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In the world of football, Nottingham Forest player Andrew Omobamidele held up a shirt as a tribute “Thinking of you, Kouyate,” along with his number eight on the back, following the death of his father. Sania Mirza sparked divorce rumours with a cryptic post on marriage and divorce.
Read below to learn details about these top stories and other happenings in the sporting world in the last 24 hours.
Football
Nottingham Forest pay tribute to Cheikhou Kouyate following death of his father
During their FA Cup third-round replay win against Blackpool by 3-2 after extra time, the players of Nottingham Forest paid tribute to their teammate Cheikhou Kouyate following the death of his father, who had been with Senegal on national duty at the AFCON. After Andrew Omobamidele opened the scoring on the night for Nottingham Forest in the 16th minute of the contest, he held up a shirt reading, “Thinking of you, Kouyate,” along with his number eight on the back, and the other players also posed with the tribute shirt after the match.
Bournemouth’s Hamed Traore joins Napoli on loan for remainder of season
Hamad Traore, the Bournemouth midfielder, has joined the Italian club Napoli on loan for the remainder of the 2023-24 season after not featuring in the Premier League since September while spending several weeks on the sidelines due to recovery from Malaria. The 23-year-old had signed a permanent deal with Bournemouth for five years in the past summer for £20m after joining them on loan from Sassuolo a year ago, and the statement about his move from the club read, “Everyone connected with AFC Bournemouth wishes Hamed well for the remainder of the season.”
Barcelona manager Xavi says he will leave the club if players lose faith in him
Following a humiliating defeat against Real Madrid by 4-1 in the final of the Spanish Super Cup on Sunday, the Barcelona manager spoke about how he would pack his bags and leave the club if the players lost faith in him. The 43-year-old was quoted as saying, “I love this club. I'm here to bring something to it. If I don't do it, I'll go home. If I hadn't won La Liga last year I wouldn't be here,” before adding, “The day my players no longer follow me, I'll pack my bags and leave. When someone tells me there's a problem, I'll leave.”
Atletico Madrid among at least six clubs interested in signing Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City: Reports
Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are reportedly among at least six clubs that have shown interest in taking the services of the England and Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips, as per the Telegraph. It was revealed that the future of the 28-year-old is set to be decided next week, with the player wanting guaranteed football for the rest of the ongoing season while aiming to secure himself a spot in the national team for the UEFA Euro 2024.
Some major results in football are as under:
AFC Asian Cup 2023
- Lebanon 0-0 China
- Tajikistan 0-1 Qatar
AFCON 2023
- Morocco 3-0 Tanzania
- DR Congo 1-1 Zambia
FA Cup 2023-24
- Blackpool 2-3 Nottingham Forest
- Everton 1-0 Crystal Palace
Copa del Rey 2023-24
- Valencia 1-3 Celta Vigo
- Osasuna 0-2 Real Sociedad
- Girona 3-1 Rayo Vallecano
Kabaddi
We owe these victories to our fans: Sunil Kumar after fourth consecutive win in Jaipur
Pink Panthers captain Sunil Kumar thanked his fans after the team registered their fourth consecutive win on home turf in the 10th season of the Pro Kabaddi League. The Panthers ended their home-leg matches on a winning note and after their Wednesday-night encounter, captain Sunil Kumar thanked fans for the same.
In the post-match conference, Kumar expressed gratitude towards his fans and said that the team owes the Jaipur wins to them. In the conference, Kumar said, “Our fans have been very supportive throughout the matches we played in Jaipur. I believe it was our fans’ support that we remained unbeaten at home.” Kumar added, “While there won’t be any more matches in Jaipur, I’d request our fans to keep supporting us. Keep extending us your support, and watch us play on your TV sets. I’d like to assure you that we will strive to retain the trophy.”
Sania Mirza sparks divorce rumours with cryptic post
Former India tennis ace Sania Mirza sparked divorce rumours with a cryptic post. She took to Instagram to share a cryptic post about marriage 'marriage and divorce,' intensifying conversations across the internet. She posted a quote on her Instagram story that read, “Marriage is hard. Divorce is hard. Choose your hard. Obesity is hard. Being fit is hard. Choose your hard. Being in debt is hard. Being financially disciplined is hard. Choose your hard. Communication is hard. Not communicating is hard. Choose your hard. Life will never be easy. It will always be hard. But we can choose our hard. Pick wisely.”
Sumit Nagal knocked out of Australian Open 2024 after second-round defeat
Indian tennis star Sumit Nagal was knocked out of the Australian Open 2024 after suffering a second-round defeat on January 18, Thursday. Nagal was defeated by China’s 18-year-old wild card Juncheng Shang in the men’s singles second round by 6-2, 3-6, 5-7, 4-6. Nagal won the first round against Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik, as he became the first Indian since 1989 to beat a seeded player at the season opener Grand Slam. Earlier, Ramesh Krishnan defeated then world No.1 and defending champion Mats Wilander in the tournament.
I made sure Novak Djokovic's gonna finish early: Aryna Sabalenka on winning Australian Open 2024 second round
Aryna Sabalenka joked that she helped Novak Djokovic by winning her Australian Open match as quickly as possible. Sabalenka locked horns with 16-year-old qualifier Brenda Fruhvirtova in the second round of the Melbourne Major and recorded a 6-3, 6-2 win in just an hour. After the match, she said, "Well actually, I need to ask him [for advice on how to win this tournament nine more times]. And I am much nicer to him, I didn’t play for I don’t know how many hours he played the other night. So I am nicer to him, I made sure that he’s going to finish early.” She added, “But I will ask him how to win the Australian Open nine more times. Let’s see what the advice will be, I will tell you later if he is going to give me one.”
Caroline Wozniacki reacts to her children cheering for her during Australian Open
Caroline Wozniacki reacted to her children cheering for her during the Australian Open 2024 second-round clash. Wozniacki locked horns with qualifier Maria Timofeeva on Wednesday, January 17, 6-1, 4-6, 1-6. Despite the loss, she felt heartened seeing her children watch her play. On her Instagram story, she wrote, “Wasn’t the day I had hoped for, but this is everything. Sound on.” Wozniacki retired from tennis at the age of 29 in 2020 but made her return to the court last year.
