sport

Sport Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has despatched 300 club jerseys to supporters in his home village of Bambali in Senegal ahead of Saturday's Champions League final against Real Madrid. 25 May 2018 01:45PM Bookmark REUTERS: Liverpool forward Sadio Mane has despatched 300 club jerseys to supporters in his home village of Bambali in Senegal ahead of Saturday's Champions League final against Real Madrid.Mane's family still live in the village of 2,000 inhabitants, which is expected to come to a standstill as their favourite son looks to help the Premier League club claim a sixth European Cup in Kiev's Olympic Stadium.The 26-year-old has ensured the village can cheer his team in style as they look to beat 12-times champions Real."There are 2,000 in the village. I bought 300 Liverpool jerseys to send to the people in the village, so the fans can wear to watch the final," Mane told the British media.The Senegalese international is not expected to return home until after next … [Read more...] about Mane paints hometown red by donating 300 Liverpool shirts

Sport The International Cricket Council (ICC) has told Pakistani players to stop wearing smartwatches during play to avoid any allegations of match-fixing, bowler Hasan Ali said after the opening day of the first test against England on Thursday. 25 May 2018 12:45PM Bookmark REUTERS: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has told Pakistani players to stop wearing smartwatches during play to avoid any allegations of match-fixing, bowler Hasan Ali said after the opening day of the first test against England on Thursday.The ICC's anti-corruption team met the tourists after play at Lord's and warned the players against wearing the watches, which are capable of transmitting text or voice messages and functioning like a phone."I didn't know who was wearing them but yes, the ICC anti-corruption officer came to speak to us and they told us this is not allowed," Hasan said after Pakistan dominated play, bowling England out for 184 before reaching 50 for one at the close."Next time … [Read more...] about ICC orders Pakistan to ditch smartwatches during play

REUTERS: Otago Highlanders winger Tevita Nabura has been banned for six weeks for kicking an opponent in the face during the New Zealand side's Super Rugby defeat to the New South Wales Waratahs last week, the league's Foul Play Review Committee said on Friday.The Waratahs' 41-12 victory was the first by an Australian side against New Zealand opposition for 41 matches and Nabura's dismissal for his airborne assault on winger Cam Clark in the 19th minute proved decisive at Sydney's Allianz Stadium."The player's action was seen by the committee as a misguided effort by an inexperienced player to both try and regain balance whilst in the air and ward off the approaching opposing player," the panel's chairman Nigel Hampton QC said in a statement.The committee, which also included John Langford and Stefan Terblanche, said Nabura's actions after he had jumped to catch a high ball merited a top-end entry point of 12 weeks due to the 25-year-old making contact with an opponent's … [Read more...] about Highlanders’ Nabura handed six-week ban for head kick

Sport Former Australia captain Steve Smith will return to cricket after the ball-tampering scandal as a marquee player at next month's Global T20 Canada league. 25 May 2018 10:50AM Bookmark REUTERS: Former Australia captain Steve Smith will return to cricket after the ball-tampering scandal as a marquee player at next month's Global T20 Canada league.Smith was banned for 12 months from national and state teams for his role in the scandal in Cape Town in March, but the suspension does not extend to domestic tournaments outside his home nation .The 28-year-old joins compatriot Chris Lynn as well as Chris Gayle and Shahid Afridi for the month-long tournament.Australia batsman David Warner, who also received a year-long ban for his role in the South Africa scandal, is expected to join the June 28-July 16 tournament as a marquee.Global T20 Canada will have a total of six teams with five representing Canadian cities - Edmonton Royals, Montreal Tigers, Toronto Nationals, Vancouver … [Read more...] about Smith to make comeback in Canadian T20 tournament

TOKYO: Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta's decision to join Japan's Vissel Kobe could make the J-League a serious option for the world's top footballers, former Shimizu S-Pulse manager Steve Perryman said.The 34-year-old Spanish World Cup winner, who lifted 32 major trophies at Barca and made over 600 appearances for the Catalan giants, completed a big-money move to Japan on Thursday (May 24) after bidding a tearful farewell to the Nou Camp last weekend.Iniesta's Far East move will have been noted by players who might hitherto have considered China a more lucrative destination, Perryman told AFP in an interview."As soon as a top player like Iniesta decides to go to Japan it becomes an option for other people," said the former Tottenham Hotspur captain, who coached at J-League clubs S-Pulse and Kashiwa Reysol between 1996 to 2002."It gives the J-League credibility but it's about what Iniesta brings with him in terms of his ethos and work ethic," added Perryman."You want people to lead in … [Read more...] about Football: Iniesta coup puts J-League on the map, says Perryman