Soccer-FIFA and Saudi Arabia's PIF partner up for Club World Cup
FILE PHOTO: The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 winners trophy is displayed in Times Square ahead of the tournament featuring 32 teams and 63 matches, spread across 12 stadiums in 11 U.S. cities in June and July, in New York City, U.S., May 20, 2025. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo
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The Star
8 hours ago
- The Star
Soccer-Football rivalry gone too far: Argentine club Newell's sanctions 9-year-olds over rival player photo
FILE PHOTO: An-18-meter long Argentina shirt featuring soccer star Lionel Messi's surname is displayed at the Monumento a la Bandera (The National Flag Memorial), in Rosario, Argentina, December 16, 2022. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo (Reuters) -A simple photo between kids and a professional footballer has spiralled into controversy in Argentina, after Newell's Old Boys sanctioned youth players for posing with Rosario Central's Ignacio Malcorra, a move seen as a shocking escalation of the city's fierce football rivalry. Newell's, the Rosario club that once nurtured a young Lionel Messi, suspended the academy players from training and revoked their scholarships for three months after discovering their photo with Malcorra, who has played for bitter rivals Rosario Central during five seasons. The decision, which club officials framed as a protective measure following reported fan threats, has drawn strong criticism from both the public and prominent figures, while Malcorra himself expressed his dismay at the row. "I feel sad for them. Children are innocent and don't know much about what they're doing," Malcorra told reporters on Friday, recounting the chance encounter at a youth tournament three months ago. "They just wanted to take a photo with a top flight player, like any child would." As the photo went viral on social media only recently, club officials said earlier this week the matter had been dealt with internally, while some ultra-supporters had reportedly demanded the children to be expelled. Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni also condemned the sanctions. "If you dream of playing in the First Division one day, it doesn't matter who you play with," he told reporters before Thursday's match against Chile. National Security Minister Patricia Bullrich on Friday called the sanctions "disgraceful" on social media, suggesting the club had bowed to pressure from hardline supporters. The football rivalry, also known as the Rosario derby, reflects the deep footballing identity of the industrial port of Rosario - a city that produced eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi through Newell's and recently welcomed Argentina talisman Angel Di Maria back to Central. Newell's said the affected children "continue to be members of the club" and that directors would meet with parents next week "to continue listening to them, supporting them, and taking appropriate action." (Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
The Star
9 hours ago
- The Star
Athletics-Kenya's Chebet nears 5000m world record at Rome Diamond League
Athletics - Diamond League - Rome - Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy - June 6, 2025 Kenya's Beatrice Chebet in action during women's 5000m final REUTERS/Remo Casilli Rome (Reuters) -Kenyan Beatrice Chebet came close to breaking the women's 5000 metres world record on Friday at the Rome Diamond League when she clocked 14:03.69, a meeting record that was just 2.5 seconds shy of Gudaf Tsegay's 1997 world mark of 14:00.21. Chebet, who recorded the second-fastest ever time in the women's 3000 metres – running 8:11.56 in Rabat last month behind Wang Junxia's 8:06.11 set in 1993 – appears determined to shave further seconds off her times. "I can see that my body is in good shape and that I am capable of achieving the world record. Now I am going home to prepare for it. Everything is possible," the 25-year-old said after the race. Jamaica's Andrenette Knight dominated the women's 400m hurdles, finishing in 53.67 seconds, while American Anavia Battle won the women's 200 metres in 22.53 seconds. Irish Sarah Healey triumphed in the 1500 metres with a time of 3:59.17. THRILLING VICTORIES The men's 110m hurdles produced the evening's closest finish, with Swiss athlete Jason Joseph clocking 13.14 and snatching victory from American Cordell Tinch, who finished in the same time. There was also a nail-bitting race in the men's 400 metres, with American Quincy Hall finishing in 44.22 seconds, just a hundredth of a second ahead of South Africa's Zakithi Nene. "I have been working hard. We are coming there. I want to be the best. It is coming down. You do not know about the time, but it is coming down this year," Quincy said. In the men's 1500 metres, France's Azeddine Habz surged in the closing stages to beat former world champion Kenya's Timothy Cheruiyot. Habz won by three-hundredths of a second with a time of 3:29.72, while Cheruiyot finished in 3:29.75. American Trayvon Bromell claimed victory in the 100 metres, finishing in 9.84 seconds, while Tokyo Olympics high jump gold medallist Gianmarco Tamberi failed to reach the podium as South Korea's Woo Sanghyeok took the win with a jump of 2.32 metres. (Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico City)
The Star
10 hours ago
- The Star
Tennis-Sinner says rivalry with Alcaraz just the tonic sport needs
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 4, 2025 Italy's Jannik Sinner during his quarter final match against Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik REUTERS/Lisi Niesner PARIS (Reuters) -Jannik Sinner believes his battle for supremacy with fellow French Open finalist Carlos Alcaraz could become the defining rivalry of their era and is something the sport needs with its golden generation of players calling time on their careers. Sinner beat Novak Djokovic 6-4 7-5 7-6(3) in a generational battle on Court Philippe Chatrier to deny his Serbian opponent a record 25th Grand Slam and leave him unsure whether he will ever return to Roland Garros, where he has won three major trophies. The 23-year-old Italian, who is seeking his fourth Grand Slam title, booked a mouth-watering meeting with his main rival Carlos Alcaraz, who will aim to retain his crown at Roland Garros and add a fifth major crown to his trophy cabinet. With Djokovic now the only active member of tennis' Big Four that also included Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray and yielded a collective 69 major titles in more than two decades, Sinner sensed an opportunity for himself and Alcaraz. "It takes time to compare us with the Big Three or Big Four, no? Only time can tell, to be honest," Sinner told reporters. "For sure, from my point of view, he's a player who makes me a better player. He pushes me to the limit. We try to understand where we have to improve, for the next times I play against him. "I believe that tennis or every sport needs rivalries. This could be potentially one of them, but there are amazing players coming up. There can be so many different and other players joining or one drops. You never know." Sunday's clash on Court Philippe Chatrier will mark only the 12th time that Sinner and Alcaraz have faced off, with the 22-year-old Spaniard looking for a fifth straight victory over his opponent to successfully defend his title. Djokovic said the pair would have to keep going to match the rivalry that he had with Federer, Nadal and Murray. "At the moment, that's hard, because they need to play against each for at least 10-plus years non-stop in order to be part of the same discussion," Djokovic added. "But they're definitely great for tennis, both of them. I think their rivalry is something our sport needs." Sinner said he and Alcaraz had a similar aura and could get more fans interested in the sport. "He's a player with charisma, with that aura," Sinner said. "The moment he steps on court, you can feel his presence. In the end, that's exactly what tennis needs. The more people like that, the more players like that, the better. "In the end, it's exactly those players who bring people closer to the sport and make them want to watch tennis." (Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar and Julien Pretot in Paris; editing by Pritha Sarkar)
