Paraguay giants Olimpia Asuncion have agreed a deal “in principle” to sign Togo legend Emmanuel Adebayor. The 35-year-old is a free agent after ending a brief spell with Turkish side Kayserispor in December for personal reasons. The deal is expected to go through when the 43-time Primera Division champions reach 35,000 season ticket holders, according to club president Marco Trovato.
Jon ‘Bones’ Jones beat Dominick Reyes to retain his light heavyweight crown and set a new record for the most wins in UFC title fights. His 14th title fight win came via a unanimous decision over previously undefeated challenger Reyes in the main event of UFC 247 in Houston, Texas. When the scores were announced, the arena was filled with a mixture of boos and cheers. Jones, 32, was awarded the decision 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46. “To break a record, to be a part of UFC history in this way, I wouldn’t want it easy,” said Jones.
Bangladesh won the U19s World Cup for the first time after humbling heavy favourites India in the final in Potchefstroom, South Africa. India were unbeaten on their run to the final but their batting fell flat against Bangladesh’s pace bowlers. They managed just 177 in 47.2 overs – Yashasvi Jaiswal hitting 88 to end the tournament with an average of 133. Bangladesh slumped to 102-6 in their chase, but captain Akbar Ali saw them home to spark jubilant celebrations.
Sunday’s fixtures across Belgium and the Netherlands have been postponed because of the adverse weather conditions expected from Storm Ciara. The Dutch Eredivisie, the Belgian Pro League and the Belgian second tier have called off their fixtures. A statement from KNVB, the Dutch football body, read: “It is irresponsible to play football in those weather conditions.” The Eredivisie is yet to announce when the cancelled games will be played.
Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo will miss the club’s training camp in Spain because of fears the coronavirus outbreak could lead to him being refused entry back into the UK. Nigerian Ighalo, 30, flew to Manchester from China last weekend after signing on loan from Shanghai Shenhua. “He might have liked to have come with the players and got to know them,” manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer told MUTV. “But the risk [of border restrictions tightening] we don’t want to take.”
McLaren have launched their IndyCar challenger for the 2020 season as they prepare for a full-time return to the series as Arrow McLaren SP. Although McLaren have entered into two recent Indianapolis 500s – with Fernando Alonso almost winning in 2017 before failing to qualify in 2019 – the iconic event was treated as a one-off race by the team. But in 2020 they are returning for their first full-time IndyCar series since 1979.
Pakistan international batsman Nasir Jamshed has been jailed for his part in a spot-fixing scandal. He was arrested with Yousef Anwar and Mohammed Ijaz last February in a National Crime Agency probe. Jamshed encouraged other players to fix a Pakistan Super League (PSL) game in February 2018 by getting batsmen to avoid scoring runs from certain balls in return for a share of £30,000.
Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling will be out “for weeks” because of a hamstring injury, according to manager Pep Guardiola. The England international, 25, limped out of his club’s 2-0 defeat at Tottenham on Sunday. “It takes weeks, but I don’t know how long right now,” Guardiola said.
Barcelona’s hopes of reaching a seventh successive Copa del Rey final have ended at the quarter-final stage with defeat by Athletic Bilbao. The tight contest was decided in the third minute of stoppage time when Spanish forward Inaki Williams headed past Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Barcelona captain Lionel Messi wasted a good late chance when he fired at the legs of Athletic goalkeeper Unai Simon. There was another cup shock earlier when Real Madrid lost to Real Sociedad.
Haas have become the first team to release images of a 2020 Formula 1 car, with their new VF-20. In a preview to the sport’s full ‘launch week’ from Monday, Haas revealed digital pictures of their latest challenger on social media. Haas return to the grey, white and red colour scheme of their early seasons in a restyled form after a black and gold look in 2019, a season in which they slumped to a disappointing ninth in the Constructors’ Championship.
Anthony Joshua’s next fight is likely to be at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, according to promoter Eddie Hearn. The British heavyweight, 30, who defeated Andy Ruiz Jr in Saudi Arabia in December, is expected to take on Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev in June.
Saint-Etienne have condemned the violence which marred Wednesday’s Ligue 1 match at home to Marseille. Clashes took place outside the Geoffrey Guichard Stadium between rival sets of supporters following the arrival of buses carrying 400 visiting fans. Kick-off was delayed 15 minutes and police took the decision not to allow Marseille fans into the ground. Saint-Etienne said they “deplored the incidents that occurred on the margins of the match”.
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Barcelona sporting director Eric Abidal is to keep his job at the club despite being criticised by star forward Lionel Messi. Six-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi spoke out against Abidal after he had said players were not working hard under former coach Ernesto Valverde. Valverde was sacked in January and replaced by Quique Setien. Barcelona called an emergency meeting with ex-France defender Abidal on Wednesday to discuss the issue. After two hours of talks, it was decided the 40-year-old would remain in his role at the Nou Camp.
New 2020 kits for Nigeria has been revealed. The Super Eagles and the Super Falcons will henceforth adorn the new jerseys with a touch of traditional “Agbada”. Sportswear giants Nike’s senior director, Heidi Burgett shared the images on his twitter handle saying “the home kit’s hand-drawn design fuses the traditional aesthetis of an agbada with modern football design. Away kit trim is inspired by Onasim. A broader collection of Super Eagles apparel includes a poncho, vest, dress and more”. The Super Eagles will most likely launch the new kits during the 2021 upcoming Africa Cup of Nations match day three home qualifying match against Sierra Leone.
The draw for the knock-out stage of the CAF Confederation Cup has been held in Cairo. Libyan side Al-Nasr, who have qualified despite not having a league to play in at the moment, will meet Hassania Agadir of Morocco. Zambia’s Zanaco will take on Pyramids of Egypt whose compatriots Al Masry meet last year’s runners-up, Renaissance Berkane of Morocco. Nigeria’s Enyimba face Guinea’s Horoya in ties to be started later this month.
FIFA has banned Ugandan player George Mandela for life for involvement in match manipulation while he was playing for Kenyan club Kakamega Home Boyz. Three of his Kenyan team-mates Moses Chikati, Festus Okiring and Festo Omukoto were handed four-year bans for their part in the manipulation.
A South Korean court has told a local match organiser to compensate two fans after Cristiano Ronaldo did not play in a Juventus friendly as advertised. Fans were told the Portugal forward would play at least 45 minutes against a K-League all-star team last July, but he did not come off the bench. Organisers The Fasta have been ordered to pay 371,000 won to two fans.
Wayne Rooney will face former side Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round after helping Championship side Derby County beat Northampton of League Two 4-2 in a fourth-round replay. Rooney hit his side’s fourth from the penalty spot in the second half. Andre Wisdom and Duane Holmes scored in the first half for Derby before Nick Adams got one back after the restart. Jack Marriott headed in a third and Rooney made it 4-1 before Sam Hoskins scored a late penalty for Northampton.
Parma forward Gervinho has been ordered to train alone after he missed a number of training sessions in a bid to push through a move to Qatari club Al-Sadd. The 32-year-old Ivorian, who played for Arsenal between 2011 and 2013, wanted to join Al-Sadd in the January transfer window but the deal was not completed. A statement by the Italian club said: “After unjustifiably missing training repeatedly last week, Parma can confirm that Gervinho will follow an individual training plan under the orders of the club’s technical staff.”
Egyptian club, Zamalek has made a U-turn over its refusal to travel to Qatar to play Champions League holders Esperance of Tunisia in the upcoming African Super Cup. The annual match brings together the winners of the African Champions League and the Confederation Cup. In November Zamalek president Mortada Mansour re-iterated his club’s refusal over playing the match in Qatar.
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