South Korea’s Son requires facial surgery ahead of WC
London, Nov 3: South Korea captain Son Heung-min will undergo surgery on a facial injury, jeopardizing his availability for the World Cup. Son was helped off the field during the first half of Tottenham’s Champions League match at Marseille on Tuesday after taking a shoulder to the face. Tottenham said Wednesday that Son will undergo surgery “to stabilize a fracture around his left eye.” The Premier League club didn’t say how long it expects Son to be sidelined. “Following surgery,” the team said, “Son will commence rehabilitation with our medical staff and we shall update supporters further in due course.” (AP)
Kapil, Sparsh exit Asian Boxing Championships
NEW DELHI, Nov 3: Indian boxers Kapil Pokhariya and Sparsh Kumar bowed out of the Asian Elite Boxing Championships after losing their respective round of 16 bouts in Amman, Jordan on Thursday. Kapil (86 kg), who was making his international debut, was up against Iran’s Pouria Amiri. The boxer from Uttarakhand started the bout in attacking fashion and dominated his opponent to comfortably win the first round. His Iranian opponent relied on his experience and came back strongly in the second round with a flurry of relentless punches. Pouria continued to control the bout against a tired Kapil and secured a comfortable 5-0 win. Late on Wednesday, Sparsh (51kg) lost his bout 1-4 against the Olympic bronze medallist and reigning world champion Saken Bibossinov of Kazakhstan. (PTI)
India women U-20 Asian Cup Qualifiers group announced
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3: The Indian team was on Thursday drawn in Group F of the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers Round 1 alongside Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia in Group F. The eight group winners will progress to Round 2, where the four best sides will earn a spot in the main event from March 3 to 16, 2024 in Uzbekistan. China, Laos, Hong Kong and Philippines were drawn in Group A of Round 1 while Group B will see Nepal, United Arab Emirates, Northern Mariana Islands and Palestine vying for top spot. Group C has Australia, Kyrgyz Republic, Guam and Iraq with Lebanon, Jordan, Mongolia and Bhutan the teams in Group D. Thailand, Chinese Taipei and Tajikistan form Group E. Group G consists of Myanmar, Malaysia, Pakistan and Cambodia while Iran, Bangladesh and Turkmenistan are in Group H. (PTI)
UEFA revamps women’s team mismatches at int’l level
GENEVA, Nov 3: After a slew of mismatched, double-digit wins in qualifying for the Women’s European Championship, UEFA on Thursday announced a more balanced system with three tiers of national teams ahead of Euro 2025 and the 2027 Women’s World Cup. A 14-0 win for Denmark over Georgia edged Spain’s 13-0 rout of Azerbaijan as the biggest win in Euro 2022 qualifying groups. Those groupings matched the best and the worst 50-plus countries which have developed at different rates. “The revamped format is interconnected, dynamic and meritocratic, and aims to create a more competitive environment with greater sporting and commercial interest,” UEFA said in a statement. (AP)
Women’s UEFA Nations League to kick off in ’23
NYON, Nov 3: A women’s UEFA Nations League is set to launch next year as part of the revamped qualification process for the 2025 European Championship, the governing body said on Thursday. The new tournament will divide countries into three tiers and teams will play in groups of three or four, with promotion and relegation between the leagues. The top two from each of the four League A groups will qualify automatically for the Euros, with the remaining seven places decided via playoffs among teams from Leagues B and C. (Agencies)
Fulham’s Kebano out with Achilles injury
LONDON, Nov 3: Fulham winger Neeskens Kebano faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a ruptured Achilles in training this week, the Premier League club said on Thursday. The 30-year-old Democratic Republic of Congo international has been a regular for Fulham this season, with three assists in 12 league appearances. “He will now undergo specialist consultation and will be out of action for several months,” Fulham said in a statement. (Agencies)