Credit: X
In the world of football, Cristiano Ronaldo has been banned for one match after he made an obscene gesture towards Al-Shabab fans for chanting the name of Lionel Messi, his long-time footballing rival, after a Saudi Pro League match. FIH officials Bhola Nath and Dilip Tirkey said that the reports of gender discrimination and lack of respect for foreign officials are not true. Haryana Steelers defeated Jaipur Pink Panthers 31-27 to secure their spot in the finale of the PKL Season 10 at the GMC Balayogi Sports Complex in Hyderabad.
Read below to learn more about the latest happenings in the sporting world in the last 24 hours.
Football
Cristiano Ronaldo banned for one match for obscene gesture to fans during Saudi Pro League
The Al-Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been banned for one match for making an obscene gesture towards Al-Shabab fans after his team’s 3-2 win in the Saudi Pro League. Notably, the Al-Shabab fans were chanting “Messi Messi,” his long-term rival’s name at Cristiano Ronaldo after their club’s defeat, which made him lose his cool, leading to his one-match ban along with a fine of 30,000 Saudi Riyals (£6,300) by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF).
EFL funding deal could get imposed on Premier League clubs
The Premier League clubs have been given a warning about the imposition of the funding deal with the English Football League (EFL) by the new football regulator if they fail to reach it by themselves. The warning about the matter came from the Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sports of the United Kingdom, Lucy Frazer, who was speaking about the matter at the FT Business of Football Conference in London, just before the top flight clubs are set to meet at a hotel in the city to lay out a new deal funding package.
Liverpool submit initial request with Bayer Leverkusen to speak with their manager Xabi Alonso: Reports
Liverpool have reportedly submitted their initial request to Bayer Leverkusen about speaking with their manager Xabi Alonso, to bring him as a replacement for the departing Jurgen Klopp. According to the report from Bild, Liverpool have already established contact with Xabi Alonso’s agent Inaki Ibanez, but he is expected to stay with Bayer Leverkusen rather than make a move to the Merseyside club.
Manchester United to decide on future of Mason Greenwood before end of May: Reports
Manchester United are reportedly monitoring the future of their forward Mason Greenwood, who is currently on loan at Getafe, by the end of May. The 22-year-old, who hasn’t played for Manchester United after getting arrested on the suspicion of rape and sexual assault in January 2022, was loaned out to Getafe in September 2023 after his charges got dropped, and now, according to The Sun’s report, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has tasked a team of trusted advisers to resolve the matter on a priority basis.
Some major results in football:
FA Cup 2023-24
- Chelsea 3-2 Leeds United
- Nottingham Forest 0-1 Manchester United
- Liverpool 3-0 Southampton
Serie A 2023-24
- Sassuolo 1-6 Napoli
- Inter Milan 4-0 Atalanta
Coupe de France 2023-24
- Rouen 1-1 (4-2) Valenciennes
Hockey
Reports of divisions within organisation are not true: HI after two foreign officials hand resignation
FIH officials Bhola Nath and Dilip Tirkey said that the reports of gender discrimination and lack of respect for foreign officials are not true. It came after senior women’s team chief coach Janneke Schopman accused the federation of gender discrimination and other allegations. The officials said, "Our entire focus remains on growing our talent, ensuring all hosted events are conducted with the utmost professionalism and our national teams are receiving the best support to support their performance on the global stage.," they stated. Recently there have been statements by outgoing officials, claiming that there are divisions within the organization. This is not correct. We remain united in working together, and as always in the best interest of the sport."
Kabaddi
Haryana Steelers defeat Jaipur Pink Panthers to book spot in PKL Season 10
Haryana Steelers defeated Jaipur Pink Panthers 31-27 to secure their spot in the finale of the PKL Season 10 at the GMC Balayogi Sports Complex in Hyderabad. The team will lock horns with Puneri Paltan for the coveted title on March 1. The Steelers rode on the raiding duo of Vinay and Shivam Patare who scored 11 and seven points, respectively. For the reigning champions, Arjun Deshwal emerged as the star of the night, but the effort fell short.
Tennis
Andy Murray’s mother fumes over repeated questions on retirement after latest statement
Andy Murray’s mother Judy Murray fumed over the media after repeated questions about his retirement. Due to his recent decline, Murray has been repeatedly questioned about his potential retirement. The 36-year-old recently slammed a journalist for ‘tarnishing his legacy’. Recently, Murray’s mother got furious over the media and wrote on X, “Every single press conference he is asked the same question. When he started on the ATP Tour it was ‘Ah but when r u going to win Wimbledon?’ Every single time.”
Some other idiot would have been managing Maria Sharapova's career: Agent Max Eisenbud
Maria Sharapova’s agent Max Eisenbud opened up about his lucky break that brought him face-to-face with the then-11-year-old tennis star. He said, “There's a lot of young players down there; they're driving us nuts; they're calling the agents all the time; they're not happy.' I went down there and met 11-year-old Maria Sharapova. I tell the story all the time that if they hadn't moved me to Bradenton, some other idiot would have been managing Sharapova's career. So that was one of the lucky things.”
Novak Djokovic is the one who we didn't want, didn't need: Andy Roddick
Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick commented on Novak Djokovic on Novak Djokovic disrupting the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal rivalry. He said, "I feel like Novak Djokovic is the guy who broke up The Beatles. He is like tennis' Yoko. He is the one who we didn't want, didn't need. We had the rivalry, we had the lefty-righty. We had the contrasting styles. Then all of a sudden, this cyborg robot, but also someone who plays with a lot of emotion, comes in and is like, 'I'm not buying into the hype. I am complete. You can't go through me, you can't go around me. I'm gonna take the punches from these guys'. It was weird.”