Not Leaving Real Madrid, says Carlo Ancelotti
Rome, Dec 20:Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has played down speculation that he could leave Real Madrid to take charge of Brazil’s national team The 63-year-old has 18 months left on his contract and he insisted that he has no intention to depart earlier “I don’t know what the future holds for me. For now, things are going well at Madrid,” Ancelotti told Italy’s Rai Radio on Monday.“We have many goals to achieve this season. There will be time to think about my future. I have a contract until June 30, 2024, and, if Real Madrid don’t kick me out before then, I won’t move. The position of Brazil’s head coach became vacant earlier this month when Tite stepped down following the team’s World Cup quarterfinal defeat to Croatia.Ancelotti has been touted as a possible replacement, along with Mourinho, Thomas Tuchel and Abel Ferreira. (IANS)
Three France players receive vile racist abuse on social media
PARIS, Dec 20: France players Kingsley Coman, Aurelien Tchouameni and Randal Kolo Muani — have been subjected to appalling racist abuse following their World Cup final defeat against Argentina in Doha. Les Bleus lost a nail-biting final to Argentina on penalty kicks following a 3-3 draw after extra time. During the thrilling clash, Kolo Muani missed a chance to win the game in extra time for France, while Tchouameni and Coman both missed penalties in the shootout. The trio received numerous racist messages on social media after that. Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, later removed all such comments. As per reports, Real Madrid’s Tchouameni has limited comments on his Instagram posts. Kolo Muani of Eintracht Frankfurt turned them off. (IANS)
HS Prannoy back into the top 10 in BWF World Rankings
MUMBAI, Dec 20: Starting the year at 32 in the Badminton World Federation (BWF) rankings, India’s HS Prannoy rode a consistent performance to end the season ranked 9th in the world. In the latest BWF World Rankings released on Tuesday, Prannoy climbed two spots to ninth in the world, thanks to his fighting display in the BWF World Tour Finals in which he defeated World No.1, Viktor Axelsen. Though he did not make it to the knockout rounds, he figured in three hard-fought matches. The rise in the 30-year-old Prannoy’s rankings in 2022 is a testament to his consistent performance throughout the year which included reaching six quarterfinals and two semifinals, as well as the quarterfinal of the 2022 BWF World Championships. This enabled him to seal a maiden entry into the BWF World Tour Finals. On Tuesday, Prannoy termed it a “tough journey” to be back in the top 10 after a gap of four years. Prannoy achieved his Highest ranking of World No. 8 in June 2018. (IANS)
Karim Benzema quits International Football
PARIS, Dec20: France forward Karim Benzema indicated he is retiring from internationals in a post on social networks on Monday, a day after the team lost the World Cup final without him.After earning the Ballon d’Or as the world’s top player to crown his remarkable rise, Benzema’s dream of winning the World Cup ended before the tournament in Qatar when he tore a left thigh muscle in training with Les Bleus. “I made the effort and the mistakes it took to be where I am today and I’m proud of it! I have written my story and ours is ending,” Benzema wrote on his 35th birthday, in a post accompanied by a picture of him in a France shirt.The Real Madrid striker was France’s top scorer at the 2014 World Cup but did not play in the country’s victorious 2018 World Cup campaign because he was still exiled from the national team for his alleged role in a sex-tape scandal with then-France teammate Mathieu Valbuena. (AP)