify” for the World Cup.On Saturday, Nagelsmann said: “There will certainly be some changes in terms of personnel.
Israel Premier team take name off kit after pro-Palestinian protests disrupt Vuelta
MADRID: The Israel-Premier Tech cycling team have removed their full name from riders’ jerseys for the rest of the Vuelta a Espana after pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted the finish on stage 11. Wednesday’s stage ended without a winner after organizers decided to take the time at three kilometers before the line as police struggled to contain hundreds of Palestinian flag-waving protesters in Bilbao. The Israel-Premier Tech team were also stopped on the road by a group of protesters holding Palestinian flags during last week’s team time trial in Figueres. “In the interest of prioritising the safety of our riders and the entire peloton, in light of the dangerous nature of some protests at the Vuelta, Israel-Premier Tech has issued riders with team monogram-branded kit for the remainder of the race,” the team said in a statement on Saturday. “The team name remains Israel-Premier Tech but the monogram kit now aligns with the branding decisions we have previously adopted for our vehicles and casual clothing.” Before stage 11, the Professional Cyclists’ Association (CPA) had called for better security at the Vuelta after a number of incidents involving protesters led to concern over rider safety, with the Israel-Premier Tech team the main target. After Wednesday’s incident, the team said they remained committed to continuing the race and respected everyone’s “right to protest, as long as those protests remain peaceful and do not compromise the safety of the peloton.”