Sebastian Vettel is to leave Ferrari at the end of the year after contract talks between the two broke down with no agreement. Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said the decision was mutual and was “not easy to reach, given Sebastian’s worth as a driver and as a person”.
La Liga president Javier Tebas hopes Spain’s top flight will restart on 12 June and says coronavirus tests will mean “practically zero” risk to players during games. The league said on Sunday that five players had tested positive for the virus across Spain’s top two divisions. La Liga started testing players last week as it plans to resume training and play matches behind closed doors.
Basketball great Shaquille O’Neal says the NBA should “scrap the season” because of the coronavirus pandemic. The 2019-20 campaign was halted in March with five regular-season games and two months of play-offs remaining. “Everybody go home, get healthy, come back next year,” said four-time NBA champion O’Neal, 48, who now works as a television pundit.
Atalanta midfielder Andrea Rinaldi has died aged 19 after suffering a brain aneurysm on Friday while training at home during the coronavirus lockdown. Rinaldi was part of the youth system at Atalanta and had been on loan at Serie D side Legnano this season. “Always available and positive, he knew how to make himself well-liked by everyone,” said an Atalanta statement.
Somerset have cancelled the contract of South Africa seam bowler Vernon Philander by mutual agreement. The 34-year-old was due to join the county for the summer on a Kolpak deal, which meant he would not count as an overseas player.
American UFC fighter Kelvin Gastelum has served a five-month ban for breaching anti-doping regulations for a second time, the United States Anti-Doping Agency has confirmed.
Five players have tested positive for coronavirus across Spain’s top two divisions, La Liga has said. The unnamed players are all asymptomatic and are now in isolation. They will continue to be tested and can only rejoin training when they return two consecutive negative results.
Afghanistan wicketkeeper-batsman Shafiqullah Shafaq has been banned for six years from all forms of cricket after breaching anti-corruption rules. Shafaq admitted to four charges while playing for Afghan club Nangarhar Leopards in 2018 and Sylhet Thunder in last year’s Bangladesh Premier League.
Jacare Souza has tested positive for Covid-19 and is out of Saturday’s controversial UFC 249 event – the first of three in seven days in Florida. Souza, 40, was due to fight Uriah Hall in Jacksonville on a card topped by Tony Ferguson’s bout with fellow American Justin Gaethje. But the Brazilian middleweight and his two cornermen returned positive tests.
Odion Ighalo hopes his loan deal at Manchester United is extended until the Premier League season is completed. The Nigeria striker, 30, moved from Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua in January and has a contract until 31 May. Premier League bosses hope to resume the season in June but, with China’s Super League also intent on a restart, Ighalo may have to return to Shanghai.
Former Black Stars coach Kwesi Appiah has said the Ghana Football Association owe him five months’ salary – but the GFA has said any payment should come from the government. Appiah is demanding $185,000 unpaid salary arrears from the GFA – five months’ salary plus a bonus for matches won – but the GFA believes the payment is not theirs to make.
Morocco’s football federation (FRMF) says its domestic season will restart when it gets the go-ahead from the country’s government. The federation said on Thursday that a committee, led by vice president Hamza El Hajoui, has been set up “to study realistic solutions for the resumption of football activity in the kingdom.”
Yaya Toure is backing former Ivory Coast team-mate Didier Drogba’s bid to become president of the Ivorian Football Association (FIF). “It’s time for change in our football. It needs modernity,” said Toure. “When I say I support Drogba, it’s also for the good of the country, to have a former player of his kind investing himself in Africa.” Drogba represented his country 105 times and announced his intention to run for the post back in September.
Germany’s all-time leading scorer Miroslav Klose has been appointed Bayern Munich assistant coach for next season. The 41-year-old has been a youth coach at the club for the past two years after retiring as a player in 2016. He spent four seasons as a player with Bayern from 2007, winning league and cup honours.
Three Fiorentina players and three members of the club’s support staff have tested positive for coronavirus. Serie A clubs have been given permission by the Italian government to resume training, although players can only train individually.
The rivalry between ‘Real Deal’ Evander Holyfield and ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson always felt as if it merited a trilogy of fights. The pair have made us wait more than two decades since Holyfield claimed wins over ‘the baddest man on the planet’ in 1996 and 1997 but suddenly there is hope of a third hard-hitting and probably controversial affair. Tyson, 53, wants to box again in charity matches and Holyfield, 57, has announced he will make a similar move.
Formula 1 chairman Chase Carey has admitted that the sport’s owners are preparing for “the remote possibility of no racing in 2020”. He said they discussed with lenders how to handle the loss of income involved in not being able to run a season. But he emphasised: “We are increasingly confident – although there are no guarantees – that we will have a 2020 championship season.”
The Bundesliga will resume behind closed doors on 16 May, becoming the first European league to restart following the coronavirus shutdown. One of the games on the day of relaunch will be the derby between Schalke and Borussia Dortmund. Champions Bayern Munich, who are four points clear at the top of the table, travel to Union Berlin on Sunday. Most teams have nine games to play, with the final weekend of the season rescheduled for 27-28 June.
Tennis’ governing bodies have confirmed the creation of a Player Relief programme to support players affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The fund, which is already worth at least $6m, will target around 800 singles and doubles players from the ATP and WTA Tours. The figure is likely to rise as donations from players, including Briton Andy Murray, will also be added.
The German Bundesliga season can resume this month, Chancellor Angela Merkel has confirmed. It will become the first major league in Europe to return to competition, with a date for resumption to be confirmed by the German Football League (DFL) on Thursday. All matches will be played behind closed doors. With nine games remaining, Bayern Munich are top of the table, four points above Borussia Dortmund.
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