Sports

Nadal Hails ‘Amazing Atmosphere’ As Spain Beat Russia

Rafael Nadal instigated a Spanish comeback against Russia in the Davis Cup on Tuesday by capitalising on a raucous home crowd to beat Karen Khachanov in straight sets.

Nadal, who will finish the year as world number one, came through a second-set tie-break to defeat Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) and level the Group B match in Madrid.

Marcel Granollers and Feliciano Lopez then won the deciding doubles rubber 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) against Khachanov and Andrey Rublev, who had earlier given Russia the lead with a 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/0) win over Roberto Bautista Agut.

A new format this year means …

Triple-Double History For King James As Lakers Roll Thunder

LeBron James became the first player in NBA history to record a triple-double against every team in the league on Tuesday as the Los Angeles Lakers powered to victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

James finished with 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a hardfought 112-107 win over the Thunder at the Staples Center.

Anthony Davis led the Lakers scoring with 34 points, while adding seven rebounds and four assists.

The win saw the Lakers improve to 12-2 to remain on top of the Western Conference.

But it was James’ 86th career triple-double that grabbed the headlines, the …

Pakistan 16-Year-Old To Make Test Debut Against Australia

Teenage bowling sensation Naseem Shah will become one of the youngest cricketers to play a Test after Pakistan captain Azhar Ali confirmed Wednesday the 16-year-old will make his debut at the Gabba.

Shah, who opted to remain on tour after his mother died last week, made the grade for Thursday’s first Test after impressing with an eight-over spell against Australia A in Perth.

“We are definitely looking to play him — he is bowling really well,” Azhar said ahead of the series opener in Brisbane.

Only handful of players have made their debut aged 16, including Sachin Tendulkar who went …

Jose Mourinho: Miracle Worker Or Busted Flush?

Jose Mourinho, the new man in the Tottenham hot seat, is back in the Premier League with a point to prove.

The Portuguese is a serial winner across Europe but his reputation was badly tarnished in the final few months of his Manchester United reign, which ended late last year.

The man who charmed English football when he arrived as a fresh-faced manager at Chelsea in 2004, labelling himself the “Special One”, left Old Trafford last December under a dark cloud.

Now Mourinho has a chance to prove his doubters wrong at a club without any silverware since 2008 …

Racist

Ex-England Coach Charged By FA Over Alleged Racist Comment

Stevenage caretaker manager and former England Women head coach Mark Sampson was Wednesday charged by the Football Association over using allegedly racist language.

Sampson, who took interim charge of the club, who play in English football’s fourth tier, in September, is accused of making the remark about a player during a conversation about transfer targets.

The FA said he had been charged with an “aggravated” breach of Rule E3 and has until December 6 to respond.

Stevenage said in September that an internal investigation into the matter had found there was no case for Sampson to answer.

The club said …

Euro 2020 Format Blasted A ‘Scandal’

The format for UEFA’s continent-wide Euro 2020 has been labelled “a scandal” by Belgium star Kevin De Bruyne as European football’s governing body faces a headache to ensure all host nations who qualify get to play at home.

For the first time, next year’s European Championship will be played in 12 different host cities in 12 different nations, with Wembley staging the semi-finals and final.

The draw for what will be the second 24-team Euro will be held in Bucharest on Saturday, November 30.

Wales became the 20th nation to secure their spot when they beat Hungary 2-0 in Cardiff

Murray Tells Sceptics To Give New Davis Cup A Chance

Andy Murray believes negativity around the reformed Davis Cup has been unfair and is urging people to give the new competition a chance to succeed.

The inaugural Finals of the 119-year-old tournament started on Monday in Madrid, where 18 teams will now compete across the week at the Caja Magica for the chance to play in Sunday’s final.

Barcelona footballer Gerard Pique has been at the heart of the changes after his marketing company Kosmos struck a $3billion deal over 25 years with the International Tennis Federation.

“I think generally people have been fairly negative about the new concepts,” Murray …

Bangladesh Ban Shahadat For Assaulting Teammate

The Bangladesh Cricket Board on Tuesday banned former national team fast bowler Shahadat Hossain for three years after he assaulted a teammate in a match.

The temperamental Shahadat was reported by umpires after he was seen to slap and kick a teammate during a National Cricket League match on Sunday.

The national federation imposed a five-year ban but suspended two years of the punishment. Shahadat, who admitted a charge of “physical assault”, was also fined 300,000 taka ($3,540), the board said.

The 33-year-old bowler condemned the ban as “too harsh” and said it would effectively end his controversial cricket career.…

Guardiola’s Agent Rules Out A Return To Bayern Munich

Pep Guardiola’s agent has ruled out a return to Bayern Munich at least until the Spaniard’s contract expires at Manchester City in 2021, according to reports.

The German champions are currently looking for a new head coach following the sacking of Niko Kovac after a 5-1 thrashing at Eintracht Frankfurt at the start of the month.

Caretaker boss Hansi Flick will remain in charge at least until Christmas when the Bundesliga goes into recess but the Germans are already on the lookout for a possible high profile replacement.

“Pep is content and very happy in Manchester. His contract is until …

Luis Enrique Returns As Spain Coach After Daughter’s Death

Luis Enrique will return as coach of Spain and replace Robert Moreno ahead of Euro 2020, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) confirmed on Tuesday.

Moreno took charge in June after Luis Enrique had resigned to take care of his daughter Xana, who died in August of bone cancer.

“Today we can confirm Luis Enrique returns to his position of work,” RFEF president Luis Rubiales said in a press conference at the national team’s training base in Las Rozas.

Rubiales said Luis Enrique has a contract until the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and that it will be up to him …

Man City’s Revenue Rises To £535 Million

Manchester City’s on-field success saw the club’s revenues swell to £535 million ($692 million) last season as the Premier League champions posted a profit for the fifth straight year.

A 20 percent surge in broadcast revenue saw City’s income rise from £500.5 million in the 2017/18 season.

Pep Guardiola’s men completed an unprecedented quadruple of England’s domestic trophies by winning the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Community Shield.

The sale of a host of players unable to break into the first team helped boost profits to £10.1 million.

Prior to Sheikh Mansour’s takeover of City in 2008, the …

French Steeplechaser Reportedly Fails Doping Test

French 3,000m steeplechase specialist Ophelie Claude-Boxberger has tested positive for EPO, a source close to the case said on Tuesday.

This is third doping case in French athletics in less than a year.

Paris’ Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed it had opened a “preliminary investigation on 14 October into offences under anti-doping and poisonous substances legislation” following a report from the French anti-doping agency (AFLD).

“I learned once again from the press that there would be a positive test, there was no confirmation from the AFLD,” said Andre Giraud, the president of the French Athletics Federation (FFA).

He said a change …