MADRID: Atletico Madrid captain Gabi has called on UEFA to act if there is evidence Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal bit Atletico forward Mario Mandzukic in Tuesday’s Champions League quarterfinal, first leg.
Carvajal, who could in any case be sanctioned by European soccer’s governing body over a punch he threw at Mandzukic during the same incident in the second half at the Calderon, strongly denied trying to bite the Croatia international on the arm.
Footage published on social media showed Carvajal’s mouth made contact with Mandzukic’s arm as they tangled off the ball but it was impossible to tell conclusively if he had sunk his teeth into it.
“Seeing after the match that I have been accused of biting a rival player I want to make it clear that I did not bite anyone, nor did I try to,” the Spain right back told reporters.
Speaking later to Spanish radio, Gabi said if evidence of a bite was clear UEFA should act.
“I can’t judge the incident but if UEFA study the images and see something they should take action,” Gabi said.
“They are unpleasant incidents and if the footage is so clear then perhaps the (UEFA disciplinary) committee should step in,” he added.
Real already have left back Marcelo suspended for next Wednesday’s second leg at the Bernabeu after he was booked late in the game and losing Carvajal as well would be a blow to the holders’ hopes of making the semifinals.
UEFA must act if Carvajal bite evidence conclusive: Gabi
UEFA must act if Carvajal bite evidence conclusive: Gabi
Al-Ahli’s Ali Majrashi called up for Kingdom’s clash with Bahrain on Tuesday
- Green Falcons resumed training on Friday evening at their camp
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s head coach Roberto Mancini has called up Al-Ahli’s defender Ali Majrashi for his side’s 2026 World Cup qualifying match against Bahrain on Tuesday.
After losing 2-0 to Japan in Jeddah on Thursday — their first defeat in the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup — the Green Falcons resumed training on Friday evening at their camp in preparation for the Bahrain clash.
The two Gulf national teams face each other at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.
It is believed that Mancini called up Majrashi as right-back Saud Abdulhamid will be unavailable due to suspension after receiving two yellow cards.
Mancini divided the players into two groups during training on Friday. The first group consisted of the players who had started the match against Japan, and they were assigned recovery exercises in the gym.
The second group included the rest of the players, who trained at the King Abdullah Sports City with warm-up exercises and passing practice. The players then went on to various tactical exercises and stretches.
The national team will continue their preparation program on Saturday with a closed training session at King Abdullah Sports City at 6 p.m.
Djokovic ‘overwhelmed’ after ‘greatest rival’ Nadal’s retirement
- He clashed 60 times with Djokovic, who edged their rivalry 31-29
- “He remains the greatest rival that I ever had,” said Djokovic
SHANGHAI: Novak Djokovic said Friday he was “overwhelmed” by the news of Rafael Nadal’s retirement and called the Spaniard “the greatest rival that I ever had,” but said he has no plans to stop.
Nadal announced Thursday that he will step back from tennis after the Davis Cup finals in November, ending his 22 Grand Slam-winning career.
He clashed 60 times with Djokovic, who edged their rivalry 31-29.
“He remains the greatest rival that I ever had. He has impacted me a lot as a player, my development, he has inspired a lot of people around the world,” said Djokovic, speaking after he beat 19-year-old Jakub Mensik in three sets to progress to the Shanghai Masters semifinals.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion said that the news had come as a shock despite the Spaniard’s struggles with injury.
The 37-year-old Serb is now the last man standing from tennis’s golden era, with Roger Federer retiring in 2022, and Andy Murray calling it quits this year too.
“I’m playing, you know, still keep going... but part of me left with them, that’s for sure,” mused Djokovic.
“The era of the four musketeers, so to say, the four of us and all the rivalries we had was incredible,” he said.
“I’m a bit overwhelmed, to be honest, but, you know, I still have the desire to play.
“Fighting against a 19-year-old for two and a half hours on the court is something that still drives me... and I try to get the best out of myself.”
Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal undergoes surgery on his right knee
- The Spanish club called the surgery successful
- The player would start his recovery process in the coming days
MADRID: Spain defender Dani Carvajal has undergone surgery on his right knee, his club Real Madrid said Friday.
The Spanish club called the surgery successful and said the player would start his recovery process in the coming days.
Carvajal suffered his likely season-ending injury during a Spanish league game last weekend. He was diagnosed with a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, a ruptured external collateral ligament and a ruptured popliteus tendon in his right leg.
Shortly after his injury, the club said it had agreed with the 32-year-old right back to extend his contract until June 2026.
Carvajal helped Spain win the European Championship in July.
Umpire Aleem Dar joins Pakistan cricket selection panel after England defeat
- PCB appoints Dar, ex-test fast bowler Aqib Javed, former test captain Azhar Ali, analyst Hasan Cheema to selection committee
- The immediate task of the committee is to finalize the squad for the second test against England, starting Tuesday at Multan
ISLAMABAD: After a disastrous innings defeat to England, the Pakistan Cricket Board has revamped its selection committee ahead of the second test.
The PCB appointed former international umpire Aleem Dar, ex-test fast bowler Aqib Javed, former test captain Azhar Ali and analyst Hasan Cheema to the selection committee with voting rights. The committee already includes Pakistan captain Shan Masood and head coach Jason Gillespie.
The immediate task of the committee is to finalize the squad for the second test against England, starting Tuesday at Multan.
The PCB said in a statement that committee members held their first meeting in Lahore on Friday and will meet with the captain and coach in Multan on Saturday before the squad is named for the second test.
There are also four non-voting members on the selection panel, including assistant coach Azhar Mahmood and Bilal Afazal, an adviser to the PCB chairman.
Dar resigned from ICC’s elite panel last year but has been supervising domestic matches, including international games at home. Last month, Dar said he will quit umpiring at the end of the domestic season in 2025.
Forest fined almost $1m for questioning integrity of match officials in inflammatory post
- The post in question was published soon after Forest’s 2-0 loss to Everton in the Premier League in April
- The governing body said an independent regulatory commission found the charge to be proven following a hearing and issued the fine
LONDON: Nottingham Forest were fined 750,000 pounds ($980,000) on Friday after the Premier League club were found to have questioned the integrity of match officials in an extremely inflammatory post on social media that has had more than 46 million views.
The post in question was published soon after Forest’s 2-0 loss to Everton in the Premier League in April, criticizing the failure of officials to award Forest a penalty. It claimed that the VAR for the match, Stuart Attwell, was a fan of a rival club that were fighting relegation, like Forest was at the time.
Forest denied their comments implied “bias and/or question the integrity of the match officials and/or the video assistant referee and/or bring the game into disrepute,” the Football Association said.
However, the governing body said an independent regulatory commission found the charge to be proven following a hearing and issued the fine, while also warning Forest for misconduct.
The social media post by Forest went beyond criticizing match officials for perceived incompetence for the failure to award penalties for what Forest said were three clear fouls during the game.
It pointed to potential foul play by questioning the integrity of Attwell, who, Forest said, is a fan of Luton.
“Three extremely poor decisions — three penalties not given — which we simply cannot accept,” it read. “We warned the PGMOL (English soccer’s referees body) that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game but they didn’t change him. Our patience has been tested multiple times.”
A day later, Forest said they had submitted a formal request for the referees’ body to release the audio recordings between Attwell and on-field referee Anthony Taylor for the incidents in question in order to gain “full transparency” and ensure “the integrity of our sport is upheld.”
