Messi ‘fit and well’ for World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay, Brazil
Buenos Aires, Nov 16: Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni has moved to allay fears about the fitness of Lionel Messi, ensuring he will be ready for the Albiceleste’s World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil. Messi, 36, has not played since October 21, when his Inter Miami team suffered a 1-0 defeat to Charlotte in the final match day of the Major League Soccer regular season, reports Xinhua. “Messi is fine, he is doing well. Even though he’s played one game in the last 25 days, he’s been training normally, he’s fit and well,” Scaloni told reporters on Wednesday. Reigning world champions Argentina will meet Uruguay at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires on Thursday and Brazil at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium next Tuesday. Scaloni said he was nonplussed by those who claimed Messi was undeserving of his eighth Ballon d’Or trophy last month. “I don’t understand it,” he said. “I think the criticism is made so that there is a debate, although I don’t think there is grounds for one. The good thing is that he won the Ballon d’Or so that’s where the matter ends.” Argentina are currently top of the 10-team South American qualifying group with four wins from as many games, five points ahead of second-placed Uruguay. (IANS)
AC Milan fullback Florenzi under investigation for illegal betting
Turin, Nov 16: AC Milan fullback Alessandro Florenzi became the latest Italian player placed under investigation by Turin prosecutors looking into footballers using illegal websites to bet on games, according to Italian media reports. Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali and Juventus’ Nicolò Fagioli were already banned for 10 and seven months, respectively, by the Italian football federation in the widening case. Aston Villa’s Nicolò Zaniolo is also being investigated but has said he did not bet on games. Florenzi, who was a teammate of Zaniolo’s at Roma, had no immediate comment. He could be called in for questioning by prosecutors over the coming days, the LaPresse news agency reported. The football federation could also open an inquiry. (AP)
Israeli teams pick Serbia to host games in European competitions
NYON (Switzerland), Nov 16: Israeli soccer teams Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv are going to Serbia to play their remaining “home” games in the group stage of European competitions, UEFA said on Thursday. UEFA has ruled that Israel cannot host games in international competitions “due to the current security situation,” during the ongoing conflict with Hamas. The Israel men’s and women’s national teams have chosen to play home games in Felcsút, Hungary — at a stadium closely tied to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. (AP)
National Squash Championship
begins in Chennai from Friday
Chennai, Nov 16: Some of India’s top players, sans defending women’s champion Joshna Chinappa, will be seen in action in the National Squash Championship which begins here Friday. The 79th edition of the tournament will run between November 17 and 23, with the Tamil Nadu Squash Rackets Association hosting it for the seventh time. The event will be held across categories, with 174 male and 63 female competitors taking part in it. The prize money allocated is Rs 8.8 lakh for both men’s and women’s sections. Defending champion Abhay Singh, Ramit Tandon, Velavan Senthilkumar and Suraj Chand are the top four seeds in the men’s section. In the women’s section, Tanvi Khanna, Anahat Singh, Urwashi Joshi and Janet Vidhi are the top four seeds. Chinappa will miss the event as she is nursing a knee injury. The coming years are going to be significant for squash in India, especially after the sport has been included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics programme. (PTI)