SPORTS - Page 19

The president of France says his country is prepared to move the 2024 Olympic opening ceremony from the River Seine to another location should the security situation require it. Emmanuel Macron told France 5 television on Wednesday that a backup plan would come into play if “the level of insecurity requires us to revisit the initial scheme.” He did not elaborate. The Games are scheduled to begin on July 26 in Paris and conclude on August 11. They are expected

Brazil forward Neymar will not recover from knee surgery in time to play at next year’s Copa America, national team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said on Tuesday. The 31-year-old Al Hilal star ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in his left knee during Brazil’s 2-0 World Cup qualifier defeat to Uruguay on October 17 and underwent surgery two weeks later. The Copa America, which runs from June 20 to July 14, is eight months away at the time of

Chelsea and Fulham made history by reaching the semi-finals of the League Cup on Tuesday when they followed up 1-1 draws with penalty-shootout wins over Newcastle United and Everton, respectively. The west London rivals are through to the last four of England’s oldest knockout competition, with Middlesbrough also making the last eight. Substitute Mykhailo Mudryk kept Chelsea alive with a 92nd-minute equalizer against Newcastle, which set up a thrilling shootout win that saw the Blues triumph 4-2 on penalties at

Jordan Henderson was one of football’s good guys, a club captain who fundraised for the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic and a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ campaigns. But he shocked many when he left Liverpool in July to join Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League, a competition bankrolled by an unpleasant regime where homosexuality is illegal and punished by death. Now, the 33-year-old has spoken out to defend his decision and apologize for any hurt caused. The Liverpool midfielder says

Rafael Nadal has made good progress in training since returning to action following a hip injury. However, his coach, Carlos Moya, is still worried about how the former world number one’s body will cope with the rigors of Grand Slam tennis. The 37-year-old suffered a muscle issue at Melbourne Park in January that wiped out his season. Nadal will play at the Brisbane International this month ahead of playing in the Jan. 14-28 Australian Open, where he won two of

FIFA has announced that its revamped Club World Cup, to be held for the first time in 2025, will feature 32 teams. The United States will host the 2025 edition of the expanded event, held every four years after that. The tournament will take place from mid-June to mid-July. The new competition will replace the current seven-team event, which initially expanded to 24 teams before being scrapped due to concerns about players’ workloads. The expanded competition will feature eight groups

The president of top-tier Turkish soccer club Ankaragucu was arrested on Tuesday after punching a referee right in the face at the end of a match. The club’s Faruk Koca was captured on video sprinting onto the field and throwing a huge punch that landed on referee Halil Umut Meler’s left eye. Meler was left with a fractured eye socket but is expected to recover. The referee reportedly told police that Koca had also threatened him. Koca is expected to

Turkey’s top leagues have been halted after the president of MKE Ankaragucu punched the referee at the end of their Super Lig home match against Rizespor. Footage from the game showed Koca entering the field and hitting referee Halil Umut Meler when the final whistle blew after Rizespor scored a 97th-minute equalizer in the 1-1 draw at Eryaman Stadium on Monday. The TFF said it has acted on “a night of shame” for the nation’s soccer by suspending all leagues

The German sportswear firm Puma will end its sponsorship of Israel’s national football team next year but ruled out the decision being made because of Israel’s war in Gaza, which began on October 7. The company cited financial reasons as the reasoning. The move was premeditated since last year, a spokesperson said. Puma, which has sponsored the Israeli Federation of Association Football (IFA) since 2018, has been a target of boycott calls from pro-Palestinian groups who say the deal endorses

Novak Djokovic turns 37 next year, but the Serbian says his appetite for success will only increase with young challengers awakening the “beast” in him. The world number one enjoyed an extraordinary 2023 by winning three out of the four Grand Slams to take his tally to 24, two more than his great rival Rafa Nadal and four more than the retired Roger Federer. However, he did not have it all his way this season, with 22-year-old Jannik Sinner dashing