Trail-blazer Megan Rapinoe eyes honours sweep at Ballon d´Or

PARIS: Megan Rapinoe will complete an unprecedented clean sweep of honours on Monday if the trailblazing World Cup star and feminist icon adds the Women´s Ballon d´Or to her collection of accolades.The 34-year-old striker was the star of this year´s Women´s World Cup, scoring six goals as the United States successfully defended the title won in 2015.Rapinoe´s tournament goals tally earned her the Golden Boot for top-scorer while she was also awarded the Golden Ball for the tournament´s best player.Rapinoe picked up the FIFA´s Best Women´s Player award in September, and is now the front-runner for what is only the second edition of the Ballon d´Or Feminin, won by Norway´s Ada Hegerberg in 2018.Victory in Paris would crown a remarkable year for Rapinoe which has seen her enhance her reputation as a warrior both on and off the pitch.Her performances at the World Cup were a critical part of the United States´ title defence, most notably a two-goal display in a 2-1 victory over hosts France in the quarter-finals.But Rapinoe has garnered almost as much attention in 2019 for her unflinching advocacy of social justice off the field.That readiness to speak her mind famously brought her into conflict with US President Donald Trump during the World Cup in June.Rapinoe had provoked Trump´s ire in comments made several months before the tournament when she stated bluntly that she would not attend a White House reception for the US team if they brought home the World Cup."I am a big fan of the American Team, and Women´s Soccer," Trump wrote on Twitter. "But Megan should WIN first before she TALKS! Finish the job!"Rapinoe would indeed go on to finish the job several days later, scoring the opening goal in a 2-0 defeat of the Netherlands in the final in Lyon to seal back-to-back World Cup victories.- Calls for unity -And since then, Rapinoe has happily kept on talking.At a victory parade in New York in July, Rapinoe, who is gay, saluted the diversity of the all-conquering US team while calling for unity."We have to be better," Rapinoe told a cheering crowd of thousands. "We have to love more, hate less. We got to listen more and talk less."We got to know that this is everybody´s responsibility. Every single person here, every single person who´s not here, every single person who doesn´t want to be here. Every single person who agrees and doesn´t agree. It´s our responsibility to make this world a better place."Rapinoe returned to that theme at an awards ceremony earlier this month, when she was honoured as one of Glamour magazine´s "Women of the Year".Rapinoe used the event to draw attention to the plight of former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.Kaepernick ignited controversy in 2016 after kneeling during the US national anthem in a protest against racial injustice.Rapinoe was one of the first athletes to kneel in solidarity with Kaepernick, who has effectively been frozen out of the league since his season of protest.Rapinoe said Kaepernick´s plight made her determined to continue her fight for social justice and equality."It would be a slap in the face to Colin, and to so many other faces, not to acknowledge, and for me personally, to work relentlessly to dismantle that system that benefits some over the detriment of others, and frankly is quite literally tearing us apart in this country," she said.Back in the sporting arena, Rapinoe has eased her way back into the fray.Exhaustion and a sore achilles left her sidelined until September, when she returned to play for Seattle´s Reign FC in the National Women´s Soccer League.Rapinoe returned to the US team for two October friendlies against South Korea, and is expected to be a key member of the US squad for next year´s Olympics, where she will be chasing a second gold medal.

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Wales´ best chance is ´if Italy play the reserves´, says Giggs

BUCHAREST: Wales coach Ryan Giggs joked Saturday that the best way of beating Italy at Euro 2020 would be if they "play the reserves".Returning to the European championships for just the second time, Wales were placed with Italy, Turkey and Switzerland in Group A in the draw in Bucharest.The Welsh will play their first two games in the Azerbaijani capital Baku before facing Italy, who are back in form after missing the 2018 World Cup finals, in their final group match in Rome."Italy are the standout team in our group. It won´t be easy but if we have all our players we´ll compete against all of them," Giggs said."Hopefully when we play Italy they will have six points already and will play the reserves."Giggs said he was relieved not to be in a tough-looking Group F that features World Cup holders France, three-time European champions Germany and holders Portugal."We knew we were going to be in group A or B but I loved that we were not in Group F."Wales had never qualified for a European championships before 2016 and the former Manchester United star said he was determined to show his nation of just over three million people belong at major tournaments."I think that´s really important.. so often for me as a player we would get nearly there and then the next campaign we would be nowhere near."So the last three tournaments now, qualifying in the Euros, nearly there in the World Cup and now qualifying again in the Euros, that is where we want to be as a country. We want to be at major tournaments.""We´ve got a good crop of young players coming through and now they are going to get a taste of what it´s like in the Euro, so exciting times."

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Portugal, France, Germany drawn together at Euro 2020 as England get Croatia

BUCHAREST: Reigning European champions Portugal will come up against World Cup winners France and Germany in the standout group at Euro 2020 following Saturday´s draw for the tournament, while England were placed with Croatia.Neither France nor Portugal were in Pot One for the 24-team competition being held in 12 cities across Europe, making them the dangerous teams to avoid for the top seeds in the draw in Bucharest.In the event, they came out together in an incredibly tough Group F alongside Germany, who will play group games at home in Munich. That is where Joachim Loew´s team will face France in their first match on June 16.Group F will be completed by one of the winners of the play-offs to be played next March, leaving open several possibilities including Hungary, who will play at home in Budapest should they make it.France beat Germany in the semi-finals of Euro 2016 on home soil, before losing in the final to a Portugal side who claimed the title for the first time.Meanwhile, England were drawn with Croatia and the Czech Republic in Group D, with Gareth Southgate´s team to play home group games at Wembley, which will also be the venue for the semi-finals and the July 12 final.That group will be completed by the team to emerge victorious from Path C in the play-offs, between Serbia, Norway, Israel and Scotland. The latter have the added incentive of knowing they will play home games in Glasgow in the group stage should they qualify.- Home advantage? -England faced the Czech Republic in qualifying, winning 5-0 at Wembley but suffering their only defeat of the campaign in Prague, where they went down 2-1 in October.England will kick off at home to Croatia on June 14 in a repeat of the 2018 World Cup semi-final, which was won by the Croatians.However, should England win their group they will have to play the runners-up from Group F, setting up a possible clash with Germany, France or Portugal in the last 16.England coach Gareth Southgate told the BBC: "If you can win and be top seeds then you have to take control of your destiny. Let´s hope we have the decision to make. We will take on whoever comes. Everyone will be thinking the same about playing us."Southgate said being based at Wembley would be "a brilliant experience for our fans, the public and the players" but played down the importance of home advantage in a tournament spread over 12 countries."Ten nations have that opportunity so it doesn´t make it an advantage for winning the tournament unless we can get to the semi-finals then we have it back in our favour."Elsewhere, Italy will face Turkey in Rome in the tournament´s opening game on June 12, with Switzerland and Euro 2016 semi-finalists Wales also in that section, Group A.Italy coach Roberto Mancini said: "Are we favourites? The teams we face are all competitive. The fact of playing in Italy helps us."Spain will take on Sweden and Poland as well as a play-off winner in Group E.

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Vacations with wife makes King Kohli feel human

NEW DELHI: India superstar Virat Kohli told Saturday how he goes to isolated places like the mountains in Bhutan to escape his cricket-crazed homeland.Facing an even more intense social media spotlight since he married Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma in 2017, the Indian captain said the escapes were the only way the couple can preserve their "own space"."Virushka", as the couple are known to Indian media, went to Bhutan for Kohli´s 31st birthday in early November."We loved going to treks and interacting with people. On a daily basis you don´t get to interact with people," Kohli told India Today TV."There we would go on bike rides and in between meet some local people and talk to them. It was beautiful, it was like getting back to being human beings before we became famous."Kohli, now one of the biggest earners in sport, said there has been a "drastic change" over the past four years as his fame has grown along with the importance of social media.He said that before, "people would respect our space," without the couple being snapped for a picture wherever they go."From 2015 onwards my career grew and social media was also growing simultaneously. It gets difficult understanding this transition that´s why we like being in our own space all the time."Kohli also said his wife was a "soft target" for criticism because of his position."Some of the things that come out are really funny. Without actually checking with anyone people come to conclusions. The lies are spoken so much they start becoming truth," said Kohli."People in this day and age don´t bother finding out the truth when someone´s a soft target like her. We don´t get hurt by it but we need to explain to people what the truth is."

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FIFPro support Napoli players against club´s "abuse and intimidation"

Photo: AFPPlayers' union FIFPRO said Saturday they would support Napoli players against "further abuse and intimidation" after the Italian club's reported decision to fine their under-performing team.Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has reportedly ordered that players be deducted part of their month's salary, some as much as 50 percent, after players refused to attend a week-long training camp."FIFPRO is standing by ready to assist, in close co-operation with AIC (Italian Players' Association), to ensure the players are not subjected to further abuse and intimidation," FIFPRO said in a statement.De Laurentiis ordered the team into a 'ritiro' or training retreat after a 2-1 league defeat to rivals Roma saw the Serie A runners-up slip to seventh in the league.But as coach Carlo Ancelotti voiced his disagreement with the lockdown, the players all returned home after a 1-1 draw against Salzburg three days later, which stalled their bid to reach the Champions League last 16.In total, players' salaries will be cut by 2.5 million euros ($2.7 million), according to Italian media reports."Napoli's intention to withhold player salaries is without valid grounds and is being contested collectively," Dutch-based FIFPRO continued."FIFPRO believes that the ad-hoc decision of Napoli forbidding players to go home and re-join their families, following the match against RB Salzburg, was unjustified."Like every other employee, professional football players have the right to ensure that their private life is respected, especially considering the already congested fixture list which sees many players away from home for prolonged periods."The grounds on which Napoli seeks the application of fines, for the players' refusal to follow the unreasonable instructions of Napoli, contradict provisions in Italy's collective bargaining agreement."The players of Napoli cannot be subjected to arbitrary decisions of a disenchanted club when the result of a match is unsatisfactory."We echo the sentiments of FIFPRO member, Associazione Italiana Calciatori (AIC), in that Carlo Ancelotti and his technical staff are ultimately responsible for managing the playing group however they deem fit."Technical matters are not the responsibility of club directors and we support Ancelotti and the players of Napoli for their united stand in clearly difficult times."Napoli drew 1-1 with European champions Liverpool on Wednesday and host Bologna on Sunday looking to end a seven-game winless run in all competitions."At the end of the game De Laurentiis thanked the lads for this important performance," said Ancelotti after the game in Anfield.De Laurentiis added on social media: "These matters will be resolved between us without external pressure or conditioning."

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Ljungberg tight-lipped about managing Arsenal full-time

Photo: AFPFreddie Ljungberg will take charge of Arsenal for the first time as interim manager on Sunday against Norwich but said on Saturday he is unsure whether full-time management appeals to him.The 42-year-old Swede — who was a member of the Arsenal 'Invincibles' side under Arsene Wenger in the 2003/04 season 3 has been put in charge after Unai Emery´s undistinguished 18 month reign came to an end on Friday.However, Ljungberg — who was an assistant to Emery — told Sky Sports it was too early to say whether being a manager on a permanent basis would be to his liking."We´ll see in the future," said Ljungberg."At the moment I´m learning the trade."This is a big responsibility and the moment I´m just taking it game by game."Ljungberg´s first task will be to arrest the slump that has seen the Gunners fail to win in seven matches — their worst run since 1992 when George Graham´s side failed to win in eight.Arsenal are presently eighth in the Premier League table, eight points off the fourth and final Champions League spot with a third of the league campaign gone.Ljungberg — who played over 200 games for Arsenal in his nine years at the club and won the FA Cup on three occasions -- has revealed no timescale has been set for his spell as Emery´s temporary replacement."No, no indication of how long or how short. They just said concentrate on your next game do as well as you can," he said.Ljungberg, who away from the pitch was a successful underwear model, said he was honoured to have been entrusted with the job of at least for the moment reviving Arsenal's fortunes."It´s a great, great honour," said Ljungberg."That´s how I feel. I feel this energy inside of me. It´s special."Of course there´s sadness because of what´s happened to the club and where we are, but also excitement for what we can do for the future and also for tomorrow."Its a great honour and that´s what I said to the players — ´you guys do the job and I´ll try to help and support you´."If you play good football and get results then there´s nothing better than that to raise spirits."

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Four sides in contention for Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final

Photo: Twitter The revamped Quaid-e-Azam Trophy has come down to the 10th and final round of the four-day tournament that will determine which two sides will progress to the final at the National Stadium, read a press release from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).With a maximum of 24 points (five batting, three bowling and 16 win) available, the top four sides are separated by 18 points, whereas Sindh and Balochistan will fight out to avoid the wooden spoon at the National Stadium in the six-team competition.Table-toppers Central Punjab will go into their last round match against fourth-placed Southern Punjab leading by 18 points. This match will be played at the State Bank Stadium in Karachi.Second-placed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have a 13-point advantage over their third-placed opponents Northern. This match will be played at the UBL Sports Complex in Karachi.This means the top four sides – Central Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Northern and Southern Punjab – will fight to not only collect maximum points but to also keep their rivals to the minimum to ensure they remain in the hunt for the winner’s purse of RS10 million along with the prestigious silverware.Central Punjab v Southern PunjabIn the last four rounds, Central Punjab and Southern Punjab have both collected 42 points.When the two sides had met in the tournament opener, the match had ended in a high-scoring draw with Southern Punjab scoring 467 and 107-1, and Central Punjab scoring 473 in their only outing.As points are awarded after 110 overs of the first innings of each side, both the teams pocketed 11 points apiece from this Punjab derby.Southern’s Sami Aslam had launched his first-class season with 243 and he is now the leading run-getter with 861 runs. Adnan Akmal, who scored 113 runs in the match, has 554 runs. In contrast, Central’s leading run-scorer to date is Kamran Akmal (750 runs), while Salman Butt is the tournament’s sixth most successful batsman with 662 runs.Amongst the bowlers, Central’s Zafar Gohar is second on the overall list with 36 wickets, while his team-mate Bilal Asif is nine wickets behind with 27 wickets. For Southern, Mohammad Irfan has been the pick of the bowlers with 22 wickets, while Rahat Ali has 17 wickets.Khyber Pakhtunkhwa v NorthernThe two sides were involved in an exciting first-round fixture when Northern escaped with a draw after being forced to follow-on. In reply to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s 526 for nine declared, which revolved around Mohammad Rizwan (176) and Ashfaq Ahmed (106), Northern were dismissed for 262 before finishing at 433 for six, thanks to centuries from Asif Ali (114) and Mohammad Nawaz (100).In the last four rounds, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have earned 66 points while Northern have gained 62 points, including wins over Sindh and Balochistan by 145 runs and eight wickets, respectively.Ashfaq Ahmed has been the mainstay of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, scoring 766 runs with four centuries and three half-centuries, while Sahibzada Farhan has contributed 548 runs with four half-centuries at an average of over 45.Faizan Riaz leads Northern’s run-scoring chart with 634 runs with two centuries and two half-centuries, while Zeeshan is the 10th and last batsman in the 600-run club with 613 runs (one century and four half-centuries).In the bowlers’ table, Nauman Ali leads the leaderboard with 46 wickets. He is followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s duo of Sajid Khan (19) and Junaid Khan (14).Sindh v BalochistanWhen the two sides met in their first-round match, Sindh scored 473 for five declared and Balochistan replied with 355 for nine. However, their campaigns failed to take off as they remain the only sides to not win a match in the tournament to date. In the process, Sindh lost twice, while Balochistan ended up on the losing side thrice.However, Balochistan’s Imran Butt will be one of the players to watch-out for in this match. The 23-year-old Lahore batsman is sitting on 830 runs and currently occupying number two spot on the tournament’s batting list. On the opposite side is Fawad Alam, who is the fifth leading scorer in the tournament with 665 runs (three centuries and two half-centuries).Amongst the bowlers, Balochistan’s Mohammad Asghar is fourth on the most successful bowlers list with 26 wickets, while Sindh’s Tabish Khan is one wicket behind with 25.10th round fixtures:Central Punjab v Southern Punjab – State Bank of Pakistan Stadium, KarachiKhyber Pakhtunkhwa v Northern – UBL Sports Complex, KarachiSindh v Balochistan – National Stadium, Karachi

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