Sports

24, March 2020

International Olympic Committee sets deadline for decision on Tokyo games amid coronavirus ⁰

The International Olympic Committee is considering a postponement of the Tokyo 2020 games and has given itself a deadline of 4 weeks to make a decision.

The IOC’s executive board met on Sunday amid mounting pressure from athletes and national Olympic committees for the games to be delayed because of the coronavirus crisis.

The IOC said cancellation is not on the agenda but a scaled-down games will also be considered. However postponement by either several months or probably a whole year is thought to be the most likely outcome.

The development marks a significant shift by the IOC which as recently as 5 days ago, said it was “fully committed” to go-ahead with the Tokyo Olympics.

23, March 2020

Coronavirus Lockdown: Sao Tome’s women’s U17 team stuck in Cameroon – after 10-0 defeat ⁰

People around the world have had a challenging week as cities and even whole countries go into lockdown with efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus. But perhaps few have had a week quite as tough as Sao Tome and Principe’s under-17 side.

After losing 10-0 on aggregate to Cameroon in a qualifier for the Fifa U-17 women’s cup, the team have been stuck in Yaounde as successive countries closed their borders just as the flights they were meant to take home were scheduled to leave.

Their original return flight, the day after the heavy loss, was for Sunday, via the Equatorial Guinea capital Malabo.

But that morning, Equatorial Guinea closed its borders, so the flight never happened.

Instead, the team were booked for the following morning to go home via Gabon.

But come Monday morning, the same thing happened.

And Cameroon itself has now closed its own borders, meaning the team remain in the country with no exact idea when they might be able to leave.

However, the President of Cameroon’s Football Federation (Fecafoot), Seidou Mbombo Njoya, has told the BBC that his organisation will take responsibility for the team’s stay in the country for as long as they are there.

“We have decided to take charge of the Sao Tome team’s expenses because we feel it’s the safest thing to do at the moment,” Njoya told BBC Sport Africa.

“It’s a pretty difficult situation for that team but we believe it can happen to anyone and now that the coronavirus is spreading panic in the world, we have to support one another.”

Fecafoot’s commitment to its visitors includes covering expenses such as hotels, food, and healthcare.

Cameroon’s football governing body has now liaised with the country’s sports ministry as they push for special measures that could see the women depart the Central African nation soon.

“These are very young girls and we must understand that most of them haven’t thought or had to deal with this sort of situation. It must be a traumatizing situation for them being unable to return to their country,” Mbombo Njoya added.

“These are very difficult times and with the coronavirus wreaking havoc across the world, there’s no doubt these players will feel safer around their parents, friends and loved one.

“Most of them are students who’ve missed a week of studies and we feel very concerned about this because it could’ve been us in this situation.

“Thanks to the intervention from Caf and Fifa, we have been able to charter a flight for the Sao Tome delegation and we’re working closely with the ministry of transport to see if they could be granted special permission to fly out of the country.”

BBC Sport Africa reached out to the head of the Sao Tome and Principe delegation but he has declined to comment on the situation. However, BBC Sport Africa understands the team has remained in high spirits amid the uncertainty.

Source: BBC

23, March 2020

Former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz dies of coronavirus ⁰

Former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz has died at the age of 76 after contracting coronavirus.

Sanz had been admitted to a Madrid hospital on Tuesday after suffering the symptoms of the coronavirus.

His son said he had a respiratory disease. Sanz was in charge of the Spanish Giants from 1995 to 2000 overseeing two champions league titles, with the 1st coming after a 1-0 win over Juventus in 1998.

The 2nd was in 2000 when they crushed Valencia 3-0 in Paris. He was ousted as president of the club by Florentino Perez that same year.

22, March 2020

Thousands flock to see Olympic flame in Japan despite virus fears ⁰

Tens of thousands of people flocked to a cauldron with the Olympic flame in northeastern Japan over the weekend despite concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.

The flame arrived in Japan to a scaled-down welcoming ceremony on Friday as doubts grew over whether the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will go ahead on schedule as the deadly virus causes chaos around the world.

The pandemic has already shredded the global sports calendar, with top sports leagues suspended and major tournaments postponed. More than 50,000 people on Saturday queued to watch the flame displayed at Sendai station in Miyagi, chosen as part of the “Recovery Olympics” to showcase the region’s revival after the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown.

Some had to stay in a 500-meter queue for several hours, local media said. Many of them wore masks as they took pictures with the cherry blossom-shaped cauldron.

“I queued for three hours but watching the Olympic flame was greatly encouraging,” a 70-year-old woman told public broadcaster NHK.

But organizers, concerned about the bigger-than-expected gathering, have warned the viewing event could be suspended if a crowd becomes “extremely dense,” local media reported.

The nationwide torch relay begins on March 26, starting from the J-Village sports complex in Fukushima that was used as a base for workers during the 2011 nuclear disaster. But organizers have been forced to scale back the relay, closing daily ceremonies to the public and urging spectators to “avoid forming crowds” along the route.

(Source: AFP)

17, March 2020

Coronavirus Outbreak: UEFA postpone Euro 2020 by a year ⁰

UEFA has postponed this year’s European Championship until 2021, a source close to European football’s governing body told AFP on Tuesday, as the continent battles with the coronavirus pandemic.

The source’s confirmation of the decision came after the Norwegian FA tweeted that the new plan is for the tournament to take place from June 11 to July 11 next year, turning Euro 2020 into Euro 2021.

The decision was made as UEFA held crisis talks with its national associations as well as clubs and players bodies via videoconference on Tuesday. The decision was ratified at a UEFA Executive Committee meeting in the afternoon.

The move comes with most of Europe’s domestic leagues having ground to a halt over the last week as football confronts its biggest issue in modern times.

The UEFA Champions League and Europa League competitions for clubs have also been suspended, with both still in the last-16 stage, but postponing the European Championship for national sides means they, along with national leagues, will have the chance to be completed, assuming travel restrictions are lifted in time.

Europe has become the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic, with France on Tuesday having joined Italy and Spain in applying strict lockdown measures and European leaders also planning to ban all non-essential travel into the continent.

More than 2,100 people have died in Italy, which was supposed to host the opening game of Euro 2020 in Rome. The head of the Italian football federation, Gabriele Gravina, had already led calls for the Euros to be postponed.

Euro 2020 was due to be held in 12 different cities across the continent, from as far apart as Dublin and Bilbao, to Saint Petersburg and Baku.

The semi-finals and final were due to be played in London and there would considerable knock-on effects to postponing the competition — the women’s European Championship is scheduled to run from July 7 to August 1 next year in England, with the final at Wembley.

UEFA have also planned to stage an Under-21 Euros in Hungary and Slovenia in June next year.

Twenty of the 24 teams set to take part in the Euro have already qualified, but play-offs to determine the final four participants, due to be played later this month, will have to take place at a later date.

– Collision course with FIFA? –

Moving the Euro by a year also puts UEFA on a collision course with football’s world governing body FIFA, whose president Gianni Infantino has planned to stage the inaugural edition of his highly lucrative Club World Cup in June and July next year in China. Some of Europe’s top club sides are expected to be involved.

“FIFA will keep in regular contact with all relevant stakeholders during this difficult period and look to find in due course solutions in a spirit of cooperation, taking into account the interests of football at all levels,” Infantino wrote in an open letter on Monday.

“Health first and sporting solidarity should be the key principles guiding decision-making at this important moment in time and I am sure that the whole football community will live up to the great values of our sport.”

– ‘Final Four’ proposal –

As for its flagship club competitions, UEFA may come to a decision to try to complete the Champions League and Europa League by curtailing the competitions, meaning ties up to the semi-finals could be decided in one-off matches.

Reports on Tuesday also indicated both tournaments could conclude with a ‘Final Four’ meeting in the scheduled host cities — Istanbul for the Champions League and Gdansk in Poland for the Europa League, meaning the two-legged semi-finals would be removed.

Financially, UEFA will undoubtedly prefer postponements to outright cancellations, or playing matches behind closed doors, even if it is impossible at this stage to know when club football can resume.

The last European Championship, held in France in 2016, generated total revenue of close to two billion euros ($2.2 billion) for UEFA.

“The financial stakes are enormous,” according to one senior figure in the international game. “We know that FIFA has significant reserves but we don’t know about UEFA or the different leagues.”

Source: AFP

17, March 2020

CAF cancels Cameroon 2020 CHAM tournament ⁰

African football’s governing body has taken significant measures in light of the coronavirus and has cancelled the Cameroon 2020 CHAM tournament.

The Confederation of African Football also took steps to reduce the upcoming footballing schedule in order to reduce the spread of the pandemic.

Caf also announced the decision to suspend the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header—scheduled for late March and early April—while the women’s U-20 World Cup qualifiers and the women’s Afcon 2020 qualifiers have also been postponed and will be rescheduled.

Various different national federations have also taken their own specific measures to halting the virus spread and reducing the impact on their populations by limiting the transport—and possible transfer—that accompanies with sports gatherings.

Camcordnews

16, March 2020

Football and coronavirus: Juve defender Rugani ‘doing well’ after diagnosis ⁰

Juventus defender Daniele Rugani, the first Italian top-flight footballer diagnosed with coronavirus, said on Monday he was “doing well” and hoped his case “served to sensitise everyone” to the illness.

“I’m fine, I reassure everyone. I’ve always been quite well, I haven’t had any serious symptoms. I consider myself lucky,” Rugani told Juventus TV.

The 25-year-old Italian international was diagnosed last Wednesday with the Turin club saying he was asymptomatic.

Since then a total of 11 Serie A players have being diagnosed with the illness which has killed more than 1,800 people in the Mediterranean country.

“There was a huge media explosion right away. A lot of people wrote to me and I thank them,” said Rugani, who is currently self-isolating in a room at the team’s J-Hotel, beside the Italian champions’ training centre.

“I hope it served to raise awareness, especially those who had not understood the seriousness of this problem.

“I’m going to get over it, we’re going to get by and I hope we’ll all come out even stronger.

“The quarantine is tough, even more so because you are alone, so I can’t wait to embrace all my loved ones.”

Source: AFP

16, March 2020

Coronavirus Outbreak: Olympic flame handover to take place behind closed doors ⁰

Tokyo 2020 Olympic games flame handover in Greece capital Athens will be done behind closed doors next week due to Coronavirus outbreak.

The Greece Olympic Committee announced on Sunday that the recent torch-lighting ceremony in ancient Olympia was held without spectators.

The decision has made a day after the Greek leg of the Tokyo Olympic torch-relay was called off when spectators crowded the roadway, in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak.

The Japan section of the Olympic torch-relay is due to start on 26 March. Many Japanese Officials have reiterated that the Tokyo games will go ahead as planned in July.

16, March 2020

After fleeing abroad, Chinese football teams rush home again to avoid virus ⁰

Most Chinese Super League (CSL) clubs fled abroad when the deadly coronavirus hit the country but they are now rushing back again as it takes hold elsewhere.

The national side is still training in Dubai — where many CSL teams also went in recent weeks — but they too are now making hasty arrangements to get home as soon as possible.

Wuhan Zall, from the city at the epicentre of the outbreak, had been training in Spain since late January but left at the weekend because of the worsening situation in Europe, now the focal point of the pandemic.

Wuhan will reportedly continue their chaotic pre-season preparations in Shenzhen. Wuhan itself is still in lockdown, despite virus numbers in China reducing.

The CSL season was supposed to begin on February 22 but was indefinitely postponed. It could start behind closed doors in May, according to reports.

Leo Baptistao, Wuhan’s Brazilian attacker, told Chinese media before departing Spain that the situation “has flipped”.

“We are more in danger (here). It now appears… better to leave,” he said.

Fabio Cannavaro’s CSL champions Guangzhou Evergrande, who were in Dubai, and runners-up Beijing Guoan are among the clubs that have recently returned to China.

Guangzhou R&F, coached by former Arsenal and Barcelona star Giovanni van Bronckhorst, on Monday became the latest club to say they were cutting short their Dubai training camp.

However, getting back to China is not straightforward because of flight disruptions and strict quarantine rules when coming home.

Wuhan Zall were stranded in Frankfurt, Germany on Sunday, according to Chinese media, and their current location was not immediately available.

The Beijing News reported that Li Tie’s national team were curtailing their stint in Dubai and had planned to fly back to the Chinese capital from Dubai.

However, their return is also becoming complicated, as Beijing authorities are now sending all international arrivals in the capital to quarantine facilities.

After declaring it had “basically” curbed the spread of the disease within the country, China is now worried about an influx of infections from other countries.

There have been more than 6,400 confirmed deaths globally from the coronavirus, which emerged in Wuhan in December. Many prominent sports competitions across the globe have been halted.

Source: AFP

15, March 2020

Deprived of football, players try to fill the ‘big void’ ⁰

Mowing the lawn, playing football with your dog, turning on the TV… footballers around Europe are struggling to fill the “big void” created by the coronavirus shutdown.

Many are writing about the unfamiliar experience on social media. Some have already come to the conclusion that “there is nothing to do”.

Real Madrid players, forced into quarantine by a case of coronavirus in the club’s basketball squad, have been training at home, where most of them already had facilities and equipment.

Captain Sergio Ramos posted a video on Instagram showing him sprinting on a treadmill.

Marco Asensio, who suffered a knee injury last summer, posted a video showing that he was continuing his recovery programme in his garden.

But even for sportsmen used to working out, there is a limit.

“I’m here, in my garden, there’s nothing to do,” French striker Karim Benzema said in a video on social media where he appeared alongside his dog, earning him a comparison with Will Smith in the post-apocalyptic film “I am legend”.

Fabien Causeur, a Real Madrid basketball guard, has launched a live video channel to show his quarantine challenge.

He has been taking on athletes and celebrities in three-minute simultaneous excercise including Thibaut Courtois, the Real Madrid goalkeeper, and NBA star and former Real Madrid teammate Luka Doncic.

At Barcelona, players are following a “specific and personalised” programme set by the club which is monitoring their efforts remotely using biometric tags.

Luis Suarez had been a step ahead of Ramos, posting a video of himself trudging on a treadmill last week.

In Italy, Juventus midfielder Douglas Costa filmed himself practising his dribbling in his back garden with his dog struggling to fill the role of defender.

– Chopped wood –

Alexis Sanchez, on loan to Inter Milan, has two golden retrievers and a much bigger garden but he comfortably outplayed them in a video he put up online. He also posted photos of himself topless, gathering chopped wood.

Jessica Melena, the wife of Ciro Immobile posted a cookery video on Instagram, showing the Lazio striker waving a spatula and mixing a cake while she coached him.

Immobile posted his own video in which he juggled furry toys with his feet.

Napoli’s Belgian forward Dries Mertens posted pictures of a work out with a huge bottle of red wine.

In France, Strasbourg midfielder Adrien Thomasson, was looking ahead to another empty week.

“We’ll have nothing to do, in the middle of the season, it’s never happened before. Our habits have been turned upside down,” he said.

Thomasson is a ski fan but as other sports are also at a standstill that leaves a “big void” for this ski lover.

“I’m going to watch series, movies, it’s going to be really limited.”

Television is also the refuge for James Lea Siliki, a Rennes midfielder, who tweeted the times of a couple of French quiz shows. Later he admitted a passion for a French TV karaoke show adding “I’ll spare you my voice”.

Romain Thomas, a defender at Angers, said his daily routine involved jogging, gardening and watching French reality TV.

He said he has talked to team-mates.

“We said to each other: ‘Look, it’s a beautiful day, it’s time to mow’. So I mowed the lawn in the garden, it gives me time to think about something else.”

Source: AFP