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Womens cricket world cup to be played behind closed doors

The 2021 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand could be played behind closed doors and in a bio-secure environment.

Organisers of the tournament, scheduled for February and March, are advertising for a “bio-security manager”.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is understood to be looking at a range of options, in consultation with stakeholders, national governments and health experts.

The tournament will be discussed at an ICC board meeting on Friday.

The men’s T20 World Cup, due to be held in Australia in October and November, was postponed last month because of the coronavirus pandemic.

If the Women’s World Cup is also postponed, the ICC would face a crammed schedule of global tournaments, with men’s T20 World Cups planned for both 2021 and 2022, and women’s T20 cricket set to be part of the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Any plans to stage the Women’s World Cup on time also depends on the rescheduling of the qualifying event, which should have taken place in Sri Lanka in July.

The qualifying event – featuring 10 teams, including Ireland – will determine the final three of the eight teams which will take part in the tournament proper.

Australia, holders England, South Africa, India and hosts New Zealand have already booked their places.

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Footballing LegendCassillas Retires from Football

Former Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas has retired from football at the age of 39.

Casillas made 725 appearances for Real during a 16-year career at the Bernabeu, winning three Champions League titles and five La Liga crowns.

He also helped Spain win the 2010 World Cup and two successive European Championships in 2008 and 2012.

Casillas joined Porto in 2015 but has not played since suffering a heart attack during training in April 2019.

During his recovery he was given a role on the club’s coaching staff in July 2019.

He made 156 appearances for the Portuguese side, winning two Primeira Liga titles and one Portuguese Cup.

Casillas won 167 international caps for Spain between 2000 and 2016. Only former Real team-mate Sergio Ramos has made more appearances for the national side.

Announcing his retirement on Twitter, Casillas said: “The important thing is the path you travel and the people who accompany you, not the destination to which it takes you.

“I think I can say, without hesitation, that it has been the path and the dream destination.”

Real Madrid said Casillas, who joined the Spanish giants at the age of nine, was the best goalkeeper in the 118-year history of the club.

“Real Madrid wants to show its appreciation, admiration and love for one of the greatest legends of our club and world football,” read a statement on the club’s website.

“Iker Casillas belongs to the heart of Real Madrid and will be so forever.”

In February, he announced his intention to run for the presidency of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), before later withdrawing because of the “exceptional social, economic and health situation” the country was suffering during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Championship playoffs today

Brentford play Fulham on Tuesday for the chance to return to the English top flight for the first time in 73 years – and earn about £160m in the process.

The west London rivals, separated by just four miles, meet in the Championship play-off final at Wembley.

Fulham could seal an immediate return to the Premier League.

Victory in the match, often dubbed the richest game in football, would be worth £135m to Fulham and about £160m to Brentford over the next three years.

Brentford finished third in the table, one place above Fulham on goal difference, and won both league meetings during the regular campaign.

If they fail to win, the Bees will have taken part in more unsuccessful play-off campaigns in the English Football League than any other club, with this their ninth attempt.

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Dortmund give deadline for sancho deal

Borussia Dortmund have set a 10 August deadline to agree a deal for forward Jadon Sancho – who is Manchester United’s top summer transfer target – to leave the club.

The German club have told United they want in excess of £100m for the 20-year-old England winger.

There is no agreement yet on a fee, which would be paid in instalments.

Dortmund have set the deadline because they want undisturbed preparation for the 2020-21 Bundesliga season.

The new campaign starts on 18 September, with the transfer deadline for international deals on 5 October.

Sancho has been at Dortmund for three years, having signed from Manchester City in August 2017 for a fee of about £10m.

In July, Dortmund beat United to the signing of 17-year-old English midfielder Jude Bellingham from Birmingham City in a deal that could be worth over £30m.

They also bought Norway forward Erling Braut Haaland from Red Bull Salzburg earlier in the season – another player United tried hard to bring to Old Trafford.

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CONTE’S INTER FUTURE TO BE DECIDED AFTER EUROPA LEAGUE

Inter Milan will not make any decision on Antonio Conte’s future as head coach until the end of their Europa League campaign.

Conte spoke with the club’s president Steven Zhang via video conference on Monday, a call that has been described as “cordial” by Sky in Italy.

The former Chelsea manager’s future had come into question on Saturday when he was critical of the club’s leadership following their 2-0 Serie A win over Atalanta.

The Inter boss had said his team had not been recognised for their positive performances, which culminated in them finishing second behind Juventus.

Conte told the newsmen on Monday that he fully intends to respect his contract.

He said: “I am committed to a three-year project with Inter and, as I always have done in my life, I will work hard and fight with all my strength and everything in my power to make it a winning project.”

Inter face Spanish side Getafe in a one-off game in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday for a place in the Europa League quarter-finals.

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CHELSEA RECONSIDERING LEICESTER’S BEN CHILWELL AS LEFT BACK OPTION.

Chelsea will have to pay a world record price for a defender if they’re to sign Leicester City ace Ben Chilwell this summer. Frank Lampard is keen to continue his overhaul at Stamford Bridge by signing the England international, who the Blues have tracked for the last two years.

Leicester finished just a point behind Chelsea this term but the Foxes are resigned to losing Chilwell and are already making contingency plans for his exit.

However, the Midlands club are under no pressure to sell and they’ve grown accustomed to cashing in on one player each summer, selling the likes of Harry Maguire, Riyad Mahrez, N’Golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater in recent years.

Leicester demanded £80m for Maguire from Manchester United last summer and despite over two months of negotiations, the Foxes received their asking price as United eventually caved in the final week of the window.

United’s deal for Maguire eclipsed the £75m that Liverpool paid for Virgil van Dijk, making the England centre-back the most expensive defender of all-time. However, according to the Mirror, Leicester want more than the £80m they received for Maguire as the Foxes are in a stronger position this time around.

It means Chelsea will have to pay a world record fee to land the left-back and the Blues will have to give the deal serious consideration, given they’re already pursuing a £80m deal for Kai Havertz. The Blues have spent £90m already this summer on Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech.

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TOTTENHAM’S DANNY ROSE IRRITATED BY CONSTANT POLICE STOPS ASKING IF HIS CAR WAS STOLEN

Danny Rose has said he is regularly stopped by police in his car and questioned in various scenarios that would not happen if he were a white man as he detailed his anger and exasperation at racism in the UK.

The Doncaster-born Tottenham defender, who has spent the second half of the season on loan at Newcastle, has been racially abused on the field, most recently when playing for England in Montenegro in March 2019. He had suffered similarly on England under-21 duty in Serbia in October 2012 and in the wake of the incident in Montenegro said he could not wait to walk away from the game because he was so disgusted by the racism that blights it and the authorities’ response to it

Rose has now opened up on his experiences in wider society, saying he was first stopped by police as a 15-year-old and it was still happening to him at 30. “My friends have been there with me a lot of the time when it’s happened,” he told newsmen.

“The last time, last week, when I’d just been at my mum’s house, I had pulled up in a car park so the engine was off. The police pulled in and they brought a riot van, three police cars and they questioned me. They said they’d had a report that a car had not been driving correctly.

“So I’m like: ‘OK, so why does that make it my car?’ I got my ID out and they breathalysed me. It’s just one of those things to me now. What can I do? Fifteen years of this on and off the field happening and there’s no change whatsoever.”

Rose described being stopped by police as a regular occurrence. “Each time, it’s: ‘Is this car stolen? Where did you get this car from? What are you doing here? Can you prove that you bought this car?’’


He said there had also been incidents when he has traveled by train. “One of the last times I got on the train, I got on with my bags and the attendant said: ‘Do you know this is first class?’” Rose said. “I say: ‘Yeah, so what?’ They ask to see my ticket and I show the lady it and this is no word of a lie two people, white people, walk on the train after me and she says nothing. I asked: ‘Are you not going to ask for their tickets?’ and she just said: ‘Ah no, I don’t need to.’

“People might think it happens but to me that’s racism. These are the things I have to put up with, being stopped all the time and being asked if I know this is first class and to show my ticket.”

Rose said he has been worn down by racism and doubts things can change. “This is everyday life for me but I feel embarrassed to even complain or bring it up when you see the incident in America where a man, a black man, lost his life at the hands of people who were supposed to protect and serve,” he said, referring to the death of George Floyd.

“Whenever I do say things or complain, you do hear people say: ‘Well, you’re on this money so just get on with it.’ I just give up with hoping that things will change because that’s some people’s mentality towards racism.”

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football Sports News Transfer News

MANCHESTER UNITED, INTER MILAN NEAR AGREEMENT ON SANCHEZ TRANSFER DEAL.

Manchester United seem to be getting their transfer business done quick in the summer, as the premier League giant are near an agreement with Inter Milan for the final transfer of Alexis Sanchez.

Aside from any deals for new players, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knows that he has to ship a few current members of his squad out.

Alexis Sanchez has spent the past season on-loan at Inter Milan.

In news that will surely be music to the ears of United fans, the Italian giants have reached total agreement with the Red Devils on a permanent deal for Sanchez.

According to an Italian sports journalist, Fabrizio Romano, who broke the news via his twitter handle.

Romano notes that Inter won’t pay a transfer fee for the Chilean, but they will instead take over his full salary and pay him €7m per season.

Summary of reports from UK media says his spell at Old Trafford, Sanchez only scored five goals and made 45 appearances in total across all competitions over the two seasons he was contracted at the club.

Once it goes through, it’s a move that will surely benefit all parties and allow Solskjaer to refocus his efforts.

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FIFA president to continue his role despite investigation

Fifa president Gianni Infantino will remain in the role while he is a subject of a criminal investigation.

Last week, prosecutors in Switzerland launched legal proceedings against Infantino in relation to an alleged secret meeting he held with the Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber.

Both men have denied any wrongdoing.

Football’s world governing body Fifa, which is based in Zurich, said the meetings were “routine” and “nothing remotely criminal has happened”.

“There was and is absolutely no reason to open any investigation,” it added.

“There is nothing at all to suggest any form of criminal wrongdoing.”

Lauber resigned last week after a court said he covered up the meetings and lied to supervisors during an investigation by his office into corruption surrounding Fifa.

Special prosecutor Stefan Keller was appointed in June to review criminal complaints against the two men and others.

He found indications of criminal conduct related to their meetings, the authority overseeing the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) said.

Fifa said: “At the time of the meetings between the Fifa president and the Swiss federal prosecutor, the OAG was conducting investigations in over 20 cases in Fifa-related matters, and Fifa is a damaged party in those proceedings. It was therefore entirely logical for the Fifa president to be meeting the Swiss federal prosecutor.

“The purpose was always to offer Fifa’s full support in the investigations. The Fifa president and Fifa officials went to see the most senior law officer in the country to describe the changes that had been made at Fifa, and offered co-operation in prosecuting criminal wrongdoing.

“The Fifa president went there in good faith and as a representative of Fifa.”

It added that Infantino was trying to “restore trust in the institution” and to “explain the concrete steps being taken to bring good governance” to Fifa.

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Neymar will not join Barcelona

It is “unfeasible” for Barcelona to re-sign Neymar from Paris St-Germain in the current economic climate, says the club’s president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

A move for Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez has also been affected.

Bartomeu told Spanish newspaper Sport that Barca generated 200m Euros less than expected between March and June because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“All the big European clubs are affected,” he said. “This isn’t going to last a year, but three or four.”

Brazilian forward Neymar joined PSG for a world record 222m Euros (£199m) in August 2017 but Barcelona tried to re-sign the player last summer.

“Neymar? In this situation, it’s unfeasible,” said Bartomeu. “Nor does PSG want to sell him.

“Barca have spoken with Inter about Lautaro, but the talks have stopped. The situation doesn’t invite large investments.”

Bartomeu went on to explain that Barcelona lost 200m euros between March and June. He added: “In the 2020-21 season we expected to post 1.1 bn euros, but we’ll have 30% of that.

“If the situation of the pandemic doesn’t improve, there will be no spectators, no museum, no stores open, and money will continue to be lost.

“It forces us to be very rigorous in management: we must review which investments are essential and which can wait.”

Bartomeu also confirmed the club opened up disciplinary proceedings against midfielder Arthur, who is joining Juventus as part of a swap deal with Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic, after he failed to return to the club from holiday.

“We reached the agreement that until the Champions League ended, he would continue playing for Barca. He could help us,” said Bartomeu, who has been Barca president since 2014.

“But he didn’t return from his mini-break so we have opened a file on him.”