MOSCOW: A Russian court has upheld the nine-year prison sentence handed to American basketball star Brittney Griner for drug possession, rejecting her appeal.
Griner, an eight-time all-star center with the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was convicted Aug. 4 after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.
The Moscow region court ruled Tuesday to uphold the sentence. In the ruling the court stated, however, that the time Griner will have to serve in prison will be recalculated with her time in pre-trial detention taken into account. One day in pre-trial detention will be counted as 1.5 days in prison, so the basketball player will have to serve around eight years in prison.
Griner’s February arrest came at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington, just days before Russia sent troops into Ukraine. At the time, Griner was returning to Russia, where she played during the US league’s offseason.
Griner admitted she had the canisters in her luggage but testified she inadvertently packed them in haste and had no criminal intent. Her defense team presented written statements saying she had been prescribed cannabis to treat pain.
The nine-year sentence was close to the maximum of 10 years, and Griner’s lawyers argued after the conviction that the punishment was excessive. They said in similar cases defendants have received an average sentence of about five years, with about a third of them granted parole.
Before her conviction, the US State Department declared Griner to be “wrongfully detained” — a charge that Russia has sharply rejected.
Reflecting growing pressure on the Biden administration to do more to bring Griner home, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken took the unusual step of revealing publicly in July that Washington had made a “substantial proposal” to get Griner home, along with Paul Whelan, an American serving a 16-year sentence in Russia for espionage.
Blinken didn’t elaborate, but The Associated Press and other news organizations have reported that Washington has offered to exchange Griner and Whelan for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who is serving a 25-year sentence in the US and once earned the nickname the “merchant of death.”
The White House said it has not yet received a productive response from Russia to the offer.
Russian diplomats have refused to comment on the US proposal and urged Washington to discuss the matter in confidential talks, avoiding public statements.
In September, US President Joe Biden met with Cherelle Griner, the wife of Brittney Griner, as well as the player’s agent, Lindsay Colas. Biden also sat down separately with Elizabeth Whelan, Paul Whelan’s sister.
The White House said after the meetings that the president stressed to the families his “continued commitment to working through all available avenues to bring Brittney and Paul home safely.”
The US and Russia carried out a prisoner swap in April. Moscow released US Marines veteran Trevor Reed in exchange for the US releasing a Russian pilot, Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was convicted in a drug trafficking conspiracy.
Moscow also has pushed for the release of other Russians in US custody.
One of them is Alexander Vinnik, who was accused of laundering billions of dollars through an illicit cryptocurrency exchange. Vinnik was arrested in Greece in 2017 and extradited to the US in August.
Vinnik’s French lawyer, Frederic Belot, told Russian newspaper Izvestia last month that his client hoped to be part of a possible swap.
The newspaper speculated that another possible candidate was Roman Seleznev, the son of a Russian lawmaker. He was sentenced in 2017 to 27 years in prison on charges from a hacking and credit card fraud scheme.
Russian court rejects Brittney Griner’s appeal against 9-year sentence
https://arab.news/6wez4
Russian court rejects Brittney Griner’s appeal against 9-year sentence
- Basketball star was convicted Aug. 4 after police said they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport
- Griner’s February arrest came at a time of heightened tensions between Moscow and Washington, just days before Russia sent troops into Ukraine
Ruthless Liverpool spoil Alonso’s return to Anfield
- Leverkusen remain on seven points from their opening four Champions League matches after another sobering night for their ambitions to match the heights they hit last season
LIVERPOOL: Xabi Alonso endured a miserable return to Anfield as Liverpool thrashed Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 on Tuesday, thanks to a Luis Diaz hat-trick, to go top of the Champions League table.
Cody Gakpo was also on target as the Reds maintained their 100 percent record in Europe after four games.
Alonso, a Champions League winner during his playing days in the Liverpool midfield, turned his back on succeeding Jurgen Klopp to remain at Leverkusen after leading them to an unbeaten German league and cup double last season.
Liverpool, though, are not left wondering what might have been as Arne Slot continued his stunning start as manager with a 14th win in 16 games in all competitions.
Leverkusen remain on seven points from their opening four Champions League matches after another sobering night for their ambitions to match the heights they hit last season.
Alonso’s men sit fourth in the Bundesliga, seven points adrift of leaders Bayern Munich, and failed to master what Alonso described pre-match as a “beautiful challenge.”
The Spaniard cut a frustrated figure on the touchline as his side struggled to get into the slick passing rhythm they have become famed for during his tenure.
The German champions, though, created the best of what chances there were in a first half short on goalmouth action.
Jeremie Frimpong saw appeals for a penalty waved away when he went down with a clear sight of goal under a challenge from Kostas Tsimikas.
Frimpong also had the ball in the net just before the break but handled before racing through to finish.
Liverpool’s best opening of the half came seconds later when Curtis Jones’ excellent pass finally found some space for Gakpo, but his powerful effort was repelled at his near post by Lukas Hradecky.
Just like in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Brighton that took Slot’s men to the top of the Premier League, it took until the second half for both Liverpool and the Anfield crowd to come to life.
Mohamed Salah should have done better when he sliced wide after a jinking run through the Leverkusen midfield by Ryan Gravenberch.
A cagey tactical battle was sparked into life on the hour mark by a moment of stunning quality.
Jones spun his marker before splitting the Leverkusen defense with a pinpoint pass for Diaz, who nonchalantly chipped the advancing Hradecky.
Moments later, Liverpool had killed the visitors off with another flowing move.
Salah’s driven cross was headed in at the back post by the flying Gakpo.
The linesman raised his flag to momentarily silence the celebrations, but a VAR review showed the Dutch forward was onside for his sixth goal of the season.
Victor Boniface headed wide with a huge chance to bring Leverkusen immediately back into the game.
Instead, Liverpool pulled further clear seven minutes from time when Diaz controlled Salah’s looping cross and fired home.
The Colombian then rounded off the scoring with his ninth of the season in stoppage time with another clinical finish after Darwin Nunez’s blocked shot fell into his path.
Liverpool’s return of 12 points means they are almost certainly already assured of a place in the knockout phase, but are closing in on sealing direct progression to the last 16 via a top-eight finish in the 36-team league.
Al-Nassr’s 5-star show blows Al-Ain away
- Cristiano Ronaldo helps side to easy victory
Al-Nassr defeated holders Al-Ain 5-1 in the AFC Champions League Elite on Tuesday to move into third place in the group and give Saudi Arabia the top three positions in the 12-team table.
With Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli winning on Monday to stay perfect on 12 points after four games, Al-Nassr are just two behind thanks to a devastating performance against the UAE’s powerhouse side.
The last time Al-Ain met Saudi Arabian opposition was just 15 days ago and fans were treated to a nine-goal thriller as Al-Hilal ran out 5-4 winners.
The last time they met Al-Nassr was at the quarter-final stage of last season’s competition in March when the UAE team triumphed on penalties in what was a painful evening for the fans in Riyadh.
It was a different story this time with Al-Nassr going ahead in the fifth minute with an impressive goal, though Al-Ain’s coach Hernan Crespo was left asking questions of his defenders.
Mohamed Simakan has impressed since joining from RB Leipzig, but there seemed to be little danger when the center-back picked up the ball inside his own half. The French defender was allowed to cross the halfway line, though, and with the opposition falling back, a short pass found Talisca who made space for the shot with his first touch and then fired home with his second.
Cristiano Ronaldo fired just wide from a similar position at the edge of the area after 10 minutes, but given Al-Ain’s scoring capabilities there was a feeling that more was needed.
Al-Nassr kept pushing and probing and Ronaldo had a goalbound shot blocked before the five-time Ballon d’Or winner got the all-important second with one of his less spectacular strikes. Khalid Eisa failed to hold on to a long-range effort from Sadio Mane and there was Ronaldo to slot it home from close range.
It was just the cushion that the Riyadh club wanted but they kept coming forward and, soon after, moved further ahead.
Angelo broke into the left side of the area after 37 minutes and his low cross was deflected off the leg of Fabio Cardoso to loop over Eisa and into the net.
The home fans were in dreamland and it could have been even better three minutes before the break had Eisa not got a foot to a Talisca shot that seemed goalbound.
There was just a hint of danger from Soufiane Rahimi in added time to remind Al-Nassr that the Moroccan had scored 13 in the last tournament and four already this time around, but at the break it was looking very good indeed as Al-Nassr had probably produced their best 45 minutes of the season.
They also started brightly after the restart, but after 10 minutes Al-Ain were on the scoresheet and back in the game with a goal from nowhere. Park Yong-woo’s powerful low shot from outside the area bounced off the post but then hit the diving Bento and rebounded into the goal.
A few nerves resulted and Bento was the busier of the two goalkeepers, although, at the other end, Aymeric Laporte headed over from a corner.
Al-Ain went closer when, with 13 minutes remaining, Rahimi rolled the ball across the face of goal for Abdoul Traore to net, but he somehow miscontrolled and the massive chance went begging.
It was his side’s last chance as Wesley sealed victory with nine minutes remaining, the Brazilian curling the ball home from inside the area.
There was no coming back from that, and there was even time for Talisca to grab his second and his team’s fifth as he lifted the ball smartly over Eisa to end a perfect evening for Al-Nassr and a perfect round of games for Saudi Arabia.
Gauff defeats Swiatek to reach the semifinals at the WTA Finals. Sabalenka is assured of No. 1
- The result means that Swiatek can’t move up from No. 2 in the rankings this week, so Aryna Sabalenka will finish the year at No. 1 for the first time
- It was Gauff’s first victory over Swiatek since the 2023 Cincinnati Open, snapping a four-match losing skid head-to-head
RIYADH: Coco Gauff earned her second victory over Iga Swiatek in 13 career matchups, winning 6-3, 6-4 at the WTA Finals on Tuesday to reach the semifinals of the season-ending tournament.
The result means that Swiatek can’t move up from No. 2 in the rankings this week, so Aryna Sabalenka will finish the year at No. 1 for the first time.
It was Gauff’s first victory over Swiatek since the 2023 Cincinnati Open, snapping a four-match losing skid head-to-head. Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, also put an end to five-time Grand Slam champ Swiatek’s six-match unbeaten run at the WTA Finals, an event the Polish star won a year ago.
The win moved Gauff to 2-0 in the Orange Group, while Swiatek fell to 1-1. Swiatek had rallied to beat Barbora Krejcikova in three sets on Sunday in her first match in two months.
Krejcikova, the Wimbledon champion, kept her chances of advancing alive with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Jessica Pegula. That eliminated Pegula, who lost in straight sets to Gauff in their opening match in Saudi Arabia.
Krejcikova was the last player to qualify for the event for the top eight players on the women’s tennis tour, earning her berth thanks to her Grand Slam title at the All England Club in July. At No. 13, she became the lowest-ranked player to win a WTA Finals match since Magda Maleeva 22 years ago.
Krejcikova ends Pegula’s last-four hopes at WTA Finals
- The crafty Czech fired 11 aces and broke Pegula four times to wrap up the win in 69 minutes
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: Barbora Krejcikova ended Jessica Pegula’s chances of qualifying for the semifinals at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, defeating the sixth-seeded American 6-3, 6-3 in Riyadh on Tuesday.
A runner-up at the WTA Finals last year, Pegula suffered her second straight-sets defeat of the week and enters her final round-robin match against Iga Swiatek on Thursday anchoring the Orange Group with zero sets won.
Meanwhile, eighth-seeded Krejcikova bounced back from her opening loss to Swiatek to keep her hopes of making the final four alive.
“I was fighting for every ball and I felt that I really have to play my best tennis and I was trying to be really solid and trying to put as many balls to the other side as I could,” said Krejcikova, who picked up just her 20th match win of the season.
“I’m definitely proud. I had some very high parts of the season, especially winning Wimbledon, that’s something indescribable. And being here in the Finals is a huge privilege. It’s nice to get the win and still be part of the event.”
Despite being ranked number 13 in the world, Krejcikova qualified for these WTA Finals thanks to a new rule introduced by the WTA that gave priority to a player who has won a Grand Slam this season, while maintaining a ranking between 9 and 20, over a player ranked number eight in the Race.
As the reigning Wimbledon champion, Krejcikova claimed the final qualifying spot in Riyadh over world number eight Emma Navarro.
Krejcikova squandered a 6-4, 3-0 lead against Swiatek in her opener two days ago and made sure there was no repeat scenario against Pegula on Tuesday.
The crafty Czech fired 11 aces and broke Pegula four times to wrap up the win in 69 minutes.
Dybala left out of Argentina squad for World Cup qualifiers while Martínez is back from suspension
- Martínez was suspended by FIFA for the last two qualifiers for “offensive behavior”
BUENOS AIRES: Roma striker Paulo Dybala was left out of the Argentina squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers, while goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez is back after a suspension.
Coach Lionel Scaloni announced his squad on Tuesday, with the absence of Dybala and the inclusion of Valencia midfielder Enzo Barrenechea the two big surprises.
Martínez was suspended by FIFA for the last two qualifiers for “offensive behavior” in two previous matches in September, but he will be available for the match at Paraguay on Nov. 14 and the home game against Peru five days later.
Argentina lead South American World Cup qualifying with 22 points from 10 matches. The top six teams will get direct spots at the 2026 tournament.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa), Walter Benítez (PSV Eindhoven), Gerónimo Rulli (Marseille).
Defenders: Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla), Nahuel Molina (Atletico Madrid), Cristian Romero (Tottenham), Germán Pezzella (River Plate), Nehuén Pérez (Porto), Leonardo Balerdi (Marseille), Nicolás Otamendi (Benfica), Lisandro Martínez (Manchester United), Nicolás Tagliafico (Lyon).
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes (Roma), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), Enzo Fernández (Chelsea), Giovani Lo Celso (Real Betis), Nicolás Paz (Como), Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen), Rodrigo de Paul (Atletico Madrid), Enzo Barrenechea (Valencia).
Strikers: Thiago Almada (Botafogo), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), Nicolás González (Juventus), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Julián Álvarez (Atletico Madrid), Facundo Buonanotte (Leicester), Valentín Castellanos (Lazio), Lautaro Martínez (Inter Milan).
