Sweden will not play Russia in the 2022 World Cup play-offs because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine the football federation said on Saturday. Sweden would have to beat the Czech Republic and Russia overcome Poland for them to face each other on March 29 in Russia. “Whatever FIFA decide, we will not play against Russia in March,” Karl-Erik Nilsson, president of the federation said in a statement. Earlier on Saturday the Poles said they would not play the Russians in Moscow — which hosted the World Cup final only four years ago — on March 24 for the same reason.

The Polish and Swedish federations had issued a statement along with the Czechs on Thursday — the day the invasion began — demanding FIFA play the matches away from Russia.

FIFA did not react to the latest Polish move on Saturday when approached by AFP.

On Thursday FIFA president Gianni Infantino had said they hoped the “situation (The conflict between Ukraine and Russia) will be resolved by then” but they could take a decision at “any moment.”

In a separate development the Swedish Government said they were going to try and persuade the other 27 European Union states to impose a blanket sporting ban on Russia for “as long as the invasion of Ukraine lasts”.

“The most important thing is that the Russian aggression ceases,” said Swedish Sports Minister Anders Ygeman in a statement.

“If the EU decides on a sporting boycott, that will help achieve this target.”

The Swedes are proposing a boycott of all competitions being hosted in Russia and further that no Russian athlete can compete in the European Union.

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The post Sweden Join Poland In Boycotting Russia In FIFA World Cup Play-Offs appeared first on EUNews24.

Poland will not play their 2022 World Cup play-off with Russia in Moscow on March 24 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine the president of the Polish football federation said on Saturday. “It is time to act. Due to the escalation of the Russian Federation’s aggression in Ukraine, the Polish team does not envisage playing the play-off against Russia,” wrote Cezary Kulesz, adding it was the “only correct decision”.

He said he would work with the Swedish and Czech federations — the winners of their match would have to play in Russia if the latter beat Poland — to present a unified position to Fifa.

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Colin de Grandhomme and Daryl Mitchell mounted a crucial rescue mission for New Zealand as South Africa continued to dominate the second Test on day two in Christchurch on Saturday. Their 66-run, sixth wicket partnership, dominated by a half-century to de Grandhomme, lifted New Zealand to 157 for five at stumps in reply to South Africa’s 364. Playing with the lights on during a gloomy afternoon at Hagley Oval, South Africa had New Zealand at five for 91 before de Grandhomme joined Mitchell in the middle. The burly all-rounder favoured attack as the best defence and was not out at 54 off 61 deliveries at stumps, with the more circumspect Mitchell on 29.

After being outplayed on day one, New Zealand battled back into the reckoning on the second morning with four wickets for 60, to have South Africa 298 for seven at lunch.

Two overs after the resumption, South Africa were 302 for eight but then, following a 20-minute rain disruption, the momentum swung back the Proteas’ way.

Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj mounted a rollicking 62-run stand off 78 deliveries — a record ninth wicket partnership for South Africa against New Zealand — and South Africa were back in the box seat.

When Kyle Jamieson eventually mopped up the tail, New Zealand’s situation worsened.

Kagiso Rabada removed openers Tom Latham for nought and Will Young for three, both caught behind — and New Zealand were two down for just nine runs.

Devon Conway and first Test century-maker Henry Nicholls attempted to put some backbone into the innings, although Conway never looked at ease.

He was given a hard time by Rabada who had an lbw appeal turned down and dropped a sharp caught-and-bowled chance before Jansen claimed the wicket with Kyle Verreynne taking another legside catch.

South Africa lost two reviews appealing for leg-before decisions before eventually getting the fourth wicket with a carefully laid plan to catch Nicholls for 39.

Jansen delivered a tempting short, wide delivery similar to one which Nicholls had cut for four early in his innings.

He could not resist slashing again — but this time Sarel Erwee was waiting at backward point for the catch.

Tom Blundell lasted six balls for six runs before he was bowled by Rabada, who has figures of three for 37, while Jansen has two for 48.

New Zealand had the measure of South Africa before lunch with Matt Henry and Neil Wagner taking two wickets each.

Henry removed Temba Bavuma for 29 and Verreynne for four in the space of 10 deliveries, and Wagner claimed the wickets of Rassie van der Dussen for 25 and Wiaan Mulder for 14.

But after Wagner dismissed Rabada for six after lunch Jansen and Maharaj regained control for the tourists.

They were particularly harsh on Wagner, taking 39 including seven fours in five overs, before the South African-born New Zealander was taken out of the attack.

He was replaced by Jamieson who wrapped up the innings in his first over with the dismissal of Maharaj for an entertaining 36 off 50 deliveries, while Lutho Sipamla went without scoring and Jansen was left unbeaten on 37.

Wagner returned figures of four for 102 while Henry took three for 90.

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Opener Mayank Agarwal has been added to the Indian squad for the last two T20 matches against Sri Lanka where he replaces Ruturaj Gaikwad. The Maharashtra opener had to pull out from the series opener against Sri Lanka as the skipper revealed the news at the toss. This is the second time Agarwal has been added to the India squad. Earlier also he was added to the squad when three India players which included the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, and Ruturaj Gaikwad has tested positive for Covid-19 just ahead of the first ODI against West Indies to be played in Ahmedabad.

“Ruturaj Gaikwad complained of pain in his right wrist, which is affecting his batting. He was unavailable for selection for the first T20I. The BCCI Medical Team is examining him,” BCCI stated in a media release yesterday. Skipper Rohit Sharma also confirmed the same at the toss. “It’s a challenge for the new gutsy – from the last game we played, we have 6 changes. Ruturaj was supposed to play, but he has a wrist injury and will not play today,” said the skipper.

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German Olympic tennis singles champion Alexander Zverev‘s expulsion from the Mexican Open in Acapulco for his foul-mouthed tantrum was deserved said Spanish legend Rafael Nadal. Nadal — playing his first tournament since he became the record holder for Grand Slam singles titles when he won the Australian Open last month — added it was not the ‘Sascha’ (Zverev) he knew and with whom he has good relations. World number three Zverev smashed his racket several times against the umpire Alessandro Germani’s chair and delivered a foul mouthed rant at the official after he and partner Marcelo Melo had lost Tuesday’s doubles match.

The 24-year-old — the defending champion — was subsequently disqualified, additional punishment is likely to follow, and issued an apology saying his tirade of abuse at Germani was “unacceptable.”

“I enjoy good relations with Alexander, but at the end of the day the punishment is deserved,” said Nadal at a press conference after beating American Stefan Kozlov in the second round of the Acapulco Open.

“One cannot behave in this manner and I believe he is conscious of that.”

Nadal said Zverev’s behaviour served as a bad example to the youngsters who saw tennis stars as role models.

“Unfortunately, the image that Alexander gave yesterday, exacerbated by being posted on social media accounts which lights the touchpaper, will have been seen by millions of children,” said Nadal.

“They base their attitude on ours and we must set an example and show a minimum of respect.”

Nadal — seeking his 91st career ATP title and fourth Acapulco crown — said every player endures frustrating moments.

“I understand the frustration, I understand that in a moment of anger one can break a racket,” he said.

“I am not going to criticise him more than to say it displeases me because I was not brought up like that.”

Nadal’s assessment of Zverev’s behaviour mirrored that of world number one Novak Djokovic and Britain’s three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray, who are in Dubai.

Djokovic — who was disqualified from the 2020 US Open for inadvertently hitting a line judge with a ball — said he could not “justify” Zverev’s actions.

Murray speaking after being knocked out of the Dubai tournament termed Zverev’s tantrum as “dangerous” and reckless”.

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Uefa is almost certain to switch this season’s Champions League final away from St Petersburg amid the Ukraine-Russia crisis.

Several countries, including the UK, have introduced sanctions against Russia in response to the move.

Uefa said it was “closely monitoring the situation” and “any decision would be made in due course if necessary”.

Against the backdrop of unrest, Uefa is viewed as being highly unlikely to attempt to host the game in Russia.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, said there was “no chance of holding football tournaments in a Russia that invades sovereign countries”.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries added that she had “serious concerns about the sporting events due to be held in Russia, such as the Champions League final, and will discuss with the relevant governing bodies”.

She added: “We won’t allow [Russia] President [Vladimir] Putin to exploit events on the world stage to legitimise his illegal invasion of Ukraine.”

Meanwhile, former UK sports minister Tracey Crouch has told BBC Sport that Uefa should move the final “immediately”.

European football’s governing body is assessing the situation before making a decision but it is set to be looking for a new venue at short notice for the third year running. The past two Champions League finals were played in Portugal because of Covid-19 related issues.

BBC Sport understands the game will still be played on Saturday, 28 May, which is likely to rule Wembley out as a host as the League Two and Championship play-off finals are set to be played at the stadium over that weekend.

Uefa has already postponed the Youth League last-16 tie between Dynamo Kyiv and Sporting Lisbon which was scheduled to be played in the Ukraine capital on 2 March.

The match has been moved to 9 March, with Uefa saying they will remain “in contact with the two clubs for any further decision”.

Other Uefa competition fixtures may yet need to be moved. There are no teams from Ukraine left in any other European competition this season but Russian club Zenit St Petersburg are still in the Europa League and are set to play the second leg of their play-off round tie with Real Betis in Spain on Thursday. Zenit lost the home leg 3-2.

At international level, Russia are scheduled to host Poland in a World Cup play-off on 24 March and – if they win – would face Sweden or Czech Republic on 29 March.

Ukraine are also in the World Cup play-offs, and visit Scotland and then either Wales or Austria in their bid to qualify for the tournament in Qatar.

Tensions in the region have escalated further this week with Russian President Vladimir Putin ordering troops into two rebel-held regions in eastern Ukraine, after recognising them as independent states.

Fears over an invasion have been rising in recent months, as Russia has massed around 150,000 troops along Ukraine’s borders, according to US estimates.

“Given the British and European condemnation of Russian action in Ukraine, Uefa should immediately move the Champions League final from the Gazprom stadium,” added Crouch.

“The ban on politicians and officials travelling to the Russian-hosted 2018 World Cup was a soft message to President Putin which made no significant difference – so Uefa need to take a much stronger stance not least to ensure the safety of travelling fans.”

St Petersburg was used as a venue for a number of matches at last summer’s delayed Euro 2020 tournament.

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Days after revealing the messages from a journalist who threatened him for an interview, wicketkeeper-batter Wriddhiman Saha on Tuesday evening gave a clarification why he didn’t expose the name of the offender.

Through a series of tweets, Saha expressed that he was hurt by the way he was treated and wanted to make sure that nobody else could ever face such kind of bullying. He further stated that on humanitarian grounds, he didn’t reveal the name of the journalist. However, he warned that if such things get repeated in the future, he won’t think twice about holding himself back.

“I was hurt and offended. I thought not to tolerate such kind of behaviour and didn’t want anyone to go through these kind of bullying. I decided I will go out and expose the chat in public eye, but not his/her name.

“My nature isnt such that I will harm anyone to the extent of ending someone’s career. So on grounds of humanity looking at his/her family, I am not exposing the name for the time being. But if any such repetition happens, I will not hold back,” Saha wrote.

1/3- I was hurt and offended. I thought not to tolerate such kind of behaviour and didn’t want anyone to go through these kind of bullying. I decided I will go out and expose the chat in public eye, but not his/her name

— Wriddhiman Saha (@Wriddhipops) February 22, 2022

In the end, Saha thanked his fans and supporters who stood with his and extended their willingness to help the cricketer.

“I thank each and everyone who has shown support and extended their willingness to help. My gratitude,” Saha concluded.

3/3- I thank each and everyone who has shown support and extended their willingness to help. My gratitude.

— Wriddhiman Saha (@Wriddhipops) February 22, 2022

Last week, Saha took to Twitter to post the screenshots of the messages where an unnamed journalist threatened him after he refused to give him an interview. “After all of my contributions to Indian cricket..this is what I face from a so called “Respected” journalist! This is where the journalism has gone,” he tweeted.

After all of my contributions to Indian cricket..this is what I face from a so called “Respected” journalist! This is where the journalism has gone. pic.twitter.com/woVyq1sOZX

— Wriddhiman Saha (@Wriddhipops) February 19, 2022

Following the incident, people from the cricket fraternity came forward in Saha’s support and slammed the journalist. It has been also learned that the BCCI is set to look into a matter and if required, an external agency could be hired to probe cricketers’ complaints.

News18

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The post 4th T20I: Australia’s Fourth Consecutive Win Over Sri Lanka appeared first on EUNews24.

Feb 17 (Reuters) – The U.S. figure skating team told the president of the International Olympic Committee they would have liked to leave the Beijing Games with their figure skating medals won 10 days ago, the U.S. Olympic committee said on Thursday.

With the doping case against teen figure skater Kamila Valieva unresolved, none of the top competitors in the Feb. 7 team event can receive their medals.

The U.S. team finished second behind Valieva and her team mates on the Russian Olympic Committee. Japan were third and Canada fourth.

“We are in the same position relative to medals ceremony as we have been,” the CEO of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), Sarah Hirshland, told reporters. “The athletes have expressed their view that they would like to go home with the medals, albeit at this point with the silver medals.”

“It’s a really frustrating and difficult situation. It’s unfair to these athletes, not only on our team, but all the athletes who show up here and expect the integrity of the competition to be intact, and we did not give it to them and that’s not right.”

IOC spokesman Mark Adams had earlier said that while the Americans had met with Bach, the Japanese team had declined to meet with him.

“I was incredibly proud of our athletes. They were productive and constructive,” Hirshland said.

“It made me proud to be on the same team with those individuals,” she said, without providing more details of the meeting.

Hirshland praised the skills of Valieva as a skater but said the timing in her drugs test from Dec. 25 was a major issue, given her positive test was reported only on Feb. 8, a day after the Russian had helped her Olympic Committee win team gold.

“She is an exceptional skater and there is a chance she will win tonight,” Hirshland said. Valieva is completing the single skating event which she is leading.

“There is a real, serious process that needs to be evaluated and investigated if she wins that indeed fairly. It is frustrating for all of us.”

“I respect and understand due process. But a number of things should and could have happened differently. The most important thing is the timing. It was outside the parametres of what the (World Anti-Doping) code dictates.”

Hirshland also said all athletes should be competing with the same set of rules and having a different set for athletes aged under 16 seemed in appropriate. Valieva has been treated as a ‘protected person’ – a minor – in the process.

When asked if the USOPC had already thought how it would hand the medals to the American athletes once the case was resolved, Hirshland said a number of possibilities were being discussed.

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