BERLIN: German soccer fans thought they’d put the days of empty stadiums behind them, but the coronavirus pandemic isn’t letting up.
Record case numbers in Germany mean one top club is back playing without a crowd and others will have thousands of fewer fans this weekend.
Leipzig is on the front line of the latest wave of the pandemic in Germany in the eastern state of Saxony, where infection rates are the highest and vaccination rates the lowest compared to other regions. With intensive care facilities under strain, state authorities have banned crowds from sports events.
That means Leipzig will host the Bundesliga’s first game in an empty stadium for months when Bayer Leverkusen visits on Sunday. That also affects its Champions League game against Manchester City next month. Clubs in other states are increasingly under restrictions, too. Bayern Munich can fill its stadium to only 25 percent capacity against Arminia Bielefeld on Saturday.
Just a month ago, the picture was very different.
Germany’s vaccination program was going well and entry rules for games — generally restricted to people who were fully vaccinated, recently recovered from the virus or with a negative test — were being broadly obeyed. Bayern celebrated having a full house of 75,000 for the first time since March 2020 on Oct. 23 when it played Hoffenheim.
Since then, case numbers have continued to hit record levels in German society, and soccer has not escaped.
Leipzig coach Jesse Marsch and goalkeeper Peter Gulasci won’t be at their empty-stadium game against Leverkusen because the club said this week they tested positive. Of the four German clubs playing in the Champions League this week, all were missing at least one player with a positive test.
Leipzig shrugged off the disruption in a 5-0 demolition of Belgian club Brugge on Wednesday, but questions remain over the future of Marsch with the club seventh on the Bundesliga table and unable to qualify for the Champions League knockout rounds.
Bayern’s reduced crowd will see the team attempt to bounce back from a shock 2-1 loss at Augsburg last week which reduced the title lead to just one point. A threadbare Bayern squad clung on to beat Dynamo Kyiv 2-1 on Tuesday but virus cases and injuries mean coach Julian Nagelsmann has few tactical options and can’t rest key players. Against that backdrop, even relegation-threatened Bielefeld becomes a trickier opponent.
Bayern’s woes deepened on Wednesday when midfielder Joshua Kimmich and backup striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting tested positive for the coronavirus. Kimmich became the face of Germany’s debate over vaccine hesitancy last month, and a political talking point in parliament, when he said in a TV interview he wasn’t vaccinated and had reservations about vaccines against the virus.
Other clubs are on a collision course with their own players.
Starting this month, German employers are no longer obliged to pay workers during their quarantine period if they’re unvaccinated and identified as a close contact of someone who tested positive. Several clubs have said they’ll follow this policy and Bayern has been widely reported to be considering this approach.
Elsewhere this weekend, Borussia Dortmund takes on Wolfsburg in a game between teams having similar weeks. Both lost in the Champions League midweek — eliminating Dortmund and leaving Wolfsburg unlikely to qualify — and both are without key players who tested positive for the virus after returning from the Belgian national team. In Dortmund’s case, it’s forward Thorgan Hazard, who had been crucial during Erling Haaland’s injury absence, while Wolfsburg is missing goalkeeper Koen Casteels.
Third-placed Freiburg surprised many by staying in the Champions League places after a strong start to the season but it’s on the slide after losing two in a row. A visit to promoted Bochum offers a chance to turn things around.
Leipzig in empty stadium as virus bites back in Bundesliga
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Leipzig in empty stadium as virus bites back in Bundesliga
- Record case numbers in Germany mean one top club is back playing without a crowd
- Leipzig will host Bundesliga's first game in an empty stadium for months when Bayer Leverkusen visits on Sunday
Messi to travel with Miami for Jamaican tie
“Leo Messi is on the roster and will travel with the team to Jamaica,” Mascherano said
MIAMI, USA: Lionel Messi, who has sat out Inter Miami’s last three games, will travel to Jamaica for Thursday’s CONCACAF Champions Cup match with Kingston side Cavalier, coach Javier Mascherano said on Wednesday.
Messi missed Inter’s 4-1 win at the Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer on Mar. 2 and then the 2-0 midweek home win over Cavalier in the first leg of the last-16 tie against the Jamaicans.
The Argentine then sat unused on the bench for Sunday’s 1-0 win over Charlotte in MLS, with Mascherano saying the caution over using the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner was based on managing his workload and not an injury.
Speaking to the media before the team flew out to the Caribbean Island nation, Mascherano, a former team-mate of Messi’s at Barcelona, said the forward would be making the trip.
“Leo Messi is on the roster and will travel with the team to Jamaica. Tomorrow (Thursday) we will decide for the game what is best, if he starts or waits on the bench and comes in later,” he said.
“Today he trained with the team, and the sensations were good. We’re happy he’ll travel with us to Jamaica,” he added.
The game is expected to attract a sell-out crowd to the 35,000 capacity National Stadium in Kingston.
While Messi has faced Jamaica’s national team for Argentina, he has never played in the nation before.
Cavalier head coach and sporting director Rudolph Speid believes his team are capable of turning around the tie against a team that will include former Barca players Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez.
“It is about normalizing the Inter Miami team so that our players are comfortable playing against players with such high esteem,” Speid explained.
“Jordi Alba is 35 years old but he runs up and down like he thinks he is 25. Sergio Busquets is a brilliant player — it is very difficult to take the ball off him when he has it under control. And Lionel Messi, I don’t even have to say anything,” he told the Jamaican Gleaner.
Herve Renard announces Saudi Arabia’s lineup for Asian qualifiers for 2026 World Cup
- Green Falcons will host China on March 20 before they travel to play against Japan on March 25
- Frenchman’s list constitutes of 27 players, who will join the Green Falcon’s training camp in Riyadh on Sunday
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s national football team’s French head coach Herve Renard announced on Wednesday the lineup for the seventh and eighth rounds of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
The Green Falcons will host China on March 20 at Al-Awwal Park Stadium before they travel to play against Japan on March 25 at Saitama Stadium 2002.
The Frenchman’s list constitutes of 27 players, who will join the Green Falcon’s training camp in Riyadh, starting March 16, ahead of their two qualifiers.
The list includes Ahmed Al-Kassar, Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Hamed Yousef, Mishari Sinior, Hassan Kadesh, Jihad Zekri, Saad Al-Moussa, Ali Lajami, Hassan Al-Tambukti, Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti, Saud Abdulhamid, Nawaf Bushel, Ali Majrashi, Faisal Al-Ghamdi, Nasser Al-Dosari, Musab Al-Juwair, Ziad Al-Jahni, Mohammed Kano, Salem Al-Dosari, Turki Al-Ammar, Abdullah Al-Hamdan, Ayman Yahya, Muhannad Al-Saad, Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, Marwan Al-Sahafi, Firas Al-Buraikan and Abdullah Al-Salem.
The Green Falcons are in Group 3 in the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, alongside Japan, Australia, Bahrain, China and Indonesia.
Muslim Boxing Awards return to Birmingham this month to honor British Muslim fighters
- The event, now in its second year, is the brainchild of solicitor Adil Hussain, founder of a pro bono legal organization that helps boxers deal with complex business contracts
- The event will also include a fundraiser in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and a 4-course Ramadan iftar
LONDON: Top British Muslim boxers will be honored at an awards event on March 22 in Birmingham, which organizers describe as a celebration of fighters’ careers and the values of fairness within the sport.
The Muslim Boxing Awards 2025 will take place at the city’s Grand Botanical Suite and be presented by Amir Khan, a former Olympian and two-time world champion, and Johnny Nelson, a former world cruiserweight champion.
This year’s awards ceremony follows the inaugural event in April last year. It is once again organized by Legal Blows, a pro bono legal organization that helps boxers deal with the complexities of business contracts, which said the evening will unite champions, rising stars and boxing legends for a memorable celebration.
“The event will honor the dedication, excellence and values that make Muslim athletes true role models, both inside and outside the ring,” it added.
It will also include a fundraiser in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and a four-course Ramadan iftar.
Legal Blows said the lineup it has assembled for the awards features some of Britain’s top boxers and other leading lights in the sport, including: Shabaz Masoud, holder of the IBO super-bantamweight title; Hamza Uddin, a former Team GB fighter and eight-time national champion; Haseebah Abdullah, England’s first hijab-wearing boxing coach; and Mehek Khalil, an amateur boxer and actress.
The Muslim Boxing Awards is the brainchild of solicitor Adil Hussain, the founder of Legal Blows, in collaboration with renowned boxing figures, including Khan and other top-tier talent.
“Many athletes are unaware that they have the ability to negotiate contracts to obtain more favorable terms,” Hussain said of his work with boxers.
“My goal is to empower them with the tools to protect their interests and maximize their careers.”
Former star Eto’o elected to CAF executive by acclamation
- The 44-year-old became eligible only last week after CAS overturned a CAF ban on the ex-Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea forward
- Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) president Eto’o now joins the supreme decision-making body in Africa
JOHANNESBURG: Former Cameroon star Samuel Eto’o was elected to the CAF executive committee by acclamation in Cairo on Wednesday as he was the lone candidate from the central Africa region.
The 44-year-old became eligible only last week after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned a CAF ban on the ex-Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea forward.
His elevation to the executive of the African governing body came at a CAF extraordinary general assembly — an annual meeting of top football officials in the continent.
Cameroon Football Federation (FECAFOOT) president Eto’o now joins the supreme decision-making body in Africa.
The gathering at a hotel overlooking the pyramids also confirmed that South African Patrice Motsepe would serve a second four-year term as CAF president. He was unopposed.
Motsepe was elected by acclamation in Morocco four years ago, succeeding Malagasy Ahmad Ahmad, who had been suspended by FIFA over financial misconduct.
CAF secretary general Veron Mosengo-Omba is among those who have credited Motsepe with improving the finances and governance of the organization.
“Patrice was a gift for African football. In 2021 CAF was a toxic body. He brought good governance to all levels of the organization,” Mosengo-Omba said ahead of the meeting.
The CAF ban of Eto’o came last year after the three-time Champions League winner was found guilty by the Cairo-based organization of an ethics breach.
Last July, CAF said the Cameroonian had “seriously violated the principles of ethics, integrity and sportsmanship” by becoming a brand ambassador for a betting organization.
Apart from the suspension, the four-time African Footballer of the Year was fined $200,000 (EUR185,000). This was later quashed.
Born in the Cameroon port city Douala, Eto’o has been involved in several controversies since becoming FECAFOOT boss in 2021.
He was caught on video assaulting a football supporter outside a stadium after a match at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
He later apologized, saying: “I would like to apologize for losing my temper and reacting in a way that does not match my personality. It was an unfortunate incident.”
Last year, he was banned by FIFA from attending all Cameroon men’s and women’s national team matches for six months after an incident at the Women’s under-20 World Cup in Colombia.
The world body found Eto’o guilty of “offensive behavior, violation of the principles of fair play and misconduct of players and officials.”
When Belgian Marc Brys was appointed national coach of the Cameroon men’s team last year, he clashed regularly with Eto’o.
Eto’o enjoyed a glittering career, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest African footballers.
He helped Cameroon win the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games football tournament and was part of the 2000 and 2002 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)-winning teams.
Eto’o featured at four World Cup and six AFCON tournaments and scored a record 18 goals in the African tournament.
DP World ILT20 to sponsor Ramadan cricket tournament in Dubai
- Tournament to be held at the ICC Academy Oval 1 and 2 from March 13 to April 3
- Dubai Capitals lifted the DP World ILT20 Season 3 trophy in February
DUBAI: As a sign of their commitment to develop and support UAE cricket, particularly at the grassroots, DP World ILT20 is set sponsor a Ramadan cricket tournament to be held at the ICC Academy Oval 1 and 2 in Dubai from March 13 to April 3.
The 22-day tournament will feature 10 domestic teams — the Dubai Cricket Council Starlets, Karwan Cricket Club, Emirates Fly Better, Seven District, Prospero Properties, Dubai Dare Devils, Consolidate Shipping Service, Z Games, Lexington Shot Guns, and GHK Properties — with over 200 players vying for the top prize.
Each team will play nine single round-robin league games followed by semifinals and the final. The tournament will be livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook.
Discussing their backing for the event, David White, CEO of DP World ILT20, said: “It is DP World ILT20’s endeavour to support and nurture local talent in UAE. With 220 players turning up for the Ramadan cricket tournament, it’s a great opportunity to see and encourage emerging talent. We stay true to our commitment of developing cricket at the grassroots and I wish all the players the very best.”
The DP World ILT20 season 3 recently concluded with Dubai Capitals emerging as the new champions. While the league has been a global success, the DP World ILT20 continues to support domestic cricket at the grassroots level as part of their commitment to help in the growth and development of emerging local talent.
