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In the world of football, Roberto Firmino is reportedly expected to make his return to the Premier League just six months after signing with Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League. South African former Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius was released from jail on parole on Friday, nearly 11 years after murdering his girlfriend. Jelena Ostapenko went berserk on the umpires and threatened to get them banned from her games.
Read below to learn details about these top stories and other happenings in the sporting world in the last 24 hours.
Football
Dominik Szoboszlai to miss FA Cup third-round match against Arsenal
The Liverpool defender Dominik Szoboszlai is going to miss the third-round FA Cup match against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium due to a hamstring injury. After he suffered the blow during the Premier League win against Newcastle United by 4-2 at Anfield, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp gave an update on his fitness to the press on Friday and said, “I can confirm it's not a potential injury - it is an injury. Muscle, hamstring. But now we have to see.”
Thomas Frank feels confident about Ivan Toney staying at Brentford beyond January
The Brentford manager Thomas Frank addressed the rumours surrounding their striker Ivan Toney leaving the club in the ongoing January transfer window. When asked if Ivan Toney is going to stay at Brentford, Thomas Frank said, “The very short answer is yes. He is a Brentford player. He is here, we miss a few offensive players and I cannot see why we should sell him. I would love to have him here for a long time. It is not for me to discuss (an offer), but if I could ever recommend one, it would need to be an unbelievable price, so he will stay here.”
Chelsea announce crypto exchange firm as sleeve partner in multi-year deal
Chelsea Football Club announced the crypto exchange giant BingX as their sleeve partner in a multi-year deal. The leading crypto firm will sponsor the men’s team’s shirt sleeves for the remainder of the 2023-24 season. After this season, the firm will be the principal sponsor of the men’s training kits for the next two seasons, after they take over from the famous online travel company Trivago. Earlier, there were reports that the football club agreed to a multi-year deal with the crypto exchange firm BingX to sponsor their shirt sleeves. This is the first deal after the club signed a deal with Whalefin that ended at the end of last season.
Roberto Firmino linked with Fulham for shock Premier League return: Reports
As per the report from talkSport, Fulham are one of the few Premier League clubs who have been offered the chance to bring back the Brazilian striker Roberto Firmino to the Premier League. The 32-year-old, who played 362 matches for Liverpool, scoring 111 goals in the process, is looking to leave the Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal just six months after signing with them last summer.
Paris Saint-Germain emerge as frontrunners to sign Mary Earps: Reports
Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly emerged as frontrunners to sign the Manchester United women’s goalkeeper Mary Earps, who will be out of contract at the club in the summer. As per the Evening Standard, the 30-year-old has spoken to a few of the top European clubs, namely Arsenal, Barcelona, and Paris Saint-Germain, but she is reluctant to join the city rivals Manchester City.
Some major results in football are as under:
International Friendlies
Saudi Arabia 1-0 Lebanon
FA Cup 2023-24
Crystal Palace 0-0 Everton
La Liga 2023-24
Osasuna 1-0 Almeria
Sevilla 0-2 Athletic Bilbao
Las Palmas 1-2 Real Madrid
Coppa Italia 2023-24
Juventus 6-1 Salernitana
Tennis
Not a big deal: Novak Djokovic's coach on Serb’s injury in United Cup
24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivanisevic brushed off the Serb’s wrist injury concerns in the United Cup 2023. Ivanisevic said, "There is a problem with Novak's wrist, but the most important thing is that he will be ready in 10 or 11 days. We will take a few days of rest and then start training slowly. It is not a big deal. We came here to play a few games, and he did. He played three good matches. Maybe yesterday wasn't the case. It wasn't a good match from a results point of view, but it was definitely good preparation, and that's what he needed."
Tough to call me the 1st seed when Rafa is here: Holger Rune
Holger Rune, who is currently the top seed in Brisbane International, said that he never felt like a top seeded in Rafael Nadal’s presence in the tournament. Holger said, “When you step on court you don’t really think about it. It’s a nice feeling. Obviously, it’s tough to call me the 1st seed when Rafa is here. After his clash against James Duckworth, he said, “It was a really good match, especially the first set. I started strong, put him under pressure and was feeling good with my shots. He changed the strategy a bit (in the second set) ... I'm happy I was able to close it in two sets, I feel great."
Jelena Ostapenko threatens to get umpire banned from her games during Brisbane defeat
Jelena Ostapenko went berserk on the umpires and threatened to get them banned from her games. The incident took place at the Brisbane International in the third set, which ended up in her 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 defeat to Victoria Azarenka. She screamed at the chair umpire Julie Kjendlie, "You are blind, it is impossible to play when you make so many mistakes. I never want you at my match again. You will never be at my match. I don't want you at my matches, you ruin my matches." After the game, Ostapenko shook hands with Azarenka as a show of respect but did not do it with Kjendlie.
Others
South African ex-paralympic star Oscar Pistorius released from jail on parole after 11 years of murdering girlfriend
South African former Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius was released from jail on parole on Friday, nearly 11 years after murdering his girlfriend. Pistorius, who is popularly known as 'Blade Runner', due to his carbon-fiber prosthetic legs, was convicted of killing his girlfriend and model Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius shot his 29-year-old model girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp dead through a locked bathroom door on Valentine's Day in 2013. Later, Pistorius claimed that he had mistaken his girlfriend for an intruder.
