FIFA president cites ‘discussions’ for Ronaldo to play in Club World Cup
GENEVA: FIFA president Gianni Infantino says Cristiano Ronaldo might play in the Club World Cup because of a unique transfer window.
NBA Sport News
French taxi drivers threaten airports, French Open tennis in standoff
PARIS: French taxi drivers will next week step up protest actions, including paralysing access to Paris airports and the French Open tennis championship, in an increasingly acrimonious standoff with the government, their main federation said on Saturday.
Brighton leave out joint top-scorer Pedro from Spurs trip over training incident
LONDON: Brighton & Hove Albion will be without their joint top-scorer Joao Pedro when they visit Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, with manager Fabian Huerzeler saying the Brazil striker has been left out due to a “small issue in training.”
Leclerc fastest in Monaco practice as Hamilton crashes
Leclerc clocked a best lap of one minute and 10.953 secondsFerrari and Leclerc are hoping for a repeat of their emotional 2024 triumphMONACO: Charles Leclerc completed a hat-trick of perfect practice runs on Saturday when he topped the times for Ferrari at the Monaco Grand Prix, as Lewis Hamilton crashed into the barriers.Leclerc, who last year became the first Monegasque winner of his home event in the Formula One era, clocked a best lap of one minute and 10.953 seconds — the only driver to dip below one minute and 11 seconds — to beat Max Verstappen by 0.280 seconds.Ferrari and Leclerc are hoping for a repeat of their emotional 2024 triumph, but their mood was spoiled when the Monegasque’s teammate Hamilton crashed on entry to Casino Square to end the session with a red flag.He was unhurt, but it was an uncharacteristic setback for the Briton who had looked fast and strong.Hamilton was running in the turbulent air behind Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes and Esteban Ocon of Haas when he lost downforce and hit the barriers.Lando Norris was third fastest for McLaren ahead of team-mate and championship leader Oscar Piastri, Hamilton and Williams’ Alex Albon.Liam Lawson of Racing Bull was an impressive seventh ahead of Carlos Sainz in the second Williams, Yuki Tsunoda of Red Bull and Antonelli.After a slow start the session burst into life by the halfway mark with Hamilton, Norris and Leclerc trading fastest laps before Verstappen took control.To the delight of the local audience, Leclerc regained top spot in 1:11.179 on his softs and then went even quicker to move two-tenths clear before the session stopped for a red flag when Hamilton smacked the barriers at Massenet, damaging his right front and rear wheels.He was unhurt and
Liverpool’s Salah named Premier League player of the season, Gravenberch best youngster
LONDON: Mohamed Salah was named the Premier League player of the season on Saturday after a stellar individual campaign as Liverpool cruised to their second Premier League title while his team mate Ryan Gravenberch was named the young player of the season.
Pacers take 2-0 lead over Knicks as Pascal Siakam scores 39 points in 114-109 victory
NEW YORK: Pascal Siakam scored a playoff career-high 39 points, and the Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks 114-109 on Friday night for a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
Alexander-Arnold ‘deserves’ his part in Liverpool title party: Slot
LIVERPOOL: Arne Slot said Trent Alexander-Arnold “deserves” to be part of Liverpool’s title celebrations despite revealing he was unhappy with the defender’s performances in training at the start of the season. The England international announced his decision to quit his boyhood club earlier this month and is widely expected to join Real Madrid. He was booed by Liverpool fans when he came on as a second-half substitute in last week’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal at Anfield and did not play in the 3-2 defeat at Brighton on Monday. Liverpool, who wrapped up the Premier League title last month with four games to spare, will be presented with the trophy after Sunday’s game against FA Cup winners Crystal Palace. Slot was asked by reporters on Friday whether he had concerns that the celebrations would be overshadowed by an negative reaction to Alexander-Arnold. He said he had yet to make a decision on the extent of the right-back’s involvement. “I haven’t decided on that one yet but I think this should be a day that everybody is going to enjoy,” Slot said. “It’s been 35 years everybody is waiting for this moment.” Liverpool lifted the 2020 Premier League trophy behind closed doors due to Covid restrictions. Slot, in his first season at Anfield, said celebrations after Liverpool sealed the title against Tottenham were special. “I’m hoping that we can add a moment like this to it and I think everybody that’s in this stadium deserves to be there, the fans, the staff, but also the players,” he said. “One of my players is Trent so he definitely deserves to be there as well because he’s been part of an incredibly successful season and an incredibly successful (few) years at this club.”
Al-Ain set to host fourth UAE National MMA Championship
ABU DHABI: The UAE Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts Federation will host the fourth UAE National MMA Championship at ADNEC Centre Al-Ain on May 24 and 25.