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Westbrook test positive to covid-19

Houston Rockets All-Star guard Russell Westbrook has confirmed he is in quarantine after testing positive for coronavirus.

Westbrook and fellow All-Star James Harden had been notable absentees as the Rockets arrived in Orlando, Florida for the NBA’s resumption later this month. Sponsored link

“I tested positive for Covid-19 prior to my team’s departure to Orlando,” Westbrook said on Monday in a statement released on social media.

“I’m currently feeling well, quarantined, and looking forward to rejoining my team-mates when I am cleared.

“Thank you for all the well wishes and continued support. Please take this virus serious. Be safe. Mask up!”

Later on Monday the NBA confirmed that two players at the Disney World campus had tested positive for the coronavirus since arriving in Florida.

An NBA statement said: “Of the 322 players tested for COVID-19 since arriving on the NBA Campus July 7, two have returned confirmed positive tests while in quarantine. Those players never cleared quarantine and have since left the Campus to isolate at home or in isolation housing.

“Since July 1, during in-market testing, 19 NBA players newly tested positive. These players are staying in their home markets and recovering until they are cleared under CDC guidelines and NBA rules for leaving home isolation and joining the Campus.”

Rockets head coach Mike D’Antonio had said on Sunday that he was expecting Westbrook and Harden to join the team by the end of the week, but Houston’s preparations have now been dealt a major blow with one of their star players unable to rejoin the roster until just before the season resumes on July 31.

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football Slides Sports News Transfer News

Premier League set to decide new Transfer deadline date

Premier League clubs are expected to approve proposals to open their summer transfer window on July 27 and close on October 5.

All 20 Premier League clubs had until 5pm on Monday to cast their vote on a plan to open the window the day after the season ends – and close 10 weeks later.

Importantly, clubs are also expected to agree to a two-week extension to the 10-week window, when Premier League and EFL clubs can continue to buy, sell or loan players from each other.

Top-flight clubs will not be able to carry out any transfers with each other – or any foreign clubs – during this two-week extension which will end on October 18.

The compromise solution allows EFL clubs a fortnight to carry out sales, purchases and in particular loans with Premier League clubs.

It also allows Premier League clubs to carry out the vast majority of their business before UEFA’s October 6 deadline for Champions League and Europa League registrations.

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football Sports News

No fans in the remainder of the PGA Tour

The remainder of the 2019-20 PGA Tour will take place behind closed doors as cases of coronavirus continue to soar in the United States.

Releasing coordinated statements, the remaining nine tournaments said spectators would not be allowed.

The five tournaments that have been played since the Tour’s resumption in June have taken place with no fans.

Fans had been set to be allowed at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio, which starts on Thursday.

The PGA Tour will conclude with the Tour Championship in Atlanta from 4-7 September.

“These decisions are never easy,” said Tour Championship executive director Allison Fillmore, who added it was the “best decision for all involved”.

There are currently more than 3.3 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 across the US, and there have been more than 135,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

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football Slides Sports News

Neuer Filmed singing controversial song

The captain of Bayern Munich and Germany’s national football team has been filmed singing a controversial song while on holiday in Croatia.

In the video, goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is seen with a group of men at a beach singing Lijepa li si (You are beautiful).

It references an area of Bosnia-Herzegovina claimed by Croatian nationalists in the 1990s.

The BBC has reached out to Bayern Munich for comment.

Neuer is currently on holiday in Croatia with his goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalovic. Bayern Munich won an eighth consecutive league title last month, weeks after Neuer extended his contract with the team until 2023.

Mr Tapalovic was born in Germany but is of Croatian descent, and his brother Filip Tapalovic appeared three times for Croatia’s national side.

It is not known if Neuer understood the words of the song. The keeper’s personal manager told Bild newspaper that he does not speak Croatian.

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football Slides Sports News

Serge Aurier’s brother shot dead

A younger brother of Tottenham player Serge Aurier has been shot dead in the French city of Toulouse, reportedly outside a night club.

Christopher Aurier died in hospital after emergency services found him shot in the stomach in an industrial zone on the city’s outskirts, French media say.

His suspected killer escaped the scene, a source close to the inquiry said.

Christopher Aurier, who was a citizen of Ivory Coast like his brother, was also a footballer, playing in France.

A Tottenham statement said: “The club is deeply saddened to confirm media reports that Serge Aurier’s brother passed away in the early hours of this morning.

“We are supporting Serge at this difficult time and we ask that the privacy of the player and his family is respected. Everybody at the club sends their sincerest condolences to Serge and his family. Our thoughts are with them all.”

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football Sports News

Wycombe get promoted to championship

Wycombe Wanderers will play in the second tier of English football for the first time next season after edging past Oxford United in the League One play-off final at Wembley.

A tense and tight contest was settled by a Joe Jacobson penalty with just over 10 minutes to play after Fred Onyedinma was fouled by Oxford goalkeeper Simon Eastwood.

Wycombe had taken an early lead when centre-back Anthony Stewart headed in a dangerous Jacobson corner via a deflection off Eastwood.

Oxford found a second-half equaliser when Mark Sykes lobbed Ryan Allsop with what appeared to be a mishit cross, but the U’s could not capitalise further during what was their best spell of the game.

Wycombe’s victory capped off an incredible season for the Buckinghamshire club, who almost dropped out of the English Football League in 2014 and arguably started this campaign as relegation candidates based on their bottom-six finish the previous season.

Added to that, when the regular season was suspended in March because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Chairboys were outside the play-off places in the third tier.

But when the final league standings were determined on an unweighted points-per-game basis, Gareth Ainsworth’s side leapt up to third to book their shot at promotion.

After seeing off Fleetwood Town in their play-off semi-final, they got the better of their neighbours from just up the M40 in what was a pulsating affair.

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football Sports News

United Slip up in race for Top four

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says his players “will put it right” after they missed a chance to climb into the Premier League’s top four by conceding an injury-time equaliser against Southampton.

United led 2-1 for 73 minutes before substitute Michael Obafemi scored in the 96th minute, bundling in a set-piece at the back post after it had been flicked on by Jan Bednarek.

Stuart Armstrong had given Southampton a 12th-minute lead, but Anthony Martial set up Marcus Rashford to equalise before firing a superb second goal for United.

Solskjaer’s side were on course to leapfrog top-four rivals Chelsea and Leicester – who both suffered defeats over the weekend – and move up to third but they remain fifth with three games left in the chase for Champions League qualification.

“The mentality has been brilliant. We have had a few setbacks this season. This is another challenge for us,” said Solskjaer.

“I am very confident in [the players’] mentality. I’m disappointed of course, but you have to take the disappointments as well as the positives. We have learned a hard lesson. We will put it right. I trust the boys in that respect.”

Armstrong had opened the scoring for Southampton, following Paul Pogba’s mistake, and after fighting back to draw, the visitors now sit five points outside of the top 10 and level on points with Everton.

Despite United’s setback, they will still qualify for the Champions League if they win their last three games, as they travel to the King Power Stadium to face Leicester on the final day of the season.

Solskjaer was unhappy with what he called a “nasty” first-half challenge by Oriol Romeu on Mason Greenwood, for which the Southampton midfielder went unpunished after a video assistant referee review.

“I know my ankle wouldn’t take that challenge,” Solskjaer said. “It was a nasty one but we have said enough about VAR.”

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football Sports News

Real Madrid two points off top

Leaders Real Madrid moved to within one win of the La Liga title after surviving a scare against Granada.

France defender Ferland Mendy opened the scoring with a ferocious finish from a tight angle before countryman Karim Benzema doubled the lead.

But Real were forced to endure a nervous second half after Darwin Machis fired through Thibaut Courtois’ legs.

Zinedine Zidane’s side are four points clear of nearest rivals Barcelona with two games remaining.

Given Real’s superior head-to-head record over Barca, Real require two points from their final two games, at home to fifth-placed Villarreal on Thursday and at relegation-threatened Leganes on Sunday, to win the league.

“We have to be happy and rest up for Thursday,” said Real boss Zidane after his side’s ninth successive win since La Liga resumed in June.

“We will be back training on Tuesday and we will be back on the pitch on Thursday. The final minutes were tough. Granada made us defend a lot in the second half.”

Gareth Bale was once again an unused substitute as Real scored twice in six first-half minutes before the hosts hit back.

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F1 Sports News

Ferrari a long way from the top

Ferrari have qualified in the lower reaches of the top 10 at the opening two races and the car is around a second a lap slower than the Mercedes.

Brawn said: “They aren’t going to turn it around overnight.”

The 65-year-old was Ferrari’s technical director when they dominated F1 in the early 2000s with Michael Schumacher.

Brawn, writing in his column for F1 after Sunday’s Styrian Grand Prix in Austria, added: “There’s a long road ahead of them. They need to find out if there is a fundamental problem with the car – and they need to find out fast – because clearly they are some way off the pace.

“The management have to cope with it and make sure the staff maintain the faith and stay focused on what needs to be done.

“One of the biggest problems for Ferrari is that, of all the teams on the grid, they come under the closest scrutiny from the media, particularly in Italy.

“I know from my own experience that the media pressure in Italy can be incredibly intense, and you have to make sure it doesn’t get to your people.”

Ferrari cancelled their post-race news conference on Sunday after their drivers collided on the first lap, taking both out of the race.

Charles Leclerc, rewarded with a new five-year contract over the winter after a stellar debut season for the team in 2019, took the blame for an over-optimistic overtaking attempt on Sebastian Vettel at Turn Three, saying: “I am disappointed in myself. I’m sorry but being sorry is not enough.

“I’ve let the team down after them working a whole week to bring the updates early. Too eager to gain those places in the first lap. I will learn from it.”

Ferrari brought forward some upgrades for the Styrian Grand Prix weekend, after their poor performance in the opening race of the season in the Austrian GP at the same Red Bull Ring track.

But team boss Mattia Binotto admitted that the new parts – a new front wing and floor – “didn’t show their worth on track”.

He added: “It has been an entire disappointing weekend and [the crash] is the worst conclusion of a bad weekend for us.”

Further updates are scheduled to be introduced at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

The change in Ferrari’s competitiveness comes after a series of rule clarifications on engine technicalities over the winter, and a private settlement between Ferrari and governing body the FIA.

Ferrari’s rivals had demanded to know the contents of the settlement but the Italian team say it would reveal their intellectual property.

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football Slides

McGoldrick sent Racist texts

Sheffield United said it will support striker David McGoldrick after he was racially abused on social media.

The club shared an image from McGoldrick’s Instagram account showing the abuse, with the Blades player writing “2020 and this is life”.

“This cannot continue”, wrote the club. “Something needs to change”.

McGoldrick scored his first Premier League goals as United beat Chelsea 3-0 at Bramall Lane on Sunday to move into the Premier League’s top six.

Republic of Ireland striker McGoldrick’s abuse follows the arrest of a 12-year-old boy in connection with racist messages sent to Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha on social media.

Players in England’s top flight have been kneeling in support of the Black Lives Matter movement before every match since the season restarted in June.

Sheffield United added: “As a club we will support David McGoldrick and will do all we can to find the perpetrator of this disgusting message.

“We will work with the relevant authorities to ensure the person behind this post is brought to justice.”