Infantino upbeat about African FIFA votes

CAPE TOWN: FIFA presidential candidate Gianni Infantino said Monday he hoped to get most of Africa’s 54 national votes, despite the Confederation of African Football (CAF) endorsing Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa. Infantino made the claim after being given a guided tour of Robben Island by South African candidate Tokyo Sexwale, who was jailed on the island under apartheid rule along with Nelson Mandela. “I feel very confident of having...

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Wenger demands bite against Barca as Juve hosts Bayern

PARIS: Champions League holders Barcelona arrive at the Emirates on Tuesday to tackle an Arsenal side seeking to rediscover the ruthless streak, which deserted them in a tame weekend goalless FA Cup tie.The clash headlines a week of European action that sees Bayern Munich at Juventus, PSV Eindhoven hosting Atletico Madrid and Manchester City at Dynamo Kiev.Barca and Arsenal are no strangers in this arena, the pair having fought out the 2006...

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Cuevas outlasts Pella for Rio title

RIO DE JANEIRO: Uruguay’s Pablo Cuevas, coming off an upset of Rafael Nadal, won his fourth career ATP title on Sunday, defeating Argentina’s Guido Pella 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-4 in the Rio Open final.Cuevas smashed a forehand winner on the final point, the only break point either player managed in the last two sets, to claim the crown after two hours and 16 minutes at the clay court event.The final was interrupted by rain in the opening set and...

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Dirab Golf & Country Club dominates Oasis Cup first leg

RIYADH: More often than not the host team got to keep the cup in the Ryder Cup Cup style home and away matches between Dirab Golf & Country Club and Rolling Hills Golf Club.Hosting the visitors from Dhahran for the 2016 edition of Oasis Cup at the weekend, Dirab Golf & Country Club dominated the two-day first leg event to score a lopsided 22.5 to 10.5 points victory.The hosts set the tone of the matches by losing just two of the 11...

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Prince Ali seeks postponement of FIFA presidential election

ZURICH: FIFA presidential candidate Prince Ali is asking for Friday’s election to be suspended in a dispute over voting procedures.The Jordanian prince’s lawyers say they are seeking “provisional measures” from the Court of Arbitration for Sport to postpone the vote to select Sepp Blatter’s successor.The lawyers say in a statement that FIFA turned down Prince Ali’s request for the use of transparent voting booths in the election. They say...

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Cricket: India, Pakistan to renew rivalry in Asia Cup

DHAKA: India and Pakistan will renew cricket’s most bitter rivalry this week after a one-year gap when they face off in the Asia Cup, a contest for regional supremacy which is also a final rehearsal for the World T20.The biennial 12-day tournament, which is being held in Bangladesh for the second time in a row, begins on Wednesday night when the hosts take on India at Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla stadium — the venue for all the matches.Local supporters...

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Curry leads Warriors to 50th win, 102-92 over Hawks

ATLANTA: Stephen Curry scored 36 points and the Golden State Warriors became the fastest team in NBA history to 50 wins, beating the Atlanta Hawks 102-92 on Monday after squandering a 23-point lead.The Warriors (50-5) eclipsed the mark set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who needed one more game to win their 50th. Of course, that’s the team Golden State is chasing, moving another step closer to the record 72-10 mark put up by Michael Jordan...

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Sharks tops Blues 6-3 on the road in NHL

ST. LOUIS: Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture and Joe Thornton each scored two goals, powering the San Jose Sharks to a 6-3 victory over the St. Louis Blues in the NHL on Monday.Thornton also had two assists as San Jose improved to 21-9-2 on the road, matching their total road wins from last season. At home, the Sharks are just 11-12-3.The Blues lost goalie Brian Elliott to a lower-body injury in the first period. San Jose defenseman Matt Tennyson...

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Kenya has until April 5 to fall in line with doping rules

NAIROBI, Kenya: Kenya has until April 5 to fall in line with global anti-doping rules or face being declared non-compliant by the World Anti-Doping Agency, a step toward a possible ban from the Olympics for its track and field athletes.Kenya already missed one deadline this month to pass anti-doping legislation and properly set up and provide funding for its new national anti-doping agency.The latest draft regulations submitted by the Anti-Doping...

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Swearing row as Aussies close on win, top ranking

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand: Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood pleaded guilty to dissent over a profanity-laced confrontation with the umpires as Australia closed in on a series sweep over New Zealand and the top Test ranking on Tuesday.Hazlewood’s anger and obscenities were picked up by the stumps microphone as he challenged the umpires after an appeal for the wicket of New Zealand’s Kane Williamson was turned down.An Australian team spokesman confirmed...

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India, Pakistan to renew rivalry in Asia Cup

DHAKA: India and Pakistan will renew cricket’s most bitter rivalry this week after a one-year gap when they face off in the Asia Cup, a contest for regional supremacy, which is also a final rehearsal for the World T20.The biennial 12-day tournament, which is being held in Bangladesh for the second time in a row, begins on Wednesday night when the hosts take on India at Dhaka’s Sher-e-Bangla stadium — the venue for all the matches.Local supporters...

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Kohli welcomes Amir’s return

DHAKA: India’s star batsman Virat Kohli welcomed the return of tainted Pakistani player Mohammad Amir to international cricket on Tuesday, heaping praise on his bowling and wishing him all the best ahead of their Asia Cup contest in Dhaka.Pakistan’s chances in the tournament will partly depend on the 23-year-old left-armer, who served three months in jail for spot-fixing in a Test match against England at Lord’s in 2010.“He is a very skillful...

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Pellegrini bets on win in Kiev after heavy defeat to Chelsea

KIEV: Manchester City’s visit to Dynamo Kiev in the last 16 of the Champions League represents a big gamble by Manuel Pellegrini.In his quest to take City further than it has ever gone before in Europe’s top club competition, Pellegrini sacrificed the club’s chances of winning world football’s oldest cup competition, the FA Cup.With injuries putting pressure on a thin squad, Pellegrini fielded a team of youngsters against Chelsea on Sunday...

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Vettel sets the pace again in 2nd day of preseason tests

BARCELONA: Sebastian Vettel continued to show good pace with Ferrari in Formula One’s preseason testing on Tuesday, setting the fastest time in the morning session.Vettel was nearly a second faster than Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull, the only other top driver to go out on Pirelli’s new ultra-soft tire compound.Vettel’s time of 1 minute 22.810 seconds at the Circuito de Barcelona was almost two seconds quicker than the pole position in Spain...

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Kerber crashes out of Qatar Open

DOHA: Top seed Angelique Kerber crashed out of the Qatar Open on Tuesday, losing her first tournament match since winning the Australian Open last month.An out-of-sorts Kerber lost in straight sets 7-5, 6-1 to China’s Zheng Saisai, who is ranked 71 places below the world No.2.In a lacklustre performance, the German lost her serve six times throughout the match, hit 38 unforced errors — Saisai hit only eight — and was beaten in just one hour...

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Megabucks Jiangsu flops in Asian opener

HONG KONG: Megabucks Chinese side Jiangsu Suning were expensive flops in their AFC Champions League opener when their newly assembled, star-studded line-up was held by 1-1 by 10-man Vietnamese outfit Binh Duong on Tuesday.Brazilians Ramires and Alex Teixeira, who consecutively smashed the Chinese transfer record this month, and ex-Manchester City striker Jo all failed to find the net in an inauspicious competitive debut.Dan Petrescu’s new-look...

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Sports court to rule on FIFA vote delay tomorrow

ZURICH: The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said it will decide by Thursday whether to suspend FIFA’s presidential vote after candidate Prince Ali bin al Hussein filed a case seeking a delay. The Jordanian prince, one of five hopefuls, wants transparent voting booths used at Friday’s congress to find a replacement for Sepp Blatter. This call was rejected by FIFA’s election commission.Prince Ali then took the case to the Lausanne-based...

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Lynch keeps FIFA under pressure in corruption war

NEW YORK: The shadow of the steely US Attorney General Loretta Lynch hangs over world football barons as they gather to elect a new leader in Zurich.The most powerful US law official has made clear her opinion of the guardians of the beautiful game who will vote for a new president on Friday. The last two FIFA congresses were raided under US warrants.“The message... should be clear to every culpable individual who remains in the shadows,...

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Saudi Master Baker, Habagat, D' Barkads

JEDDAH: In the 19th week positioning round, Saudi Master Baker made its claim to No. 1 official with defending champion Habagat and D’ Barkads as the second and third outright finalists in the Thursday Bowling League 14 th Season at the Bowling City here. These three waiting finalists will be joined by three more teams to complete the six-team stepladder cast after a knockout game of three handicap series among the remaining six in the starting...

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Hotshots back to winning ways, rout Elite

Star was in its elements on Wednesday night and there was very little that Blackwater could do. With most everything falling into place, finally getting into the win column in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup looked very easy for the Hotshots as they snapped a three-game slide with a 122-103 ripping of the Elite at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.Denzel Bowles and Allein Maliksi starred in separate parts of the second half as the Hotshots zoomed to...

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Portland makes it six in a row with win over Brooklyn

PORTLAND, Oregon: The Portland Trail Blazers kept up their midseason tear through the NBA thanks to their increasingly prolific backcourt duo.Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum each scored 34 points as the Blazers beat the Brooklyn Nets 112-104 on Tuesday night for their season-high sixth consecutive victory.Lillard became the first player to score at least 30 points in five straight games for Portland since Geoff Petrie in the franchise’s...

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Stamkos scores again as streaking Lightning

TAMPA, Florida: Steven Stamkos scored a goal in his fourth consecutive game, Andrei Vasilevskiy made 29 saves and the Tampa Bay Lightning won their fourth straight by beating the Arizona Coyotes 2-1 on Tuesday night.Tampa Bay also got a goal from Cedric Paquette on a short-handed penalty shot. The Lightning, second in the Atlantic Division, are three points behind first-place Florida.Jordan Martinook had a goal and Louis Domingue stopped...

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Messi magic leaves Arsenal spellbound

LONDON: Lionel Messi left Arsenal spellbound as the Barcelona striker’s clinical double sealed a 2-0 last 16, first leg victory that put the Champions League holders firmly on course for the quarter-finals on Tuesday. In Turin, Italy, Super-sub Stefano Sturaro came off the bench to hit a late equalizer in a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich as outclassed Juventus rescued their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday.Bayern dominated throughout...

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Martinez gets empty feeling in Guangzhou debut

HONG KONG: Record signing Jackson Martinez’s Guangzhou Evergrande career got off to a torrid start on Wednesday, when the AFC Champions League title-holders were held 0-0 by Pohang Steelers in front of an empty stadium.The Colombian striker, signed for 42 million euros ($46 million) this month from Atletico Madrid, failed to ignite a disjointed Evergrande attack as the deep-pocketed Chinese club’s Asian title defense started slowly.Martinez,...

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Hulkenberg fastest as Ferrari toil

BARCELONA: Nico Hulkenberg posted the fastest time in the Force India on the third morning of pre-season testing in Barcelona as Ferrari suffered their first setback of the new season.Ferrari had topped the timesheets on both the opening days with Sebastian Vettel at the wheel.However, Kimi Raikkonen had no such luck as a fuel system problem restricted the Finn to just four laps in the final hour before lunch.A much quieter morning than the...

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Australia’s return to the top hit by controversy

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand: Australia sealed a 2-0 series victory over New Zealand to reach the top Test ranking Wednesday but captain Steve Smith was forced to defend their aggressive style as he was fined over a row with the umpires. With Smith smacking 53 off 46 balls, Australia polished off the 131 runs they needed on the last day to reach their 201 target just after lunch in what was New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum’s final Test.The...

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PSL gets overwhelming response in cricket-starved Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board received an overwhelming response from millions of cricket-starved fans, even if it didn’t succeed in spotting a new fast bowler or unearth a new batting star in its inaugural professional Twenty20 league in the United Arab Emirates.Islamabad United, led by Pakistan test captain Misbah-ul-Haq, defeated Quetta Gladiators by six wickets at a packed Dubai International Cricket Stadium late Tuesday to conclude...

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