Manipur win Jr National Girls Football
Cuttack: Manipur retained the Junior National Girls Football Championship after blanking hosts Odisha 3-0 in the final at the Barabati Stadium here on Thursday. It was a repeat of the last year’s final but there was no change in the script as the Manipur girls reigned supreme by taking an 18th minute lead through N Ratan Bala Devi. After the half time break, Dangmei Grace struck a double with goals in 51st and 62nd minutes to complete the rout. Bala Devi was declared Player-of-the-Final while the Nagaland duo of Nyitsarho and Rokosenvo Meyase were adjudged best goalkeeper and best defender, respectively. Among other awards, S Muthuselvi of Tamil Nadu was chosen as best midfielder while Pyari Khaka of Odisha was given the Best Striker award. (PTI)
Sports bodies should only be manned by sportspersons: Supreme Court
New Delhi: Taking a dig at the politicians and businessmen for bringing the hockey to an “abysmal low”, the Supreme Court on Thursday said the sporting bodies should only be manned by sportspersons. Wondering if the game of hockey be held hostage by the private individual, a bench of Justice TS Thakur and Justice J Chelameswar said that in the game where India used to win gold medals, it was now struggling to even qualify for the Olympics. Describing it as a “sad commentary”, the court said that game was being administered by those who had nothing to with the hockey and it was the sport that was becoming a casualty. The strong observation by the court over the manner in which sporting bodies were being managed by the people not remotely connected with the game came during the hearing of a plea by the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) seeking a halt to the proceedings by the Federation of International Hockey to ascertain whether it was Indian Hockey Federation or Hockey India that was representing Indian hockey in the international sports arena. (IANS)
‘India have best chance to win jr hock WC’
New Delhi: Home conditions and a strong team make India one of the favourites to win the Junior Hockey World Cup which starts here on Friday, feels India chief coach Greg Clark. India play last edition’s runners-up Netherlands in a Pool C match on Friday and Clark very well understands the importance of the lung-opener. “We feel we have prepared well. First game of every tournament is really important. It gives you good momentum going forward. It gives you good confidence,” he told reporters at a city hotel here on Thursday. (PTI)
UEFA chief calls for sin bins
Madrid: UEFA chief Michel Platini has called for football to scrap yellow cards, saying players who flout the rules should instead be sent to a sin bin. “I would change the system of cautions, the cards,” the head of European football’s governing body told Spanish sports daily AS in an interview published on Thursday. “I would make it like rugby, punishing the offender with 10 or 15 minutes out of the game,” Platini said. “That way, the benefit goes to the team he is playing against, in the same match, instead of a sanction by cards which is carried out against a third team, the next on the calendar.” Under the existing system, a player who gets a straight red card or two yellow cards in the same game is immediately sent off and cannot be replaced. But a player who accumulates a certain number of yellow cards over several matches can be suspended for future games in the same event. (AFP)
Windies fight to stave off innings defeat
Dunedin: West Indies battled to avoid a third consecutive innings defeat on Thursday, ending day three of the first Test against New Zealand at 168-2, still 228 runs short of making the home side bat again. The tourists were forced to follow on after they were dismissed for 213 in their first innings, with New Zealand pace pair Tim Southee and Trent Boult doing most of the damage after New Zealand racked up an imposing 609-9 declared. Although the Caribbean side batted more responsibly in their second innings on a flat University Oval wicket in Dunedin, they face an uphill struggle to avoid another demoralising defeat. (AFP)