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☆ Jankto to stop playing for Sparta Prague this season over health concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 20 (Reuters) - Czech Republic international Jakub Jankto, who received widespread support earlier this year after coming out as gay, has announced he will not play for Sparta Prague anymore this season due to concerns over his health. His announcement was met with support from Brazil's Neymar, the English Premier League, LaLiga and European soccer's governing body UEFA. The midfielder has played 16 games in all competitions for Sparta this term, having joined on loan from Spanish side Getafe. Sparta lead the Czech top flight with 61 points after 27 games, two points above second-placed Slavia Prague. The two Prague teams are due to meet in the Czech Cup final in May.

☆ Bullet point previews of Premier League matches
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

* League leaders Arsenal drew their last two league games, while relegation-threatened Southampton lost their last two. * Leeds have conceded 16 goals in four league games in April, conceding at least four goals in three of those matches. Crystal Palace v Everton (1400)* Palace have won just one of their last 16 Premier League games against Everton (D7 L8). * West Ham have won their last two league games against Bournemouth and are looking to complete their first league double over them. Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur (1300)* Alexander Isak has scored five goals in his last six league games for Newcastle.

☆ Bencic to skip Madrid, Rome events due to hip issue
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 20 (Reuters) - Olympic champion Belinda Bencic will skip upcoming claycourt tournaments in Madrid and Rome due to "discomfort" in her hip but said she hopes to be fully fit for the French Open. Bencic said she was hampered by the issue during the WTA Tour's U.S. swing, which included her run to the Charleston Open final where she lost to Ons Jabeur in straight sets. Bencic won the Adelaide International 2 title in January and Abu Dhabi Open the following month. The French Open, the second Grand Slam of the year, will be held from May 28 to June 11, where Iga Swiatek will be the women's singles defending champion. Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter RutherfordOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ City 'exhausted' ahead of FA Cup semi-final, says Guardiola
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 20 (Reuters) - Manchester City players are exhausted ahead of their FA Cup semi-final against Sheffield United at Wembley this weekend, manager Pep Guardiola said, after his side knocked Bayern Munich out of the Champions League on Wednesday. Guardiola's side are also in the hunt for the Premier League title, sitting four points behind leaders Arsenal with a game in hand. "The team is exhausted, so I don't know how we are going to recover to play against Sheffield United because we play on Saturday," Guardiola told BT Sport. "It's so demanding, so I don't know how we will arrive because now is a tough moment for the game on Saturday." Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter RutherfordOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Sabalenka says win over Krejcikova a confidence boost for French Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Tennis - WTA 500 - Stuttgart Open - Porsche Arena, Stuttgart, Germany - April 19, 2023 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka in action during her round of 16 match against Czech Republic's Barbora Krejcikova REUTERS/Angelika WarmuthApril 20 (Reuters) - World number two Aryna Sabalenka said beating former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova in the second round of the tune-up event in Stuttgart will boost her preparation for the Roland Garros Grand Slam. Sabalenka defeated Krejcikova 6-2 6-3 in one hour and 15 minutes on Wednesday, becoming the first player to book her spot in the quarter-finals. The Belarusian said the victory over the 2021 French Open winner handed her a confidence boost ahead of the May 28-June 11 major on the Parisian clay. "It's tough but an interesting challenge to play the first match against a Grand Slam champion," Australian Open winner Sabalenka, who received a bye in the opening round, told reporters. "It is something unique like you're never going to play the first round against a Grand Slam champion in the bigger tournament.

☆ Ex-Crawley manager Yems' ban extended until 2026 after FA appeal
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Crawley suspended Yems in April 2022 over accusations that he used discriminatory language and behaviour towards his players between 2019 and 2022. Yems was found to have made 16 breaches of FA Rule E3.2, which relates to comments on race and ethnicity. "We welcome the verdict from the independent Appeal Board to suspend John Yems from all football-related activity until January 2026," the FA said in a statement. "We strongly disagreed with their original sanction, as well as some of the elements of their judgement, which we fundamentally believed were not appropriate for the severity of the offences committed by John Yems." British anti-discriminatory body Kick It Out welcomed the appeal board's decision to extend the ban, calling it a "landmark moment".

☆ Belarusian Sabalenka says Lukashenko's comments 'not helping'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

read more"I'm pretty sure that it's not helping," Sabalenka told reporters in Stuttgart on Tuesday when asked about Lukashenko's comments. "I don't know what to say because he can comment (on) my game, he can comment whatever he wants to. The 24-year-old said she kept away from the internet as much as possible to avoid reading negative comments. Sabalenka is playing at the Stuttgart Open this week after withdrawing from the Charleston Open with a minor injury. She will face Barbora Krejcikova in the second round of the claycourt event after receiving a bye in the opener.

☆ Difficult to rely on Martial due to injury record, says Ten Hag
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 16 (Reuters) - Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag said forward Anthony Martial's injury issues make it difficult to rely on him but backed the Frenchman to be part of his plans next season. The Dutch manager described Martial as a versatile player but said he is at his best when leading the front line. For me, he's best at centre forward, but he can play in the wide position as well," Ten Hag said. With Marcus Rashford out with a groin injury, Martial is in line to start in Sunday's Premier League game away to Nottingham Forest. United are fourth in the league with 56 points, 17 points behind leaders Arsenal, who have played a game more.

☆ Medvedev happy with run in Monte Carlo despite quarter-final exit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Third seed Medvedev lost 6-3 6-4 to Danish teenager Holger Rune at the ATP Masters 1000 event, a day after his comeback victory over Alexander Zverev. "He (Rune) played very well. I could have played a bit better, but if we talk about clay again, I'm not as at ease as he is on clay... We'll see what I do there, but I'm very happy with this tournament in Monte Carlo," Medvedev added. If one day I'm able to become a monster on clay, I'm happy."

☆ City's Haaland on the same level as Messi, Ronaldo - Guardiola
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SOUTHAMPTON, England, April 9 (Reuters) - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said striker Erling Haaland is of the same calibre as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo after the Norwegian international scored twice in Saturday's 4-1 Premier League victory at Southampton. Haaland scored on a header and remarkable bicycle kick, taking his tally to 44 goals in all competitions this season, with 30 of those coming in the Premier League. His total is now tied for the most ever by a Premier League player in all competitions in a single campaign, equalling Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2002-03 and Mohamed Salah in 2017-18. "We have lived two incredible decades with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but he is on that level," Guardiola told the BBC on Saturday. The 22-year-old, who joined City from Borussia Dortmund, is now four short of the record of 34 goals in a Premier League season set by Alan Shearer and Andy Cole.

☆ Arteta preparing Arsenal players for Anfield 'jungle'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 8 (Reuters) - Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is preparing his players to take their Premier League title charge to the Anfield "jungle" as they look to end a marathon winless run at the home of Liverpool. Arsenal have not won at Anfield in the Premier League since their 2-0 victory in the 2012-13 season - a game in which Arteta himself played for the north London club. "You cannot train the players in the zoo and then go to the jungle on Sunday," Arteta told reporters on Friday. You have to prepare the players. Arteta said his side are enthusiastic ahead of Sunday's clash with Liverpool as Arsenal look to maintain their eight-point lead over Manchester City in the title race.

☆ Kompany says he did not expect to lead Burnley to promotion in first season
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 8 (Reuters) - Burnley manager Vincent Kompany said he did not expect to lead the Lancashire club to promotion to the Premier League in his first season in charge, but having achieved that return to the top tier he said his side are now aiming for more. Burnley secured automatic promotion to the Premier League with seven games to spare after Friday's 2-1 victory at Middlesbrough ensured Kompany's side will finish in the second-tier Championship's top two. They make their return to the top flight after one season, having been relegated on the final day of the 2021-22 campaign, in which they finished third-bottom. "It's Easter, there are seven games to go and we are already celebrating," Kompany told Sky Sports. Club chairman Alan Pace said the promotion came as a "complete surprise".

☆ Liverpool call for end to 'vile chants' about Hillsborough disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Soccer Football - Premier League - Chelsea v Liverpool - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - April 4, 2023 Chelsea's Reece James scores a goal that is later disallowed Action Images via Reuters/Andrew CouldridgeApril 5 (Reuters) - Liverpool have called for an end to "vile chants" about the Hillsborough Stadium disaster after they were heard during Tuesday's goalless Premier League draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The 1989 FA Cup semi-final was the scene of Britain's worst sporting disaster when 97 Liverpool fans lost their lives after a crush in an over-crowded and fenced-in enclosure. "We know the impact these vile chants have on those who continue to suffer as a result of football tragedies. The Premier League said it condemned the "tragedy chanting" at the match. "We continue to treat this as an unacceptable issue and are seeking to address it as a priority," it added.

☆ New Zealand's Williamson ruled out of IPL after knee injury
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 2 (Reuters) - New Zealand's white-ball skipper Kane Williamson has been ruled out of this season's Indian Premier League (IPL) after sustaining an injury in Gujarat Titans' opening match against Chennai Super Kings, the team announced on Sunday. Williamson injured his right knee in Friday's match while fielding near the boundary when he leapt to stop a six. He saved two runs as he palmed the ball into the field but landed awkwardly, falling to the ground clutching his knee. New Zealand Cricket said Williamson would return home to have the injury further assessed. Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Edmund KlamannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Canadian teenager McIntosh sets another world record
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 2 (Reuters) - Teenager Summer McIntosh set a world record in the 400m individual medley at the Canadian swimming trials on Saturday, four days after she achieved the same feat in the 400m freestyle. McIntosh finished the 400m individual medley in a time of 4:25.87, surpassing the previous record of 4:26.36 set by Katinka Hosszu at the Rio Olympics in 2016. "That's the first time I really, vividly heard the crowd during my race," the 16-year-old said. McIntosh set a world record in the 400m freestyle on the opening night of the trials on Tuesday, shaving 0.32 seconds off the mark set by Australia's Ariarne Titmus last year. She has one race left, the 200m freestyle, in which she holds a best time of 1:54.13 from earlier this year.

☆ Man City condemn damage caused to Liverpool's team bus
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MANCHESTER, England, April 2 (Reuters) - Manchester City have condemned the actions of individuals responsible for causing damage to Liverpool's team bus on their return journey following Saturday's Premier League clash at the Etihad. City, who won the game 4-1, said an object was thrown towards the bus in a residential area. Greater Manchester Police said they had launched an investigation after reports of criminal damage and said there were no injuries, adding that the bus continued with its journey. "Incidents of this kind are totally unacceptable, and we strongly condemn the actions of the individual(s) responsible," City, the reigning league champions, said in a statement. City also said the club were disappointed to have heard "inappropriate chants" from their fans during the game.

☆ Wood makes English record on IPL return as Lucknow triumph
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Playing in only his second IPL match, Wood picked up 5-14 and was named Player of the Match as Lucknow sealed a 50-run win in their opening match of the season. Lucknow set Delhi a target of 194 after Kyle Mayers hit 73 on his IPL debut. Even though Delhi skipper David Warner struck a half-century, the visitors fell short in their chase. Wood, who had played once for the Chennai Super Kings in 2018, said he was eager to make an impact on his return to the Twenty20 tournament. Australian Warner, whose new IPL captaincy started with a defeat, was also impressed by his potential Ashes rival Wood.

☆ Sinner says win over Alcaraz in Miami one of his best
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Youngsters Sinner and Alcaraz have formed one of the most exciting rivalries on the ATP Tour, each enjoying three wins in their six meetings so far. "For sure it's one of the best wins. I think we both played a very, very high-level match," Sinner, 21, told reporters. "The last one I lost obviously, but I'll try my best, I'll try to make some good changes like today against Carlos and let's see. "I had an opportunity to get the Sunshine Double, but I think I'm going to have more years to try to get it.

☆ Tottenham end unhappy relationship with Conte
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Martyn Herman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, March 26 (Reuters) - Antonio Conte's increasingly fractious relationship with Tottenham Hotspur came to an end with the Premier League club announcing they had parted ways with the Italian on Sunday. "We can announce that head coach Antonio Conte has left the club by mutual agreement," Tottenham said in a statement. "We achieved Champions League qualification in Antonio's first season at the club. "We have 10 Premier League games remaining and we have a fight on our hands for a Champions League place," chairman Daniel Levy said in the statement. Conte leaves with Tottenham in fourth place in the Premier League and still well-placed to challenge for a top-four finish and qualify for the Champions League.

While Xiaomi remained focused on selling mobile phones under 10,000 rupees ($120), Indian consumers were willing to pay up for better looking models with richer features. According to Counterpoint, the market share of the sub-$120 phones in India fell to 26% in 2022 from 41% two years ago. And premium phones - priced above 30,000 ($360) - saw their share double to 11% in the same period. Xiaomi and Samsung both count India as a key growth market, with smartphones their top selling electronic device. And premium phones accounted for only 0%-1% of Xiaomi's total India phone shipments in the last two years, when Samsung's higher-end phones more than doubled their share to 13%, Counterpoint data showed.

☆ India's 1-yr, 10-yr yield curve briefly inverts for first time in nearly eight years
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Dharamraj Dhutia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The 1-year bond yield, that trades close to the 364-day treasury bill yield, briefly rose to 7.4750% earlier in the day, while the 10-year benchmark 7.26% 2032 bond yield was at 7.4728%. The 1-year note last traded above the 10-year bond in May 2015, according to Refinitiv data. The 1-year yield eased to 7.43%, while the 10-year benchmark was at 7.46% as of 4:20 p.m. IST. On Feb. 28, Reuters reported that India's bond yield curve is likely to invert on the back of worsening liquidity deficit in India's banking system and bets of continued rate hikes. Reuters GraphicsThe benchmark 2032 bond yield has risen only 12 bps during the same period, leading to spread compression and ultimately inversion.

☆ Black Ferns secure Olympic berth with fourth world series title
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Black Ferns, who won in Tokyo in 2021 by beating France in the final, added to their success in the world series following their triumphs in Sydney, Hamilton and Cape Town. They extended their lead at the top spot of the standings with two tournaments remaining - in Hong Kong and Toulouse. "Our goal from the beginning of this season was to qualify for Paris 2024. While we have now qualified for the Olympics, our season hasn't finished yet," said Black Ferns captain Sarah Hirini after Sunday's win over their trans-Tansman rivals. The Olympic Games will be held in Paris next year from July 26 to Aug. 11.

☆ Djokovic happy with injury recovery despite semi-final exit in Dubai
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

World number one Djokovic suffered a three-centimetre hamstring tear en route to winning the Adelaide Open before claiming his 22nd Grand Slam title at the Australian Open to go level with Rafa Nadal. The 35-year-old Serbian had a solid run at the ATP 500 event in Dubai before he lost 6-4 6-4 to Medvedev. I know that I didn't play well in some decisive moments, but it was also due to his quality of tennis," Djokovic told reporters. If that's the case, I'll take some time off, I'll prepare," he said. Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Former Pakistan woman hockey player killed in Italian shipwreck
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 2 (Reuters) - Former Pakistan women's hockey player Shahida Raza was among at least 67 people killed on the weekend in a migrant shipwreck off the coast of Italy, officials in her home province said. Those on board were mostly from Afghanistan but also from Pakistan, Syria, the Palestinian Territories, Iran and Somalia, Italian authorities said. "Pakistani authorities have informed Raza's family that the Pakistani national team hockey player perished in the boating accident off the coast of Italy," Qadir Ali Nayel, a legislator from Balochistan province, told Reuters late on Wednesday. The chief minister of Balochistan expressed grief over Raza's death saying in a statement she had brought honour to the province and the country. Reporting by Gul Yousafzai in Quetta, Pakistan; Writing by Manasi Pathak; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Wimbledon offers best chance of deep run at a Grand Slam: Murray
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 28 (Reuters) - Andy Murray said he is confident he will be in good physical condition at Wimbledon this year and that the tournament offers him the best chance of going deep at a Grand Slam. The 35-year-old considered retiring in 2019 after undergoing hip surgery but got his career back on track after another operation. "I really like the way that I've trained in practice these last four months and I've not been doing that with Wimbledon in mind. "If I do that and accumulate enough of those days, then I believe that come Wimbledon my game will be in a really, really good place." Murray is confident his body would be able to cope with the physical demands of playing seven five-set matches if required.

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