Leipzig replace Marsch, hire Tedesco as new coach
LEIPZIG, Dec 9: Leipzig hired former Schalke and Spartak Moscow coach Domenico Tedesco on Thursday to replace American coach Jesse Marsch, who left after a run of losses. Tedesco will have a contract until the end of the 2022-23 season, the club said. The 36-year-old German hasn’t coached in the Bundesliga since he was fired by Schalke in March 2019 after a 7-0 loss to Manchester City in the Champions League. Schalke was relegated the season after he left. Tedesco then coached two seasons in Russia with Spartak before he left in May. Marsch departed Sunday after three successive Bundesliga losses and a failure to qualify for the Champions League knockout stage. (AP)
National car racing c’ship to resume after break
chennai, Dec 9: The MRF MMSC FMSCI National Car Racing Championship 2021 will resume after a break of nearly three months with Covid-19 safety protocols in place at the MMRT near here on Friday with a 12-race programme scheduled for the weekend. There are around 100 entrants in the fray across various categories in the championship, a press release said. The MRF F1600 will headline the weekend card with a triple-header, while the Formula LGB 1300, the Saloon Cars (Indian Touring Cars, Super Stock, Indian Junior Touring Cars) and Volkswagen Polo will have two races each. (PTI)
River Plate coach Marcelo Gallardo extends contract
buenos aires, Dec 9: Two-time Copa Libertadores winning coach Marcelo Gallardo will remain at Argentina’s River Plate for another year after signing a contract extension on Wednesday. The 45-year-old Gallardo, who reportedly had an offer to become Uruguay’s national team coach, has been River’s coach for seven years and was recently crowned Argentinian champion with the club for the first time. “As long as I can choose, I will always choose to be at River,” Gallardo said at a press conference as fans honked horns and chanted around the club’s headquarters in the Ezeiza neighborhood. (AP)
Real Valladolid reprimand player after car accident
madrid, Dec 9: Spanish football club Valladolid condemned the actions of player Gonzalo Plata on Wednesday following his involvement in a car accident. The second-division club, which is owned by former Brazil great Ronaldo, said in a statement it “deplores the behavior” of the 21-year-old Ecuadorean forward. The club said it will privately consider the actions it will take against him, adding it is very “strict dealing with these types of attitudes that go against our values as an institution.” Valladolid did not confirm media reports in which police said Plata was driving under the influence at the time of the accident. (AP)
Spurs-Rennes game cancelled after COVID cases in squad
london, Dec 9: Eight Tottenham players and five members of staff have tested positive for the coronavirus, manager Antonio Conte said Wednesday, prompting an announcement by the English team that its Europa Conference League match against Rennes has been called off. Tottenham said discussions were being held with UEFA about rearranging the game that was scheduled to take place on Thursday in London. It needs to be played by Dec. 31, according to UEFA regulations, which could be problematic given Tottenham has a game every three or four days until the start of February. Rennes said the decision to call off the game had been taken unilaterally by Tottenham. (AP)