Shaqiri leaves Liverpool after 3 years, joins Lyon in France
LYON, Aug 24: Switzerland playmaker Xherdan Shaqiri ended his three-year spell at Liverpool by joining French club Lyon for a reported fee of $13 million on Monday. Shaqiri scored eight goals in 63 appearances for Liverpool, with whom he won the Premier League and Champions League. Shaqiri, who helped Switzerland reached the quarterfinals at Euro 2020, failed to establish himself as a regular in Jurgen Klopp’s starting line-up after joining from Stoke in 2018 and was mainly used as a substitute. He had two years left on his deal. (AP)
Jamshedpur FC sign defender Laldinpuia for 3 years
Jamshedpur, Aug 24: Young defender PC Laldinpuia has signed a three year deal with Jamshedpur FC after his exploits for Aizawl in a vigorous I-League campaign, the club said on Tuesday. Born in Mizoram, Laldinpuia began his career with Mizoram Premier League side Bethlehem Vengthlang before moving to Chhinga Veng. After the 2018–19 season, he was honored with Best Defender award in the Mizoram Premier League. He also participated with the club during their 2nd Division campaign. In September 2020, Laldinpuia joined Aizawl FC and played a part in all 14 matches of the I-League season. (PTI)
Robertson signs new long-term contract with Liverpool
Liverpool, Aug 24: Andy Robertson has signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool FC, the Premier League club confirmed on Tuesday. Since joining the Reds from Hull City in 2017, Robertson has established himself as a core member of Jurgen Klopp’s champion side which has won the Premier League, Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup. He becomes the fifth member of Klopp’s squad to commit his future to Liverpool in recent weeks, following Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk. The left-back finalised the deal at the AXA Training Centre. (ANI)
Fati returns to training with Barça after 10-month gap
MADRID, Aug 24: Nearly 10 months later, Barcelona’s 18-year-old Ansu Fati returned to training with teammates on Tuesday and hopes to soon be fit enough to boost Barcelona’s attack, which was depleted by the departure of Lionel Messi. Fati hasn’t played in a match since the promising forward injured his left-knee meniscus against Real Betis in the Spanish league last November. He is expected to be ready to play in matches again in a few weeks. Fati’s return gives Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman another option to help make up for Messi’s absence. (AP)
India interested in hosting 2036, 2040 Olympics: Bach
New delhi, Aug 24: India are among a host of countries who are interested in hosting the Olympic Games in 2036, 2040 and even beyond, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has said. Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Secretary General Rajeev Mehta confirmed to PTI that they indeed had shown interest in hosting the showpiece event. “In a meeting of an IOC Commission via video conference before Tokyo Olympics, IOA had expressed interest in hosting Olympics in 2036 and beyond,” Mehta said. (PTI)
Olympian and 1962 Asiad winner Chandrasekhar passes away
Kochi, Aug 24: Former India footballer and Olympian O Chandrasekhar, who was part of the gold medal-winning Indian team at the 1962 Asian Games, died on Tuesday at his residence here, family sources said. He was 85, and is survived by three children. Chandrasekhar, a defender in his playing days, was suffering from age-related ailments for some time. Most notably, he was a member of the 1960 Rome Olympics Indian team besides being part of the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games. The footballer played for India from 1958-1966. He also played in the Asian Cup Qualifiers in 1959, where he made his international debut. (PTI)