arabnews.com - Serie A chief dismisses Rabiot concerns over Milan’s Australia fixture

Serie A chief dismisses Rabiot concerns over Milan’s Australia fixture

MILAN: Footballers should respect the money they make and their employers, Serie A Chief Executive Luigi De Siervo said on Wednesday in response to AC Milan midfielder Adrien Rabiot’s concerns over his club’s planned league match in Australia. Italy’s Serie A have turned the unavailability of the San Siro in February due to the Winter Olympics into an opportunity for Italian football to increase international visibility, and Milan’s fixture with Como will be played in Perth. Rabiot, currently on international duty with France, called the decision crazy when he spoke to French newspaper Le Figaro on Tuesday. “I was surprised when I learned that AC Milan will be playing a Serie A match against Como ... in Australia,” Rabiot said. “It’s completely crazy.

Germany’s Woltemade not yet in team training after flu

BERLIN: Germany striker Nick Woltemade returned to light individual training on Wednesday after recovering from a flu, as the national team prepare for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Luxembourg and Northern Ireland. The Germans, third in Group A on three points, host Luxembourg on Friday before traveling to Belfast to face Northern Ireland, second on goal difference, three days later. Slovakia are top on six points with Luxembourg bottom on zero. The 23-year-old Woltemade, who has made a strong start since joining Newcastle United this season, scoring in the Premier League and Europe, including Sunday’s 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest, missed Germany’s training on Tuesday after joining the team a day late due to his illness. Woltemade is firmly in the spotlight ahead of the qualifiers after quickly becoming a crowd favorite in Newcastle.

Barcelona reject Israeli basketball team training facility request

BARCELONA: Barcelona rejected a request from an Israeli basketball team to train at their facilities next week, a club source confirmed to AFP on Wednesday. The Catalan club said it was for logistical and public order reasons that they would not allow Hapoel Jerusalem to train on their Palau Blaugrana court before a match against Baxi Manresa on October 15 in the EuroCup competition. “We don’t want to have any problems,” explained the club source, after an increase in protests against Israel because of the Gaza war. The source said on that day preparations would also begin for a Barca handball match in the Champions League, and that Manresa were obliged to allow their opponents use of their court. Valencia Basket are due to face Hapoel Tel Aviv, another Israeli team, in the EuroLeague competition on the same day. The pro-Palestinian BDS movement, calling for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel, has called for that match to be canceled. Spain’s government has labelled Israel’s actions a “genocide” and prime minister Pedro Sanchez in September called for Israeli teams to be excluded from international sport. Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 67,183 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures the United Nations considers credible. They launched their Gaza offensive in October 2023 in retaliation for an unprecedented cross-border attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.

England captain Kane could miss Wales friendly

Kane joined up with England despite suffering an ankle issue in Bayern’s win over Eintracht FrankfurtThe 32-year-old, who is England’s record scorer with 74 goals, sat out Wednesday’s sessionLONDON: England captain Harry Kane could miss Thursday’s friendly against Wales after the Bayern Munich striker was unable to train on Wednesday.Kane joined up with England despite suffering an ankle issue in Bayern’s win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.Speaking after the Frankfurt game, Kane said: “I am recovering at the moment — I took a knock. A few days and then I should be fine, so no problem for the national team.

Sabalenka battles to keep Wuhan record alive, Pegula survives marathon

WUHAN, China: Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka battled hard Wednesday to keep her unbeaten record in Wuhan intact, having to come from behind to beat Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. The world number one started slowly in her first match since she clinched a fourth Grand Slam title at the US Open last month. But the Belarusian found her power game in the final set to reach the Wuhan Open last 16, where she will face the 16th-seeded Russian Liudmila Samsonova. Sabalenka is chasing a fourth consecutive crown in Wuhan where she has a perfect 18-0 win-loss record. The first three games went against serve but it was Sramkova who consolidated for 3-1, and it was all she needed to grab the opening set in 35 minutes, firing 15 winners. Sabalenka hit back to level and swept through the decider to win in just under two hours. “She played incredible tennis, especially in the first set.

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Serie A chief dismisses Rabiot concerns over Milan’s Australia fixture

Germany’s Woltemade not yet in team training after flu

Barcelona reject Israeli basketball team training facility request

England captain Kane could miss Wales friendly

Sabalenka battles to keep Wuhan record alive, Pegula survives marathon

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