Iran fires coach four months ahead of FIFA World Cup
TEHRAN, July 12: Iran has fired head coach Dragan Skocic four months before the World Cup is set to begin. IRNA, the national news agency, on Monday said the 53-year-old Croatian would not be taking the Iran team to Qatar. Asia’s top-ranked team, at No 23, Iran is in Group B with England, Wales and the United States at the World Cup, which kicks off Nov 21. Skocic started working with Iran’s national team in February 2020, replacing Marc Wilmots, and guided the team to top spot ahead of South Korea in the final round of Asian World Cup qualifying with eight wins, a draw and a loss. The national federation has not announced a replacement. (AP)
Hertha Berlin’s Richter to miss season with tumor surgery
BERLIN, July 12: Bundesliga winger Marco Richter has been ruled out of Hertha Berlin’s preseason training after the club revealed on Tuesday he requires surgery for a testicular tumor. Hertha said an examination revealed a tumor but that a full diagnosis has yet to be made. The statement came a day after he was named in Hertha’s squad for a training camp in England. “Marco has absolutely all of our support in this situation. We hope that he can recover and be back with us as quickly as possible,” Hertha sporting director Fredi Bobic said in a statement. The 24-year-old Richter is a former Germany Under-21 international who scored six goals in 33 games in his first campaign with Hertha last season after joining from Augsburg in August. (AP)
Wawrinka exits Nordea Open after loss to Carreno Busta
Bastad (Sweden), July 12: Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain overcame 16-time tour-level titlist and winner of three Grand Slams, Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland, 7-5, 6-4 in the opening round of the Nordea Open – an ATP 250 event – here. The fifth-seeded Carreno Busta claimed a break in each set to prevail in a high-quality encounter against the former world No. 3, who showed flashes of his trademark groundstrokes in just his sixth tour-level tournament since missing 13 months with a foot injury. Also on Monday, Laslo Djere of Serbia produced an impressive all-around display to ease past Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 7-5. (IANS)
Former F1 race director Masi relinquishes FIA position
Paris, July 12: Michael Masi has left his role at motorsport’s governing body five months after being replaced as Formula One race director. Masi is relocating to Australia “to be closer to his family and take on new challenges,” the FIA said Tuesday. The 44-year-old Masi had been race director for three years but was replaced following the controversy surrounding the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last December, when Red Bull driver Max Verstappen won his first world title after overtaking Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton on the last lap. At the time, it was announced Masi was staying with the FIA but in an undetermined role. In March, the FIA concluded that Masi made a ‘human error’ but acted in good faith with a disputed restart procedure at the season-ending race. (AP)