Argentina unlikely to adopt single neutral football venue
Buenos Aires: Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez has warned against a proposal to hold all of the country’s first division football matches at a single provincial venue, believing the move could hasten the spread of COVID-19 instead of countering it.Local media outlets have reported that the Argentinian Football Association (AFA) and the Superliga Argentina are considering a plan to choose a city with little or no coronavirus cases as their temporary home, Xinhua news agency reported.”Everything is possible. But you have to understand that if I take a player out of Buenos Aires and send him to Formosa (around 1,100km north of Buenos Aires), where there hasn’t been a case, there is a danger of introducing the virus there,” Fernandez told television channel TyC Sports.”Let’s understand one thing: I can get tested today and give a negative result. I can repeat it tomorrow and again test negative. But maybe the day after tomorrow I will test positive. It is not all that simple. This is a fight against the unknown. Now we are certain of nothing.”Argentinian football was suspended on March 17 and the AFA has since canceled the remainder of the 2019-20 season. It has not indicated when competitions will restart. (IANS)
McGregor announces retirement
Dublin: Former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor said that he is retiring from fighting. In a Twitter post on Sunday, McGregor posted a photo with his mother Margaret that he said was from one of his “World title wins”.McGregor had earlier tweeted twice about retirement from fighting, both times when he was involved in arguments with the UFC. His last fight came in January against Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone which he won and he has since expressed interest to face a number of opponents.He was tied this summer to face the current top lightweight contender Justin Gaethje. (IANS)
Rio approves football’s return
Rio De Janeiro: Football in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro state has been authorized to restart following its coronavirus shutdown.In a decree published on Saturday, Rio governor Wilson Witzel said the decision was effective immediately, forming part of broader measures to reopen the local economy.All major sports competitions have been suspended in Brazil since mid-March, in line with World Health Organization recommendations to combat the spread of COVID-19.The decree said the Rio de Janeiro Football Federation would determine a date for the resumption of competition in consultation with clubs. Local media reported that the first matches could be played by the end of June.Games however, will be staged behind closed doors.(PTI)
