The sporting world had a lot to offer over the last 24 hours with the Premier League presenting some entering mid-week fixtures. Staying in the EPL, Liverpool's Joel Matip suffered an ACL which will reportedly rule him out of the season. Moving to South America, legendary Brazilian club Santos FC was relegated for the first time in their history.
Talking about tennis, Aussie tennis star Nick Kyrgios was one of the biggest names to not be part of the Australian Open's main draw released on Thursday. Emma Raducanu has accepted a wildcard to participate in the Auckland Classic in the New Year
Read below to learn details about these top stories and other happenings in the sporting world in the last 24 hours.
FIFA to take more severe sanctions on Luis Rubiales after 3-year ban
FIFA want to impose more severe sanctions on former Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales after his three-year ban. The Spanish administrator was banned on October 30 for kissing player Jenni Hermoso on the lips, allegedly without consent, after the Spanish Women's team won the World Cup final win. The statement released by FIFA said, "The Committee wished to stress that it was tempted to impose more severe sanctions in view of the seriousness and gravity of the incidents at stake as well as of the profound negative impact that the Respondent's actions had on the image of FIFA, women's football and women's sport in general."
Klopp confirms Joel Matip's ACL tear after 2-0 win over Sheffield United
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed defender Joel Matip suffered an ACL tear after the Reds' 2-0 win over Sheffield United in EPL. Matip hobbled off the pitch after Liverpool's 4-3 win against Fulham and is likely to miss the remainder of the season. Talking in a post-match press conference, Klopp said, "It's an ACL, ruptured - that's unfortunately what I expected from the first second. It looked like that, very unfortunate, but that's it."
Donnarumma gets two-match suspension for high tackle against Le Havre
Paris Saint Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has received a two-game suspension after his high challenge in Sunday's 2-0 win at Le Havre. Donnarumma was sent off for the tackle as he mistimed his attempt at a high-footed clearance and caught Josue Casimir in the head at the 10-minute mark. The Italian international will miss games against Nantes and Lille over the next two weekends but will play in Wednesday's Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund.
Santos FC suffer relegation for first time in 111-year history
Brazilian giants Santos FC suffered relegation for the first time in its 111-year history. The club saw the likes of Pele, Neymar Jr. and more in its ranks over the years and was considered a force in the Brazilian Serie A. But this time, the 2-1 home loss to Fortaleza in the final pushed Santos to the second division of Brazilian football. The Peixe join America Mineiro, Coritiba and Goias as relegated teams from the Brazilian Serie A.
Major Football Results:
Premier League:
Sheffield United 0 - 2 Liverpool
Aston Villa 1 - 0 Manchester City
Manchester United 2 - 1 Chelsea
Fulham 5 - 0 Nottingham Forest
Crystal Palace 0 - 2 Bournemouth
Tennis
No Nick Kyrgios in Australian Open 2024 main draw
Aussie tennis star Nick Kyrgios was one of the biggest names to not be part of the Australian Open's main draw released on Thursday. Kyrgios' exclusion has been a blow for organisers as the home-town star is often a crowd favourite at the event. The Wimbledon finalist had an injury-riddled 2023 season. Addressing his possible return, Kyrgios, last month, said "the stars would need to align" for him to be fit for next month's Grand Slam.
Emma Raducanu accepts wildcard for Auckland Classic
Emma Raducanu has accepted a wildcard to participate in the Auckland Classic in the New Year after missing out on one in the initial batch offered by the Australian Open. Confirming the US Open 2020 winner's participation, tournament director Nicolas Lamperin told New Zealand media on Thursday, said: "Despite the fact she had to retire this year, she was really happy to come back."
Motor Sports
F1 teams deny complaining to FIA about Wolffs’ conflict of interest
Formula One teams on Wednesday denied issuing a complaint about Mercedes principal Toto Wolff and Susie Wolff to the FIA. The power couple were in the spotlight after the FIA issued a surprise statement on Tuesday about the compliance department looking into media speculation about a potential conflict of interest. The FIA stadium said, "We can confirm that we have not made any complaint to the FIA regarding the allegation of information of a confidential nature being passed between an F1 Team Principal and a member of FOM staff. We are pleased and proud to support F1 Academy and its managing director through our commitment to sponsor an entrant in our liveries from next season."
Bridgestone become Formula E World Championship's official tyre supplier
Bridgestone to be the principal supplier of tyres to the Formula E world championship from 2026 after Hankook. This will be the first time the Japanese manufacturer has supplied a single-seater world championship since Formula One at the end of 2010. After Formula E, South Korean Hankook will replace Pirelli as the official supplier of the world rally championship,
