Chelsea will allow N’Golo Kante to stay away from training because of coronavirus fears – even if it means missing the rest of the season. The French midfielder, 29, returned to limited training on Tuesday at the club’s Cobham base. But he has since decided to train at home, a move supported by Chelsea.
Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka has become the world’s highest-paid female athlete, displacing US rival Serena Williams at the top of the list. According to Forbes magazine, Osaka, 22, a two-time Grand Slam champion, made £30.7m in prize money and endorsements over the past 12 months.
Chelsea have extended Olivier Giroud’s contract by 12 months, which means the France striker will be at Stamford Bridge next season. Giroud had made just five Premier League appearances in January and was in the last six months of his contract. But after an injury to fellow Blues striker Tammy Abraham, Giroud, 33, impressed on his return, scoring twice in four league games.
South African Premier League team Golden Arrows’ captain Nkanyiso Mngwengwe – who died suddenly on Monday morning – passed away due to heart failure, his brother has said. The defender for the Durban-based club was taken to hospital early on Monday after his body began convulsing. When his death was announced, the cause was undermined.
Burnley assistant manager Ian Woan has tested positive for coronavirus, the Premier League club has confirmed. The Clarets’ first-team squad and staff were all tested for Covid-19 at the weekend, before a return to training. Burnley say former midfielder Woan, 52, is “asymptomatic” and will now self-isolate for seven days.
Domestic football league in Nigeria will return when the country’s Federal Government gives the all-clear, the Nigerian Football Federation has said. Countries across Africa have been deciding what to do with their suspended leagues since the coronavirus pandemic halted sporting activities, with some declaring their leagues over, others voiding them – and in the case of Senegal, opting for a play-off system once football is cleared to return.
Manchester City’s appeal against a two-year ban from European club competition will begin on 8 June at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The Premier League champions were given the punishment by UEFA in February after being found to have committed “serious breaches” of club licensing and financial fair play regulations. City have denied the breaches, saying they are “simply not true”.
Napoli forward Dries Mertens is set to sign a new two-year contract with the club, according to Sky Italy. The 33-year-old held talks with Chelsea in January, but the Belgium international has now agreed to extend his stay at the Stadio San Paolo until at least 2022.
Paul Pogba’s older brother Florentin Pogba has joined Sochaux in the French second division, the club said on Monday. The 29-year old defender has agreed a three-year deal to return to French football, the club added.
Chelsea and England winger Callum Hudson-Odoi was arrested on suspicion of rape in the early hours of Sunday morning. Police and an ambulance were called to an address in London at 03:53 WAT to a report of an unwell woman. When emergency services attended, a woman reported that she was raped. She was taken to hospital.
Bundesliga players will be reminded of the return-to-play guidelines before next weekend’s matches after Hertha Berlin’s players ignored them during Saturday’s 3-0 win at Hoffenheim. The DFL [German football league] has already said Hertha will not be punished for their celebrations. However, Bundesliga International chief executive Robert Klein says the guidelines need to be followed.
Basketball legend Michael Jordan’s autographed trainers from 1985 sold for a record $560,000 in an online auction. The Nike Air Jordan 1s, worn by Jordan during his rookie season with the Chicago Bulls, were expected to fetch between $100,00-$150,000 at Sotheby’s.
La Liga clubs are set to start group training on Monday as they step up a return to action in June. Players had to have coronavirus tests before recently resuming individual training, with five players testing positive in Spain’s top two divisions.
UEFA president Aleksander Cerefin says it has a “concrete plan” for finishing the European season “in August”. Speculations emerged last month that the Champions League and Europa League are likely to be played in that month. The quarter-finals and semi-finals are expected to be played over two legs.
Erling Braut Haaland scored once for Borussia Dortmund as they marked the return of the Bundesliga during the coronavirus outbreak with a convincing 4-0 derby win over Schalke. Raphael Guerreiro added two more goals and Thorgen Hazard (Eden’s brother) also found the net.
A post-mortem examination of the helicopter crash that killed basketball star Kobe Bryant has ruled blunt force trauma as the cause of death for all nine victims. The 180-page report also found that the pilot, 50-year-old Ara Zobayan, tested negative for drugs and alcohol. The cause of the 26 January crash, which occurred in California amid heavy fog, is still being investigated. Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, was with him on board the helicopter.
Club Bruges have been declared Belgian champions after the country’s Pro League confirmed last month’s decision to bring the season to a premature halt because of coronavirus. They had an unassailable 15-point lead over Gent with one match left when the season was suspended.
Florida police are searching for two NFL players after they allegedly robbed people at a house party. Deandre Baker of the New York Giants and Quinton Dunbar of the Seattle Seahawks are said to have robbed other guests at gunpoint. About $12,000 in cash and watches worth up to $25,000 were taken.
TP Mazembe have been declared champions of the Democratic Republic of Congo after the country’s league season was brought to an end because of the coronavirus pandemic. DR Congo’s football federation, FECOFA, issued a statement saying they reached their decision following a meeting on Wednesday after the 2019/20 season had been halted by the Covid-19 crisis.
Tottenham and England midfielder Dele Alli was held at knifepoint during a burglary in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Two men broke into the 24-year-old’s house in north London, where he is spending lockdown with his brother and their respective partners. Alli was threatened and punched during the incident and suffered minor facial injuries in a scuffle.
Naija Sports Crib 