Chennai Grand Masters: Pranesh emerges winner in Challenger section
But there was action in the Challengers section. On a drama-filled final day, three people had the chance to claim the title and qualify for the Masters section in 2026. In the end, all three of them lost as the pressure got to them. M Pranesh, who went into the final day with a half point lead, won even though he lost against Harshavardhan GB.
The RB Ramesh product only qualified for this event in a one-off online play-in. "I knew I would qualify for the Challengers section because I thought I was pretty strong," he said after winning. "But I didn't expect this (winning the Challengers)."
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First Post
4 hours ago
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'There is no place for racism in football': FIFA president Gianni Infantino makes a stern statement
On Sunday, a match between home side Lokomotive Leipzig and Schalke was halted after winger Christopher Antwi-Adjei said he was racially abused by home spectators. 'I repeat myself and will continue to do so. There is no place for racism in football,' Infantino said in the statement. On Sunday, a match between home side Lokomotive Leipzig and Schalke was halted after winger Christopher Antwi-Adjei said he was racially abused by home spectators. An announcement on the stadium PA was made condemning racist abuse. After the match resumed, the winger was booed repeatedly by the home support and Lokomotive issued an apology later on Sunday. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Also Read | Also on Sunday, a player from visiting side Kaiserslautern also alleged racial abuse from a member of the crowd at club RSV Eintracht. More from Football Infantino said FIFA would 'continue to closely monitor these incidents' and promised to work with the German FA (DFB) 'in the fight against racism'. The incidents come after Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo alleged he was racially attacked by a member of the crowd in Friday's Premier League season opener at Liverpool. Play was halted after Semenyo reported he was abused by someone in the crowd during the first half of Liverpool's 4-2 win, with Merseyside Police later arresting a man for a racially aggravated public order offence. Semenyo later said on social media the incident would 'stay with him forever' but added the response by players and officials meant 'football showed its best side when it mattered most'. Infantino, who also issued a statement on Sunday after the Semenyo incident, said Monday it was 'absolutely unacceptable that racist abuse has occurred at football matches for the second time in recent days'.
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Business Standard
5 hours ago
- Business Standard
FIFA chief Gianni Infantino condemns racism after German Cup incidents
FIFA President Gianni Infantino says that two incidents of alleged racist abuse which marred German Cup games are unacceptable as German police investigate. Infantino's comments came a day after Schalke's Christopher Antwi-Adjei said he was subjected to racist abuse in a cup game at Lokomotive Leipzig. He was whistled by fans throughout the match after reporting the incident to officials. In another incident, a Kaiserslautern substitute was racially abused while warming up in a game at RSV Eintracht, the team's coach said. He didn't name the player affected. Both incidents occurred as lower-league clubs from the former East Germany hosted larger teams in first-round games. It is unacceptable that incidents have occurred at two DFB-Pokal matches in Germany," Infantino wrote on social media, using the German name for the competition. Football has no place for racism or any form of discrimination. Infantino said FIFA's Players' Voice Panel would be in touch with the German soccer federation. Everyone at FIFA, The Players' Voice Panel and the whole football community stands firmly with all those impacted by these events we are committed to ensuring that players are respected and protected, and that competition organizers and law enforcement authorities take appropriate action," Infantino added. Antwi-Adjei filed a complaint about the incident at Lokomotive Leipzig and police were investigating, Schalke said late Sunday. At RSV Eintracht, fans and security quickly identified the alleged perpetrator and fans of both teams chanted Nazis out, German agency dpa reported. The German soccer federation's president, Bernd Neuendorf, said it had already launched its own investigations into the two games. Racism and discrimination, hatred and exclusion have no place in football. We stand for diversity and respect. And alongside those affected and with those who stand up for our values, Neuendorf said in a statement. The incidents in Germany came two days after Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo reported that he was racially abused by a spectator while playing at Liverpool. The game was briefly paused as the referee spoke to the coaches and captains of both teams. Police said Saturday that a 47-year-old man from Liverpool was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated public order offense. He was released on conditional bail Monday, police said, with a stipulation that he cannot attend soccer games in Britain. Infantino has said FIFA's Players' Voice Panel would contact Semenyo. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mint
7 hours ago
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Vaibhav Suryavanshi to be India's Asia Cup surprise? BCCI told to play ‘bold' in squad selection; ‘Don't make him wait'
Amid the ongoing buzz on who should be in the flight to UAE next month, India's Asia Cup 2025 squad selection got a fresh twist as former cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth called for Vaibhav Suryavanshi's inclusion. The 14-year-old from Bihar broke into limelight in the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) for Rajasthan Royals with a hundred. Having become the youngest ever to earn an IPL contract, Suryavanshi etched his name into record books by becoming the youngest-ever IPL centurion at 14 years when he reached his three-figure mark against Gujarat Titans. He finished his IPL 2025 campaign with a fifty. In seven matches, Suryavanshi amassed 252 runs at a strike rate of more than 200. That's not all. The left-handed opener continued his impressive form for India U-19 in England, scoring a century en route to their series win. Srikkanth's comments came after he felt Sanju Samson's position is still in doubt following the right-hander's injury in IPL 2025. "You have to play bold. Don't make him wait. Don't say things like 'let him mature'. He is already playing with remarkable maturity. His shot-making has been on another level. If I were chairman, I would definitely have him in the squad," Srikkanth said in a video on his YouTube show. Srikkanth, who was a member of the India's 1983 World Cup-winning squad, picked Abhishek Sharma as his first-choice opener, kept Suryavanshi and Sai Sudharsan as his options for the second opener. "My first-choice opener is Abhishek Sharma, no doubt. I will have two more openers. My picks would be Vaibhav Suryavanshi or Sai Sudharsan, with Shubman Gill as an option. If I were a selector, I would keep Vaibhav in the 15 for the T20 World Cup. He has been outstanding," he added. "I think it should be Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, and Sai Sudharsan. I would take two out of these three. That would be my preference," said Srikkanth. As per media reports, India's squad will be announced on August 19 after a selection committee meeting at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai. Captain Suryakumar Yadav, head coach Gautam Gambhir and BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar will be present at the meeting.
