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Russia’s Daria Kasatkina reacts during her fourth round match against Emma Navarro of the US at the Australian Open in Melbourne Park, Australia, on January 20,…
FIFA President Gianni Infantino yesterday defended controversial ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup, revealing that organisers had received a record 150mn requests for tickets in the past two weeks.Speaking at the World Sports Summit in Dubai, Infantino stressed that all revenues from next year’s tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada would be pumped back into football around the world.Infantino’s comments were his first public remarks since the ticketing furore erupted earlier this month, with fan groups branding ticket prices as “extortionate” and “astronomical”.FIFA later responded to the criticism by announcing that a sliver of tickets on sale would be priced at $60.”In the last few days, you’ve probably seen there is a lot of debate about ticketing and ticket prices,” Infantino told the Dubai conference.”We have six, seven million tickets on sale and we started two weeks ago. I can tell you in two weeks, 15 days, we received 150mn ticket requests. This shows how powerful the World Cup is.”Infantino said the majority of ticket requests had come from the United States, followed by requests from Germany and Britain.”If you think that in 100 years of history of the World Cup, FIFA has sold 44 million tickets in total, so in two weeks for the next World Cup, we could have filled 300 years of World Cups,” Infantino said. “This is absolutely crazy.””And what is important, what is crucial is that the revenues that are generated from this are going back to the game all over the world and FIFA is the only organisation in the world…that finances football in the entire world.”Without FIFA there will be no football in 150 countries in the world. There is football thanks to these revenues that we generate from the World Cup which we reinvest all over the world.”Fan group Football Supporters Europe (FSE) had been among the most prominent critics of FIFA’s pricing strategy for 2026.The group said earlier this month tickets would cost almost five times more than tickets for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Source link
Algeria’s goalkeeper Luca Zidane dives to stop the ball during the Africa Cup of Nations Group E match against Burkino Faso at Moulay Hassan Stadium in…
Ivory Coast’s head coach Emerse Fee in Marrakesh. (AFP) Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae has backed the decision to play the Africa Cup of Nations every four years instead of two, saying that the change could benefit the development of football on the continent.“It can be a good thing if alongside that we do what we need to do for the development of African football,” he told AFP.The Cup of Nations has almost always been held at two-year intervals since the first edition in 1957 but Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe announced the change on the eve of the ongoing tournament in Morocco.Motsepe said that the tournament would go ahead every four years after the next two editions planned for 2027 and 2028, a decision that has been heavily criticised by some on the continent who see it as bowing to pressure from leading European clubs and FIFA.He said an annual African Nations League – along the lines of the UEFA Nations League – would instead be introduced to boost the coffers of national federations.“We are lucky in Africa now to have better infrastructure, better structured teams, better players, most of whom play for the best teams in Europe,” added Fae, who led the Elephants to the AFCON title in 2024.“Holding the AFCON every four years would mean having a major tournament every two years with the World Cup too, but there needs to be another major competition in Africa like the planned Nations League.“That would allow us to have games between teams like Morocco and Senegal every year, or Ivory Coast against Tunisia and Algeria against Mali.“And I don’t think that would penalise the smaller nations because I don’t know that them losing games 5-0 or 6-0 really raises the level of African football.“If they play against other teams of their level with the aim of being promoted, I think everyone will be a winner.”Meanwhile Fae admitted retaining the AFCON crown at the ongoing edition in Morocco is a hard task for his team.Ivory Coast are already through to the last 16 before playing their final group game today against Gabon.“There are eight or nine teams with squads that can win it, and I feel like teams play differently against us because we are the reigning champions,” Fae admitted.“That makes things even harder, but we are motivated to go all the way and we are confident too.” Related Story Source link
A left-arm spinner from Bhutan has become the first bowler to take eight wickets in a Twenty20 international.Sonam Yeshey, 22, took 8-7 in his four overs during the third men’s T20 international at home to Myanmar, who were all out for 45 replying to 127-9.Yeshey went ahead of Syazrul Idrus, who took 7-8 for Malaysia against China in 2023, and Ali Dawood, who had 7-19 for Bahrain against Bhutan earlier this year, on the all-time T20 international best bowling list.Yeshey made his T20 international debut in 2022 against Malaysia when he had figures of 3-16 and has gone on to take 37 wickets in 34 matches.In domestic and franchise T20 cricket there has never been an eight-wicket haul.Colin Ackermann took 7-18 for Leicestershire Foxes against Birmingham Bears in England’s T20 Blast in 2019.Taskin Ahmed grabbed 7-19 for Durbar Rajshahi against Dhaka Capitals in the Bangladesh Premier League this year.The best bowling figures in a women’s T20 international are 7-0 by Indonesia’s Rohmalia against Mongolia in 2024. Source link
Fast bowler Jofra Archer was included in England’s provisional T20 World Cup squad announced yesterday, despite suffering a left side strain that ruled him out of the final two Ashes Tests, but there was no place for wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.Archer’s fellow quick Josh Tongue has been called up to the T20 squad for the first time in a 15-man party to be captained by Harry Brook for the tournament in India and Sri Lanka beginning on February 7.Archer will sit out the warm-up tour to Sri Lanka next month to continue his rehabilitation following the injury he sustained during the third Ashes Test in Adelaide earlier this month.Brydon Carse will replace Archer in Sri Lanka for three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals beginning on January 22.There was no place, however, in the T20 World Cup squad for Smith who has endured a torrid Ashes tour of Australia, for all that is an unusual starting point in deciding selection for a white-ball tournament in the sub-continent.The Surrey wicketkeeper-batsman smashed 60 from 26 balls in his last T20 appearance against the West Indies in June, but was rested due to his heavy all-format workload from the subsequent series against South Africa and Ireland.But following four Tests in Australia where he has averaged a lowly 19.85 with the bat and endured several struggles behind the stumps, he has been left out entirely, with the experienced Jos Buttler and Phil Salt providing England with keeping options for 2024 T20 World Cup semi-finalists England.Tongue, by contrast, has never played white-ball cricket but has enhanced his reputation with impressive Ashes displays in Adelaide and Melbourne, where a England’s four-wicket win still left them 3-1 down heading into a series finale at Sydney starting Saturday.And the 28-year-old was the top wicket-taker in last season’s Hundred competition, taking 14 wickets in just six games.Test-match opening batsman Zak Crawley returns to the ODI squad for the first time since December 2023.Brook will lead his first World Cup campaign as white-ball captain, with England facing Bangladesh, West Indies, Italy and Nepal in Group C, with both managing director Rob Key and coach Brendon McCullum looking for an impressive showing after they came in for criticism following the Test team’s tame Ashes series loss.England T20 squad for World Cup squad and Sri Lanka tour: Harry Brook (capt), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (wkt), Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Josh Tongue, Luke Wood, Brydon Carse (Sri Lanka tour only)England ODI squad for Sri Lanka tour: Harry Brook (capt), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler (wkt), Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Luke Wood Source link
In the wake of Brooks Koepka's early departure from LIV Golf, it's only natural that all eyes would turn to see if LIV's most popular star, Bryson DeChambeau, would similarly jump ship with one year left on his contract or sign an extension early.If you're waiting for a clear answer, you'll have to keep waiting.’It's confidential. I'm not going to share too much, but the conversations are in process,’ DeChambeau told social media outlet Flushing It Golf in a long- ranging interview.DeChambeau left the door open on his future at LIV Golf, while the American also offered praise and positivity for his experience with the Saudi-backed league.’We have to get to a place where both parties have a good understanding of one another,’ DeChambeau said of his readiness to sign an extension on a contract that expires after the 2026 season. ‘It is getting to a place that makes sense for both sides. And, I think that can happen, but you never know. Life throws curve balls.’Koepka's deceptive pitch came in the form of an announcement by LIV Golf on Dec. 23 that the two sides had ‘amicably and mutually agreed’ to part ways. With a reported year remaining on his LIV contract, Koepka said he wanted to prioritize spending more time with family.’That was quite a shock to a lot of people,’ DeChambeau said. ‘There was always rumblings, but ultimately, it was a shock when I saw it today. … People make decisions for whatever their needs and wants are, and ultimately, you have to respect it and move on, and it feels like it was a mutual understanding and that's great.’DeChambeau did express excitement for his successful Crushers GC team and his passion for the potential growth of team golf.DeChambeau — who is among the LIV team captains that own 25% of their franchises — said his Crushers team has cleared $20 million in revenue.After expressing optimism at June's U.S. Open about renegotiating his LIV Golf deal before the end of the year, DeChambeau hesitated to say whether an extension could be done before LIV Golf's first event of the new season in February at Riyadh.’I don't know about before Riyadh, there's a lot of things to go through,’ he said. ‘You know, it's a scenario that is very unique. With Brooks leaving, it definitely throws in some unique things. I've said it all along, I want to do this, I want to grow team golf across the globe. But it has to be right. And there's a lot of things that have to be done in order for it to be right, you know?’… It's going to be interesting to see what happens.’ Source link
Ciara Carolan and Jessica Howard-Johnston A dozen girls whizzed around an English karting track, part of a pioneering drive to draw women into motorsports and maybe even race to the top in male-dominated Formula 1.A special test day in October in Nottingham aimed to address a major gender gap in F1, one of the flashiest of sports.Italian Lella Lombardi was the last woman to compete in an F1 Grand Prix in 1976, and the absence of women on the circuit is linked to young girls’ limited exposure to motorsports, according to gender parity organisations.More Than Equal, a non-profit that supports women drivers, said girls start karting two years later than boys on average. Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, for example, got into the format aged just eight.”These are the first steps that a girl could take,” Cameron Biggs, coaching and academy pathway manager at Motorsport UK, told AFP.”We’re really trying to join the dots between grassroots and elite.”The enthusiasm was palpable among the youngsters, who were mostly new to karting.Some attended the taster day, supported by makeup company Charlotte Tilbury, after watching F1 while others were encouraged by their parents.None seemed put off by F1’s breakneck speed, the thrumming engines and the prospect of driving a vehicle years before they are old enough to have a driver’s licence.”On the second time, I came first and I’m very proud,” beamed 11-year-old Megan.”I watch Formula 1 quite often, and so I kind of know how to get around the track,” said Erin, also 11.F1 paradoxF1’s official website boasts a global fanbase of 827mn people – a 63 percent increase since 2018.But there is a paradox: F1 is one of the world’s few non-gender-segregated sports yet one of the most male-dominated.”We know that the pathway for female drivers hasn’t successfully got a woman into Formula One competitively in the last 50 years,” More Than Equal’s head of driver development Lauren Forrow told AFP.That means that girls are “not thriving within” the current system, she said.The organisation has pledged to “make history” by training a woman not just to compete but to win.”We know that this is a real challenge and that it’s never been done before,” CEO Tom Stanton told AFP.More Than Equal lists limited access to motorsports at an early age, cultural and structural biases, sponsorship gaps and a lack of role models at the top as barriers obstructing women’s entry into F1.Forrow said the organisation’s unique Driver Development Programme “acknowledges the physiological, psychological and technical differences” women face, such as the impact of menstruation on athletic abilities and daily life.These realities “inform what the kind of right recipe is for supporting female athletes in this space”, she said, of the programme created for young female racing drivers.- ‘Nobody to look up to’ -Fifteen-year-old Skye Parker, from Trelogan, North Wales, told AFP she is determined to become “Formula 1 world champion”, having started karting aged six and now loving the “feeling of excitement” she gets on the track.On a wet December day, the assured teenager did laps in a Formula 4 car on Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. It has a challenging layout and is used by More Than Equal to hone the skills of female drivers.F4, for junior drivers, is an essential stepping stone for drivers on their way to the top.Parker’s personalised pink-and-green helmet distinguished her from other drivers as she drove for 45 minute stretches, concluding each session with a technical debrief.Parker told AFP there are more women than before, but noted “boys definitely outnumber us”.”It is quite sad that there is nobody to look up to female-wise in Formula One,” she said.On top of obstacles unique to women, F1 is an “incredibly expensive” sport to pursue, Forrow said.In Nottingham, Marcus McKenzie stood on the sidelines, using a headpiece to instruct his eight-year-old daughter Georgia as she rocketed around the karting track – at 25 miles (40 kilometres) per hour, somewhat slower than the average speeds of 220 miles per hour characteristic of a Grand Prix.The single father conceded that the cost of the sport made things difficult, but he is hoping to secure sponsorship for Georgia and her 11-year-old brother who is also passionate about F1.But money was far from the minds of the youngsters, who were exhilarated as they stepped off the track.”Don’t be shy to do it. Just be brave and have fun,” was eight-year-old Thea’s message to other girls her age. Source link
Jacob Bethell was not supposed to be England’s headline act in the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground but he looked like a player who belonged when the tourists made their nervous chase for victory against Australia.Replacing the dropped Ollie Pope at number three, 22-year-old Bethell had appeared on a hiding to nothing in Melbourne on a difficult pitch in front of a record crowd of 94,000.His debut Ashes innings on Boxing Day, the biggest occasion in Australia’s cricket calendar, was no fairytale, producing one run from five balls and a caught-behind dismissal off Australia’s fifth-choice seamer Michael Neser.His second innings, however, gave a glimpse of why England have such high hopes for the left-hander.Bethell delivered a composed 40 off 46 balls to help prevent an Ashes whitewash and claim England’s first test win in Australia in 15 years.”I was pretty nervous,” he said. “Not so much with the number of people, just the occasion. I’ve played in India where it feels like there’s 160,000 watching.”Bethell was speaking of his stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL) where he played two games for Royal Challengers Bangalore.While the IPL helped him get used to big crowds, it also meant missing out on more first class cricket, including a one-off test against Zimbabwe in May.Having shown great promise with three fifties during his debut test tour of New Zealand a year ago, Bethell was not selected for England until the fifth test of the home series against India and managed only single-figure scores.He hardly needed to tap into his limited experience at test level on day two in Melbourne, though, with England facing a white ball-style chase of 175 runs.On his second ball he lofted Jhye Richardson high over the slips cordon for a streaky four to get off the mark and had his second four off Scott Boland a few balls later when he stepped forward to drive him to the long-on fence.Bethell looked in full control of the situation but his hopes of a maiden Ashes fifty were crushed by a sharp catch in the covers by Usman Khawaja and he marched off hugely disappointed.Tailender Brydon Carse took the number three spot for the second innings in Melbourne but Bethell, who came out at four, would like it back for the fifth and final test in Sydney starting on January 4.”I like number three. You come in when the ball is new and in some scenarios the ball’s going all over the shop,” he said.”But in other scenarios it presents opportunities to score when bowlers are trying to take wickets and the field is attacking, there’s loads of gaps.”It’s a double-edged sword, but I’m enjoying it.” Related Story Source link
The General Assembly of the Qatar Table Tennis Association (QTTA) on Monday elected Hamad Ahmed al-Hammadi as President by acclamation for the 2025-2028 term. This was announced during the General Assembly held on Monday, chaired by Khalil al-Mohannadi, the former President QTTA, after a quorum was reached. The meeting was attended by members of the General Assembly, representatives of the sports clubs and the Qatar Olympic Committee. Ahmed Khalil al-Mohannadi was elected Secretary General of QTTA by acclamation. The newly elected members of the QTTA’s Board of Directors by acclamation are: Jaber Saeed Afifa, Mohammed Hassan al-Rumaihi and Abdullah Bader al-Sada. Al-Hammadi said on Monday: “It is an honour at assuming the leadership from the esteemed sports figure, Mr. Khalil al-Mohannadi. This new role is a historic code of trust bestowed on me. I feel this is a double responsibility to preserve the great legacy achieved over the last three decades.” Al-Hammadi said the new board of directors will operate according to a vision focused on continuing the path of global successes, with a strong emphasis on developing the youth base and discovering promising Qatari talent to ensure the sustainability of achievements. Al-Hammadi paid tribute to al-Mohannadi, emphasizing that his experience will remain a valuable resource and a distinguished legacy for QTTA. He stressed that the coming phase will witness a concerted effort to elevate the sport to new technical and administrative levels that align with the aspirations of Qatari sports and its future plans. The new QTTF president further emphasized that the motto of continuity with renewal will be the driving force behind the new board of directors, striving to solidify Doha’s position as a global capital of the sports world and enhance its role in shaping the future of table tennis regionally and internationally. Ahmed Khalil al-Mohannadi, the new Secretary General of QTTA, said the next phase will aim to consolidate the gains achieved by the sport over the past three decades. He said the General Secretariat will serve as a fundamental pillar in supporting the vision of the board of directors, headed by Hamad al-Hammadi, by activating communication channels with the clubs and developing local competitions to be the primary source of talent for the national teams. He concluded by saying: “We promise you that we will do our utmost to provide the best possible support for our national teams. We look to the future with eyes full of optimism and hearts determined to achieve plenty of good name. Our biggest desire is for Qatari table tennis to remain at the top.” The agenda of the General Assembly included ratifying the minutes of the previous General Assembly meeting in 2024, the Board of Directors’ report on its activities during the 2024-2025 sports season, future participation plans, and approving the draft budget for the upcoming year (2026). During the meeting, Khalil al-Mohannadi was unanimously approved to be the honorary president of QTTA in recognition of his great contributions to the federation over the past 30 years.In a moving address during the General Assembly meeting, outgoing president al-Mohannadi said the last three decades were spent forging Qatar table tennis into a major regional and global force, on and off the field. “The last three decades were a journey to build a Qatari sporting legacy that we all take pride in on the international stage. The successes achieved would not have been possible without the generous support of the wise leadership of Qatar and the unity of the Qatari table tennis family,” al-Mohannadi said. Al-Mohannadi expressed his confidence in the new Board of Directors, headed by al-Hammadi, urging them to continue building upon past achievements with a spirit of innovation and development. He said the “House of Qatari Table Tennis” will always remain a model of excellence to ensure the continued superiority and leadership of the sport regionally and globally. Al-Mohannadi said: “I thank our wise leadership in the State of Qatar for their unlimited support, and I thank everyone who worked with me, from board of directors and technical committees to administrators, coaches, players and the media.”END Source link