7-year ban to Oman player for match-fixing

Dubai

Oman’s Yousuf Abdulrahim Al Balushi has been banned from cricket for seven years due to match-fixing offences, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said. Al Balushi was found guilty of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code on four counts relating to T20 World Cup qualifiers held in the United Arab Emirates last year. The 29-year-old admitted the charges and accepted the sanction imposed upon him. “This is a very serious offence where a player attempted but failed to get a teammate to engage in corrupt activity in high profile games and this is reflected in the severity of the sentence,” said ICC General Manager, Integrity, Alex Marshall.

Mumbai
Hardik to play in DY Patil T20 tournament

Fit-again India all-rounder Hardik Pandya is set to play in the DY Patil T20 tournament, which began here today. Pandya suffered a bad lower-back injury five months ago and underwent a surgery in London. The 26-year-old all-rounder, who hasn’t played international cricket since then, has been recovering at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.

Mumbai
Goa’s Yash wins French Jr Open squash championship

Budding squash player Yash Fadte from Goa has won the prestigious French Junior Open, becoming one of the very few Indians to win the prestigious championship. The French Junior Open was held in Lille from February 20 to 23 and is one of the oldest junior squash events. Fadte, 18, seeded No. 1, defeated Czech Republic’s No. 1 and second seed Marek Panachek 10-12 11-5 11-4 11-5) in the final. In the semifinals, Fadte beat France No. 1 Toufik Mekhalfi 9-11 11-6 7-11 11-8 11-9 in a thrilling match. Fadte now has his eyes set on the Junior World Championship.

Madrid
Real’s Marcelo lands in court for driving violations   

Brazil defender Marcelo has been in court for driving with a suspended licence for the second time in seven years and speeding, a Madrid court revealed on Monday. The high courts of justice in the Spanish capital said that he had admitted to the offences after reportedly being clocked driving at 134 km/h in a 120km/h zone in December.

Seoul
South Korea postpones football season over virus     

South Korea’s K-league on Monday postponed the start of the new football season in the face of the growing novel coronavirus outbreak in the country. “The K-league has decided to temporarily postpone the start of the 2020 K-league season until the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak eases,” it said in a statement. —  Agencies

PSG win thriller, Neymar given marching orders

Paris: Edinson Cavani scored his 200th Paris Saint-Germain goal and Marquinhos netted twice as the Ligue 1 leaders bounced back from their Champions League defeat to Borussia Dortmund to beat Bordeaux 4-3, but their victory was marred by Neymar’s late sending-off. Hwang Ui-jo gave Bordeaux the lead at the Parc des Princes on Sunday but PSG turned it around thanks to goals by Cavani and Kylian Mbappe either side of a Marquinhos brace.

Felix flexes on return as Atletico top Villareal

Paris: Atletico Madrid followed up their surprise win over Liverpool by beating Villarreal in La Liga as Joao Felix marked his return from injury with a first league goal since September. Felix came off the bench at the Wanda Metropolitano after almost a month out with an ankle problem and the 20-year-old looked refreshed as he drove in Atletico’s third in an impressive 3-1 victory. AFP

Ahead of clash, Gatusso in awe of ‘great’ Messi

Naples: Lionel Messi is the “greatest” footballer of all time, ahead of even Diego Maradona, Napoli coach Gennaro Gattuso said today ahead of his side’s clash with Barcelona. The 32-year-old’s four goals in Barca’s 5-0 win over Eibar has seen him involve in more than 1,000 goals in his career, scoring 696 and assisting another 306. Gattuso was quick to praise Messi, comparing the Barca star to Napoli legend Maradona. “He’s the greatest and an example for everyone,” said Gattuso. AFP