Credit: X
Italy’s Prime Minister Georgia Meloni lauded Jannik Sinner for the historic win at the Australian Open 2024. Indian young chess master Divya Deshmukh opened up on the sexism, ‘judgment’ and ‘hatred she has been facing as a teenager. In the football world, Morocco coach Walid Regragui expressed disappointment after the 2-0 Round of 16 defeat against South Africa and shared that the Atlas Lions should have made the semifinal at least.
Read below to catch up with the top headlines of the sporting world from the past 24 hours.
Football
I love that players are pushing each other: Mikel Arteta on Zinchenko-White feud
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta reacted to Oleksandr Zinchenko and Ben White’s on-field feud that took place after the team registered a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest. Arteta told TNT Sports, “That’s pushing each other and being not happy conceding and I have to encourage that and promote it in the right way and a respectful way. Sometimes after the game, it’s emotional and heated but I love that the players are pushing each other and demanding excellence.” In the post-match press conference, he said, ‘I love it. They are demanding more. They are just trying to resolve it. Playing the way we played the result has to be bigger.”
Bhaichung Bhutia demands resignation of AIFF Chief Kalyan Chaubey
Former India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia demanded the resignation of the All India Football Federation Chief Kalyan Chaubey. Bhutia held him responsible for the ‘mess’ in the administrative side of the sport in India after the dismissal of Shaji Prabhakaran as secretary general. In an AIFF meeting, Bhutia said, “I told the executive committee members that Kalyan Chaubey and treasurer Kipa Ajay should also resign. Shaji Prabhakaran should not be made the only scapegoat. “All three of them are equally responsible for taking decisions without the approval of executive committee. Indian football is in mess, there is politics in the sport, cutting out each other after little over one year of taking charge, it is not good.”
Erling Haaland to be fit for Man City vs Burnley clash: Pep Guardiola
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is slated to return to the squad against Burnley in the Premier League as confirmed by manager Pep Guardiola said on Tuesday. Haaland has not played since fracturing a bone in his foot in a 1-0 loss to Aston Villa on Dec. 6. " Apparently he will be selected, yeah. The first time he's back," Guardiola told reporters. "We have all the squad (fit), we are stronger. He is an important player for us."
I failed. So there you have it: Walid Regragui on Morocco's RO16 exit
Morocco coach Walid Regragui expressed disappointment after the 2-0 Round of 16 defeat against South Africa and shared that the Atlas Lions should have made the semifinal at least. Speaking in the post-match presser, Regragui said, "We're very disappointed because we came with the ambition of winning it. I said that Morocco was due in the semifinal whatever happened, so we will have a good discussion. In any case, I never hide from taking responsibility, mine at least. I failed. So there you have it," Regragui added.
Major Football results:
AFCON 2023:
South Africa 2-0 Morocco
AFC Asian Cup 2023:
Uzbekistan 2-1 Thailand
Saudi Arabia 1 - South Korea (win on penalties)
Premier League:
Nottingham Forrest 1 - 2 Arsenal
Luton Town 4 - 0 Brighton
Aston Villa 1 -3 Newcastle
Tennis
Italian PM Georgia Meloni lauds Jannik Sinner for AO 2024 win
Italy’s Prime Minister Georgia Meloni lauded Jannik Sinner for the historic win at the Australian Open 2024. She tweeted, “The Italy we like: capable of believing in itself and reacting to difficult challenges. And to win. Thank you for the example you set, Jannik, to sports lovers, to our young people, and to all of Italy.” Sinner emerged winner against Daniil Medvedev in a three-hour and 44-minute clash. Sinner defeated his Russian counterpart with a scoreline of 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 to lift his first-ever Grand Slam title.
Formula One
Petronas eyeing 2026 for Formula One return
Malaysian state oil company Petroliam Nasional, or Petronas, hope to restart hosting Formula One races in Malaysia in 2026. The Reuters report confirmed the report about Petronas' return to F1 after a nine-year hiatus. Malaysia regularly hosted F1 world championship races at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) since 1999. But staged its last race in 2017 citing declining ticket sales and rising costs.
Wrestling
Sports Ministry warns of legal action against suspended Wrestling Federation of India Chief
The Indian sports ministry warned of taking legal action against the suspended Wrestling Federation of India Chief Sanjay Singh. The warning came for making “absolutely baseless and mischievous” concerning the government and said that tournaments organised by the body shall be considered ‘unsanctioned’. In a letter to Sanjay Singh, the ministry said, “You are hereby strongly advised to desist from making any further unsubstantiated claims regarding the status of the Wrestling Federation of India. Please be advised that failure to adhere to this caution may compel the Ministry to consider further legal action, including but not limited to legal proceedings for spreading misinformation and unsubstantiated claims and any other relevant charges as per the laws of the country.”
Chess
It’s just too much and crosses all limits of tolerance: Divya Deshmukh
Indian young chess master Divya Deshmukh opened up on the sexism, ‘judgment’ and ‘hatred she has been facing as a teenager. Deshmukh told Hindustan Times, “If you look at it from a distance it can seem like nothing. But it’s been years of this. It has been happening repeatedly to me for the past five years. I don’t like to pay attention to such things but sometimes it’s just too much and crosses all limits of tolerance.” In her Instagram post, Deshmukh said, “I played a few games which I felt were quite good and I was proud of them and I got told by people how the audience was not even bothered with the game but focused on every single possible thing in the world, my clothes, hair, accent and every other irrelevant thing.”
