Sport

LIVERPOOL – Jurgen Klopp admitted the end of Liverpool’s 68-game unbeaten run at Anfield was a “massive punch in the face” as the Premier League champions crashed to a shock 1-0 defeat against Burnley on Thursday. Klopp’s side were beaten in a home league game for the first time since Crystal Palace won at Anfield […]

TOKYO – Japan dismissed a report claiming officials see cancelling the Tokyo Olympics as inevitable on Friday, as Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said he was “determined” to hold the Games. Deputy government spokesman Manabu Sakai there was “no truth” to the report in The Times, which quoted an unnamed ruling coalition source as saying “the […]

PARIS – Spain’s Paula Badosa has tested positive for the coronavirus while quarantined in a Melbourne hotel ahead of the Australian Open. She is the first female tennis player on the tournament’s roster to have a confirmed positive test, the latest setback for preparations for the year’s first Grand Slam in Melbourne. The tournament has […]

JOHANNESBURG – Cricket South Africa interim board chairman Zak Yacoob said on Thursday he was confident that Australia’s Test tour of South Africa would go ahead, although he cautioned that the unpredictability of the COVID-19 virus could yet cause plans to change. “I had a chat with the chair of Cricket Australia (Earl Eddings) about […]

REGGIO EMILIA – Andrea Pirlo won his first trophy as a coach on Wednesday as Juventus beat Napoli 2-0 in the Italian Super Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo blasted in his 20th goal of the season following a corner on 64 minutes in Reggio Emilia, before Napoli captain Lorenzo Insigne missed a penalty and Alvaro Morata added […]

MADRID – Zinedine Zidane insisted his players still believe in him after Real Madrid suffered an embarrassing defeat by third-tier side Alcoyano in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday. La Liga’s reigning champions lost 2-1 to Alcoyano, who scored a remarkable winner in extra-time after having a man sent off. Real Madrid have now won […]

JOHANNESBURG – Sports Minister Nathi Mthethwa has extended the term for Cricket South Africa (CSA)’s interim board to 15 February. Mthethwa had given the board three months to complete their mandate, with that deadline lapsing at the end of this month. CSA has been in turmoil for the last 18 months, with the interim board […]

TOKYO – When the Tokyo Olympics were postponed last year, officials promised they would open in 2021 as proof of mankind’s triumph over the coronavirus. But six months before the rescheduled start, victory over the virus remains distant, and fears are growing rapidly that the Games may not take place at all. Publicly, organisers are […]

MELBOURNE – World number one Novak Djokovic published an open letter to the Australian public on Twitter on Wednesday in which he tried to “clarify” demands he appeared to make to the organisers of the Australian Open. Djokovic, an eight-times champion in Melbourne, was widely harangued on Tuesday after reportedly issuing a list of demands […]