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In the world of football, the legend Mario Zagallo, who won the FIFA World Cup twice for Brazil in 1958 and 1962, died at the age of 92. The AIFF President evaluated the possibility of implementing the Additional Video Review System in India. Coco Gauff continued her ruthless title defence and moved to the semifinal round of the Auckland Classic.
Read below to learn details about these top stories and other happenings in the sporting world in the last 24 hours.
Football
Brazilian footballing legend Mario Zagallo dies aged 92
Mario Zagallo, the Brazilian footballing legend, who won four FIFA World Cups as a player and manager, a feat only replicated by Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer and France’s Didier Deschamps since then, died at the age of 92. A statement on his official Instagram account read, “With enormous sadness, we inform you of the death of our eternal four-time world champion Mario Jorge Lobo Zagallo. A devoted father, loving grandfather, caring father-in-law, faithful friend, victorious professional and a great human being. Giant idol. A patriot who leaves us a legacy of great achievements.”
Diogo Jota believes Liverpool have quality in squad to fill the gap of AFCON-bound Mohamed Salah
The Liverpool forward Diogo Jota spoke about how the absence of their talisman Mohamed Salah, who is AFCON-bound with Egypt after making 27 goal contributions this season, will not hamper the club’s performances in the next month or so. The 27-year-old was quoted as saying to BBC Sport, “We will be without him (Mohamed Salah) for this month, at least, and we need to survive. We know that we have the quality in our squad to fill that gap. Obviously, we would like to count on him to keep on going but we can see it as an injury, if you want.”
Indian defender Subhasish Bose talks up support for national team in Middle East
While talking to the official website of the All India Football Federation, the national team defender Subhasish Bose detailed the support they get in the Middle East in the build-up to the AFC Asian Cup. He was quoted as saying, “No matter where we go abroad, we always have healthy support from the stands, especially in the Middle East. We were welcomed so warmly at the airport, hundreds of Indians had come to greet us. And now we are hearing that a lot of the Indian fans will be coming to our matches, which will really boost us. You always get an extra chip on your shoulder when you get support from the galleries.”
AIFF President evaluates possibility of implementing AVRS in India
The AIFF President evaluated the possibility of implementing the Additional Video Review System in India. Kalyan Chaubey’s recommendation aims to consider the extension of the existing technical infrastructure to accommodate an 'on-demand' video review request from the referees.
Chaubey said, “Our prime objective here is to reduce the margin of error by empowering match officials with the technology to assist in their decision-making. While we will continue to work to implement VAR, I feel that to begin with, AVRS can be a great option for a country like India. AVRS would help us study the impact of the technology, train our match officials with the new concept, and assess its adaptation by players, coaches, and clubs alike.” He added, “Only about 30 per cent of the 211 football-playing nations—mainly in Europe and South America—currently have VAR subscriptions for either full domestic seasons or selective stages.”
Ranveer Singh surprises Tottenham Spurs fan, clicks pictures
Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh surprised a Tottenham Spurs fan at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. Singh, the Premier League India ambassador, surprised the fan who is a big Bollywood freak. The Bollywood actor has always been a big football fanatic and a die-hard Arsenal fan.
In a recent video posted by the Premier League India, Singh could be seen surprising a father-daughter duo, who are huge Tottenham Spurs fans. In the video, a British-Indian woman Davina Pindoria, along with her father Sanjay Pindoria could be seen talking about their love for the club as well as Bollywood movies. Singh, who was chosen as the first brand ambassador of Premier League India surprised Davina by meeting her before one of the Spurs’ clashes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Not only this, but the actor also clicked pictures with Davina and Sanjay while complimenting them on their love for the game.
Arsenal express interest in signing Fikayo Tomori: Reports
As per the report from Football Transfers, Arsenal have expressed their interest in signing the England defender Fikayo Tomori, who was instrumental in taking AC Milan to the UEFA Champions League semi-final last season. The 26-year-old has been earmarked by Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta as a possible option to upgrade the defensive side of the club in 2024.
Some major results in football are as under:
International Friendlies
Indonesia 1-2 Libya
Iran 2-1 Burkina Faso
Qatar 1-2 Jordan
FA Cup 2023-24
Brentford 1-1 Wolves
Fulham 1-0 Rotherham United
Tottenham 1-0 Burnley
Serie A 2023-24
Bologna 1-1 Genoa
Tennis
Novak Djokovic opens up on wrist injury ahead of Australian Open 2024 title defence
Novak Djokovic opened up on the wrist injury ahead of his Australian Open 2024 title defence. Djokovic suffered the injury in the United Cup. The 24-Grand Slam winner said, "I think I'll be okay, to be honest. You know, it did have quite an impact, you know, particularly on the forehand and serve. Again, I don't want to be spending too much time talking about it and taking away credit, the victory from de Minaur. I mean, he was just very solid, as he always is. Congrats to him, to the Australian team, and, you know, it is what it is for us. I guess we move on, and for me, with my thoughts in Melbourne.”
Coco Gauff Powers advances to Auckland Classic semi-finals
Coco Gauff continued her ruthless defence and moved to the semifinal round of the Auckland Classic. Gauff recorded a 6-1, 6-1 win over Varvara Gracheva to set up a semi-final against fellow American Emma Navarro. The world number three and US Open champion clinched the title in Auckland last year and is on track to repeat that feat. After her win, she said, "I thought I served really well, probably the best so far at this tournament, which is something I was really working on in the off-season.” Navarro praised her opponent and said, "She's an insane athlete. She covers the court super well and is really solid in her whole game. There's no holes in her game.”
Rafael Nadal's expressions were not encouraging: Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim
Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim opened up on Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic’s injury concerns ahead of the Australian Open 2024. Nadal was sidelined for almost a year due to a hip injury, but the Spaniard re-injured his hip in the Brisbane International. Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, injured his wrist during his win over Jiri Lehecka at the United Cup. Wertheim shared his opinion on the injuries and said, "One hopes - and the same goes for Djokovic wrist - this falls under the "abundance-of-caution-before-a-Major" heading….but those familiar Nadal facial expressions were not encouraging…..”
