Al-Ittihad sign Serbian defender Jan-Carlo Simic on 4-year deal
JEDDAH: Al-Ittihad has confirmed the signing of Serbian defender Jan-Carlo Simic from Belgian side Anderlecht on a four-year contract.
Jon Pike Cricket Column Sport News
Dortmund defender Schlotterbeck needs more time until comeback, says Kovac
BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund and Germany defender Nico Schlotterbeck will need more time before he makes his comeback from a knee injury, coach Niko Kovac said on Thursday. Schlotterbeck underwent surgery five months ago for a meniscus tear in his left knee that he sustained in April and despite having come back to light team training in recent days, he is still not yet ready for a comeback. Schlotterbeck’s services were also badly missed in Germany’s two World Cup qualifiers in the international break, with the national team suffering a shock 2-0 loss to Slovakia before beating Northern Ireland 3-1. “Nico has come back after five months and has been doing some light training without contact,” Kovac told a press conference. “He is a key player, a top national team player. “Before we even consider the national team, he has to be healthy for the club and have playing minutes in training, in Bundesliga and Champions League matches,” he said. “It will take more time.
Risks in cricket sponsorship laid bare in India
Team India’s shirt front, for both men and women, has displayed Dream11 since 2023. This prominent sponsorship has disappeared with immediate effect, starting with the men’s Asia Cup, which opened on Sept. 9 in the UAE.
PSG get tough slate of Champions League opponents, as Real Madrid are going to Liverpool and Almaty
PSG’s easiest opponents, in theory, in the league phase will be Newcastle and Athletic BilbaoLiverpool fans will welcome Trent Alexander-Arnold back to Anfield with MadridMONACO: Paris Saint-Germain were handed a tough start to the defense of its Champions League title with games against Bayern Munich and Barcelona, and Thursday’s draw also served up opponents from England and Spain from the pot of lowest-ranked teams.PSG’s easiest opponents, in theory, in the league phase will be Newcastle and Athletic Bilbao.Tottenham, the Europa League champion, also will play PSG in a repeat of their Super Cup game two weeks ago. PSG’s eight-game schedule is completed by Bayer Leverkusen, Atalanta and Sporting Lisbon.Real Madrid also got a challenging draw, including a trip far east to play Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan — 6,420 kilometers (4,000 miles) from the Spanish capital.Record 15-time champion Madrid got two English opponents from the pot of highest-ranked teams.
Milan aim to turn page at Lecce following shock defeat
ROME: AC Milan stumbled out of the blocks in Serie A with a shock home defeat to promoted Cremonese, and attention now shifts to Friday’s clash at Lecce, where Massimiliano Allegri’s men will be under pressure to set things right.
Why fan violence still sullies Latin American football
Santiago — CHL Santiago, Aug 21, 2025 : Images of a fan jumping from the stands to escape a beating as bottles, rocks and seats fly through the air at a game between Chilean and Argentine clubs in Buenos Aires on Wednesday highlight the enduring problem of violence in Latin American football. Over 100 people were arrested over the bloody battles between supporters of Universidad de Chile and Argentina’s Independiente, which left 19 people injured, three seriously. From Mexico to Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Ecuador, stadium violence continues to mar the beautiful game in football-mad Latin America. Here is a quick overview of the situation: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay have all enacted laws over the past two decades to tackle hooliganism, including, in some cases, with prison sentences. But the violence continues unabated. So far this year in Chile, twelve matches were suspended due to violence, according to the players’ union. In April, two fans died during a stampede outside a Santiago stadium before a Copa Libertadores match between local side Colo Colo and Brazil’s Fortaleza. In Argentina, more than 100 people have died in the last 20 years, 157 in Brazil between 2009 and 2019, and 170 died in Colombia between 2001 and 2019, according to academic and NGO studies. There’s an idea “that stadiums are spaces where it’s legitimate to commit acts of violence, not just physical violence, but also racism and homophobia,” Argentine sociologist Diego Murze, author of the book “Football, Violence, and the State,” told AFP. According to Murze, there’s a “tribal logic that has always prevailed in football,” including a culture of provocation between fans that has “re-emerged
‘Winning titles in the future’ drives Mueller as he joins Whitecaps
MONTREAL: Germany and Bayern Munich great Thomas Mueller said Thursday he remains focused on winning titles as he prepares for Major League Soccer life with the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Sky’s the limit for Duplantis ahead of ‘super-sick’ Tokyo worlds
CHORZOW: Record-breaking Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis has predicted a “super-sick” world championships in Tokyo, where he won his first Olympic medal in the Covid-delayed Summer Games, but insisted statistics were unimportant to him.