Punjab FC’s three-window transfer ban lifted by FIFA
Chandigarh: Former I-League champions Punjab FC’s three-window transfer ban for non-payment of dues to North Macedonian footballer Hristijan Denkovski has been lifted by the sport’s global body FIFA, the club announced on Friday. The I-League club, formerly known as Minerva FC, was handed a three-window transfer ban by FIFA’s Dispute Resolution Chamber (DRC) after it failed to clear Denkovski’s dues. “FIFA made the announcement via a letter to the club dated 13th July, stating that the restrictions on transfer of players had been lifted from Punjab FC,” the club stated in a media release. “RoundGlass Sports and Punjab FC are happy to have this matter cleared with FIFA. We have the highest regard for sportspersons and this case of delayed payment goes against our ethos of providing a springboard for promoting Sports and Football in the nation,” a spokesperson of the club said. “We look forward to the upcoming season with renewed focus, as our players have continued to build on their skills with active training, following a meticulous home-training schedule designed by our international coaches and technical team,” he added. (PTI)
Hamilton fastest in 1st practice for Hungarian GP
Budapest: Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton posted the fastest time Friday in the first practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix. In gloomy conditions with light rain on the Hungaroring track, Hamilton was .086 seconds quicker than Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas and .527 seconds ahead of Racing Point driver Sergio Pérez. Lance Stroll was fourth for Racing Point, which uses Mercedes engines. Ferrari again lacked pace, with Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc both more than one second behind Hamilton’s leading time. There is a second practice later Friday. The Mercedes drivers have won one race each from pole position this season. Bottas won the season-opening Austrian GP and Hamilton clinched the Styrian GP in Austria last Sunday for his 85th F1 win. (AP)
MCA zeroes in on Dighe, Kulkarni and Rajput for CIC
Mumbai: The Mumbai Cricket Association on Friday shortlisted former India players Lalchand Rajput, Sameer Dighe and Raju Kulkarni for its Cricket Improvement Committee. An Apex Council member told PTI that the three names have been zeroed in for CIC including Rajput, who is currently coaching Zimbabwe. “Now their consent will be obtained on whether they want to be part of the committee. If they give their consent, we will accordingly send them letters,” the Apex Council member said after the Council meeting. The CIC is responsible for cricket related appointments including coach and selectors. The issue of resumption of cricket, which has come to a standstill since March due to outbreak of COVID19 pandemic, was also discussed. “We will follow all the guidelines of the state (Maharashtra) government and won’t resume any activity till we have permission from them. Also, we will see what the BCCI decides, and then accordingly plan out tournaments,” the official added. (PTI)
AIFF secretary, players hail Odisha govt’s support to Indian football
New Delhi: All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Kushal Das and players registered with the sport’s apex body in the country hailed the Odisha government for its support to the development of Indian football. The AIFF had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Odisha government in 2018 and a number of teams — U-15, U-17, Indian Arrows and even the senior women’s side — have been given access to its state-of-the-art facilities and infrastructure since then. Das highlighted the “major impact” of the partnership on the sport in India and thanked the state government for its “invaluable support”. “The MoU with the Government of Odisha has had a major impact on the development of Indian Football. A number of teams have been hosted and trained making use of the state-of- the-art facilities at the Kalinga Stadium complex. “I thank the Government of Odisha for their invaluable support and look forward to continuing the relationship in strengthening the efforts for the continued growth of the sport in the country,” Das said in an AIFF release. (PTI)
Tennis umpire, tournament director suspended and fined
London: The Tennis Integrity Unit has fined and suspended a Belarusian chair umpire and a Greek tournament director for match-fixing and betting offenses. Umpire Alexey Izotov was suspended for three years and fined $10,000 on Thursday for failing to report a corrupt approach and of soliciting other umpires to become involved in manipulation of match scoring. The Tennis Integrity Unit said Izotov, 22, failed to report a corrupt approach he received in November 2019 while he was officiating as a chair umpire at an ITF Women’s event in Minsk, Belarus. The approach allegedly offered him payment in return for delaying the inputting of scores to his scoring device which would allow others to bet on matches. Tournament director Antonis Kalaitzakis was suspended for 20 months and fined $6,000 after admitting to betting on tennis and failing to report knowledge or suspicion of corruption to the Tennis Integrity Unit. (AP)
Serena to return to action
Lexington (US): Serena Williams is planning to make her return to competition at a new hard-court tournament in Kentucky next month. It’ll be the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion’s first action since playing for the U.S. in the Fed Cup in February, before all sanctioned tennis was shut down the next month because of the coronavirus pandemic. The women’s and men’s professional tennis tours are scheduled to resume in August. The Kentucky event, called the Top Seed Open, announced Thursday that Williams and 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens will be in the field when play begins there Aug. 10. Williams already has said she will enter the next scheduled Grand Slam tournament, the U.S. Open, which is supposed to begin in New York on Aug. 31. (AP)