Ramos bids farewell to Real Madrid after 16 years
MADRID, June 17: An emotional Sergio Ramos said goodbye to Real Madrid on Thursday, thanking the club and expressing his disappointment for not being able to bid farewell to the fans at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The veteran defender said he is excited about his future but did not say where he will be playing next. “This is the end of a unique stage in my life,” said Ramos, who broke down in tears shortly after he started speaking. The player’s family, including his wife and four children, and club president Florentino Pérez attended the farewell event. A video was shown of Ramos playing and lifting trophies with Madrid. Real Madrid announced Ramos’ departure on Wednesday. The 35-year-old defender failed to agree to a new contract and was leaving as a free agent. Spanish media said a salary reduction would be needed if Ramos was to stay at Madrid, which has been among the clubs struggling financially because of the coronavirus pandemic. Ramos had been with the club since arriving from Sevilla in 2005 when he was 19. He helped the Spanish powerhouse win 22 titles, including four Champions Leagues and five Spanish leagues. (AP)
EPL: Manchester City start title defence away to Spurs
London, June 17: Premier League champions Manchester City will start their title defence away to Tottenham Hotspurs on August 14, it was announced on Wednesday. The Premier League published its fixtures for the coming season two months before the start of the new campaign and with Tottenham still to confirm their first team coach in the wake of Jose Mourinho’s sacking. There are home games for all three teams promoted from the Championship, with Norwich City taking on Liverpool, Brentford clashing with Arsenal in a London derby and Watford facing Aston Villa, reports Xinhua. In the opening round, Manchester United take on Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United in a game between two traditional rivals. Other games in the first weekend see Burnley play a home game against Brighton, who are currently closing in on a club-record signing of Stuttgart’s Nicolas Gonzalez. Champions League winners Chelsea play at home against Crystal Palace, while Everton take on Southampton. Other big dates in the fixture see Arsenal play Chelsea on August 21, while Chelsea take on Liverpool a week later. The first Manchester derby will be at Old Trafford on November 6. (IANS)
Nadal pulls out of Wimbledon, Olympics to ‘rest body’
London, June 17: Rafael Nadal, winner of 20 Grand Slam title, will skip this year’s Wimbledon and will also not feature in the Tokyo Olympic Games as he wants to rest his body. The Wimbledon runs from June 28 to July 11 while the Olympic Games begin on July 23. “Hi all, I have decided not to participate at this year’s Championships at Wimbledon and the Olympic Games in Tokyo. It’s never an easy decision to take but after listening to my body and discuss it with my team I understand that it is the right decision,” tweeted 35-year-old Nadal, who is the joint highest winner of Grand Slam titles along with Roger Federer at 20. Nadal lost to world No.1 Novak Djokovic in the French Open semi-finals recently. It was only his third defeat in 108 matches at the Roland Garros. (IANS)
Buffon extends career in return to his first club, Parma
PARMA, June 17: Former Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon rejoined second-division Parma on Thursday more than a quarter century after beginning his legendary career with the team. Parma posted a playful video on social media of Buffon digging up his old Parma shirt and a Superman outfit in one of the goals at Ennio Tardini stadium. “I’m back,” Buffon said. The 43-year-old Buffon recently left Juventus, where he was being used as a reserve to Wojciech Szczęsny. Parma said Buffon signed a two-year contract — meaning he could play until he’s 45. “From the first moment I shared the idea of a return to Parma with Gigi, I understood from looking him in the eyes that it was an emotional one for him,” Parma sport director Javier Ribalta said. Buffon first tasted international glory with Parma by helping the team win the UEFA Cup in 1999. “We are thrilled to welcome Gigi Buffon home,” Parma president Kyle Krause said. “We are going to bring this legendary club back to its rightful place. Buffon’s return is another validation of that ambition. It’s a really special moment for all of us.” (AP)
Gattuso leaves Fiorentina 3 weeks after joining as coach
FLORENCE, June 17: Gennaro Gattuso left his role as Fiorentina coach on Thursday, barely three weeks after taking charge of the Italian club. The move was made due to reported disagreements over the transfer market. Fiorentina said the decision was made “by mutual agreement.” Gattuso was anxious for the Viola to sign Portugal midfielder Sergio Oliveira from Porto but Fiorentina management was hesitant over a transfer fee of 20 million euros ($24 million), Italian media reported, adding that Gattuso also wanted the team to get Portugal winger Gonçalo Guedes from Valencia. Gattuso, the former Italy and AC Milan midfielder, had taken over at Fiorentina after leaving Napoli. (AP)
Brazil detects 53 COVID cases in relation to Copa America
SAO PAULO, June 17: Brazil’s health ministry raised the number of COVID-19 cases related to the Copa America to 53, one more than the previous day, after a total of 5,082 tests. It also adjusted the figures of infected players or staffers from 33 to 27. The ministry also said on Wednesday that 26 workers hired for the tournament had tested positive. Some of the workers are located in Brasilia, where Brazil opened the tournament on Sunday with a 3-0 win over Venezuela. Others were in Rio de Janeiro, which hosted Monday’s 1-1 draw between Argentina and Chile. And a few are based in Goiania, where Paraguay beat Bolivia 3-1. The Venezuela squad is depleted after nearly a dozen cases of COVID-19 involving players or staff. Bolivia is missing three players. Staffers with Peru, Colombia and Bolivia also tested positive. The ministry said 1% of the tests related to the Copa America had come back positive. It also said that it will detect variants in the samples of the infected within two weeks. Brazil stepped in late as emergency host of the event despite the country having the second-highest number of recorded deaths from the coronavirus in the world. (AP)