Sterling calls for racism penalty
London: Raheem Sterling has called for clubs whose fans racially abuse players to be hit with a nine-point penalty, saying current punishments meant the issue was “nowhere near being sorted” by football authorities.The Manchester City forward has become increasingly outspoken on racism in football, having received abuse on the pitch while playing for both his club and on England duty. Recently, he cupped his hands to his ears in response to derogatory chants from Montenegro fans while playing for England last month. Now Sterling has become one of the signatories to a manifesto published in Tuesday’s edition of Britain’s The Times newspaper calling for more black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people in positions of power within football, more severe punishments for racist abuse and greater action by social media organisations, sponsors and traditional media. (AFP)
Chennai Spartans reach QF
New Delhi: After winning the inaugural edition of the RuPay Pro Volleyball League (PVL), Chennai Spartans are keeping the Indian flag high in the 2019 Asian Mens Club Volleyball Championship, being held in Taiwan.The team that consists of some of the biggest stars of the league has won matches against clubs from Thailand, Qatar, Australia and the host nation and finds itself in a strong position to bag a medal ahead of the Wednesday quarter-final encounter against the Vietnamese club T.P HCM. (IANS)
Kohli fan wins Global Fan Award
New Delhi: Ahead of the biggest & first ever Global Sports Fan Awards, Sugumar D., an ardent fan of Indian skipper Virat Kohli, has been announced as the second recipient of the Global Sports Fan Awards, joining the bandwagon with Sachin Tendulkar worshipper Sudhir Kumar, who is the first recipient of the award.The function is scheduled for June 14 in Manchester on the sidelines of Cricket World Cup 2019. For over a decade, Sugumar D has been an ardent fan of Bangalore’s franchise and Indian skipper Virat Kohli in particular, travelling all across to support the team. (IANS)
Halep pulls out of Stuttgart Open
Florida: World number two Simona Halep has withdrawn from the Stuttgart Open due to a left hip injury suffered during the recent Fed Cup.Halep, who competed for her country Romania against France over the weekend in the Fed Cup, missed the end of the 2018 season because of a back issue. However, she was fit to return and went on to reach the last 16 of the Australian Open before reaching the final of Doha and the semi-final of Miami.The 27-year-old’s start to the clay court season on the WTA Tour has been put on hold for the time being after a tumble playing Caroline Garcia at the weekend, Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) reported on Tuesday.“It was against Garcia in the first set, when I fell down. I felt pain in the hip. If I’m not 100 percent I don’t want to step on the court. I’m also exhausted mentally because I gave my everything in that tie but unfortunately we couldn’t win,” Halep said.“That’s why I decided to pull out because I have to think about my health first. It feels bad because I gave everything – I really wanted to win the Fed Cup. (ANI)