Boxing | International : Mayweather, McGregor agree to Aug fight

 

Undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather and mixed martial arts champion Conor McGregor, two of the most popular athletes in their respective sport, have agreed to a crossover fight in the ring on August 26 in Las Vegas, Mayweather said in a tweet on Wednesday.

The fight is expected to gross millions of dollars with Mayweather a solid favourite.
Mayweather, 40, retired in 2015 with an unblemished 49-0 professional boxing record while boastful Irishman McGregor, 28, is the UFC's lightweight champion.
"IT'S OFFICIAL!!!" Mayweather wrote on his Twitter account alongside a short video that included still photos of both fighters.
"THE FIGHT IS ON," McGregor tweeted minutes before Mayweather's post.
The two fighters have gone back and forth for nearly a year regarding a potential showdown with both men previously stating they each wanted $100 million for the fight.
Mayweather is widely regarded as one of the best defensive fighters of all time, and prides himself on his ability to evade punishment with his skillful movement about the ring while making adjustments against opponents on the fly.
McGregor, the UFC's reigning lightweight champion and former featherweight champion, is known as much for his bravado as for his explosive knockout power inside an MMA octagon.
The Irishman became the first UFC fighter to hold two belts simultaneously when he knocked out Eddie Alvarez in New York last November for the lightweight championship.
The UFC stripped McGregor of his featherweight belt shortly after that fight when he announced he would be taking some time off after he and long-time partner Dee Devlin had their first baby in May.
Known for his devastating striking and highlight-reel knockouts, McGregor is also quick and irrational on his feet, but few would back him to beat one of the most complete boxers of all time.
A win for Mayweather would move him ahead of former heavyweight great Rocky Marciano, who also retired with a perfect 49-0 career record.

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Football | La Liga : Messi could get fine instead of jail term

Prosecutors in Barcelona say they are not against replacing football star Lionel Messi's 21-month jail sentence for tax fraud with a fine, a spokeswoman announced Friday. They said they were willing to give the 29-year-old a fine of 400 euros ($450) a day for the duration of the sentence – an option that the defence of the Argentina international has also proposed.
That would amount to more than 250 000 euros, although the court has the final decision over whether to go ahead with this option.
The daily fine would come on top of the 2.09-million-euro fine Messi was also given when he and his father Jorge Horacio Messi were found guilty of tax fraud in a trial last year and sentenced to 21 months in jail.
Both appealed, but Spain's Supreme Court last month confirmed the jail term for the Barcelona striker, although it reduced Messi's father's sentence to 15 months.
The pair used companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying taxes on 4.16 million euros of Messi's income earned from his image rights from 2007-09.
The income related to Messi's image rights that was hidden includes endorsement deals with Danone, Adidas, Pepsi-Cola, Procter & Gamble and the Kuwait Food Company.
Messi is not the only football star to run into problems with Spain's courts, with Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo the latest to have been summoned to appear before a judge investigating tax fraud.
He is due to be questioned on July 31 on suspicion of evading 14.7 million euros in taxes.

© AFP

Football | FIFA Confederation Cup : Chile and Germany set for semis

Alexis Sanchez refused to be drawn on his Arsenal future after becoming Chile's all-time top-scorer in Thursday's 1-1 draw with Germany at the Confederations Cup.

The Gunners' star, voted man of the match, became Chile's all-time top-scorer with his 38th international goal after capitalising on an early mistake in the German defence.
Sanchez has yet to sign a new deal with Arsenal and pointedly ignored a question about his future as he accepted the man-of-the-match award.
"I'm very happy to be Chile's top-scorer now, our dream is to win this tournament and we feel we have a chance," said Sanchez.
Despite falling behind, inexperienced Germany fought back as Lars Stindl netted his second goal of the tournament to equalise for the world champions just before the break.
The result leaves South American champions Chile top of Group B on goal difference from the Germans.
With both teams on four points, three ahead of Australia and Cameroon who drew 1-1 earlier, they are in pole position to reach next week's semifinals.
Germany play Cameroon on Sunday in Sochi while Chile face the Socceroos in Moscow.

Despite leaving all his World Cup-winning stars at home, Germany's head coach Joachim Loew was delighted how his young team fared.
"I am very satisfied with my boys," said Loew. "It was a game of the highest standard.
"They all did well, with so little experience, so few international matches.
"Against a world-class team like Chile, you will always only get a few chances."
Chile boss Juan Antonio Pizzi started with an experienced side, including nine of the team which beat Argentina on penalties in the 2016 Copa America final.
After their opening 2-0 win over Cameroon, Chile took the lead with just six minutes gone.
Germany goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen rolled the ball out towards Joshua Kimmich, but Arturo Vidal deflected the ball into Sanchez's path and the striker fired home.
Despite Loew's positive appraisal, Chile could have been 2-0 when Eduardo Vargas rattled the crossbar on 20 minutes.
Despite the early scare, Germany regained their composure and pushed forward.
When Can broke into the Chile half, his pass to the left wing found Hector, whose hard, low cross was stabbed by Stindl past goalkeeper Johnny Herrera on 41 minutes.
Both sides had no more than half-chances to break the deadlock with the group winners to be decided by the weekend's final round.

CAMEROON DENIED
Earlier, Australia's captain Mark Milligan converted a second-half penalty as the Socceroos fought back to draw with Cameroon to leave both teams facing an early exit.

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, 21, gave Cameroon a superb lead with a deft flick over Australia goalkeeper Mathew Ryan on the stroke of half-time in St Petersburg.
Milligan came to the Socceroos rescue by slotting home a spot-kick on 60 minutes as both sides picked up their first Confed Cup point.

Football | Premier League : Man United cleared in Pogba deal

Fifa have cleared Manchester United but opened disciplinary proceedings against Juventus over Paul Pogba's world record transfer, football's governing body announced on Wednesday.

The France midfielder returned to United in a deal worth more than $111 million, 105.2 million euros) in August 2016 from the Italian giants.
In May Fifa began an inquiry into the move, requesting information about the headline transfer from United.
But in a statement Fifa confirmed that while United were in the clear of any wrongdoing, they were taking action against Juventus.
"We can confirm that disciplinary proceedings have been opened against Juventus FC.
"We can also confirm that no disciplinary proceedings have been opened against Manchester United," the statement said.
It added: "As proceedings are ongoing please understand we cannot comment further at this stage."
Pogba's move came under particular scrutiny amid reports the player's agent Mino Raiola would earn some 49 million euros from the deal.
Raiola is suspected of a conflict of interest, as he was at the time agent for Pogba, Juventus and Manchester United.
In May, French website Mediapart, quoting the Football Leaks documents, claimed: "Pogba in reality cost 127 million euros to Manchester United with 49 millions going into Raiola's pockets and only 78 millions into Juve's bank account."
According to the investigative site, Raiola "didn't appear to let Manchester United know that he was also working for Juventus," an arrangement that is outlawed under English rules.
Pogba, 24, started his career with United but made just three appearances in the Premier League before heading to Italy, after an apparent falling out with then manager Alex Ferguson.
He flourished in Serie A, winning four league titles with Juventus between 2012 and 2016.
Pogba appeared in the 2015 Champions League final, which Juventus lost 3-1 to Barcelona.
At the same time, the powerful midfielder made himself a mainstay of the French national team.
He made his debut in March 2013, just a week after his 20th birthday, in a World Cup qualifier against Georgia.
He also featured as part of the 2014 French World Cup squad and was named the tournament's best young player.
Pogba's performances at the 2016 European Championship helped attract the attention of his former club Manchester United, under new manager Jose Mourinho.
Last season he helped propel United to a first ever Europa League title, scoring in his team's 2-0 victory over Ajax in Stockholm on May 25.

© Reuters

Football | Super Eagles : Fans rally around Rohr

There’s an English proverb, that a camel is a horse designed by committee. It is a more complex synonym of the popular “too many cooks spoil the broth.” And that is nothing new in Nigeria, where individuals are appointed to management and directorship positions, and then steered and micro-managed by a motley crew of interest groups. In the end everyone melts into thin air when disastrous results burst open. Exactly that is looming in the dark clouds hovering over the head of NFF. One defeat, and the swords are unsheathed, the horses charging, the mission unknown.

Many fans do not think Nigeria will be at the FIFA World Cup in Russia next year, simply because it does not deserve to be there, based not on the players, or the manager, but because of the NFF Technical Committee that has now vowed to take over the coaching duties of Gernot Rohr and his assistants.
It could all be wrong in assuming that it was not in his contract to submit a players’ selection list to the Technical Committee for what in Nigeria is called, “vetting.” But if it is, then Mr Rohr made a grave error in signing it. But if it was not, and is now affixed to the agreement on the basis of the loss against South Africa, then as a German, I would expect him to resist it, and maybe quit.
The most successful Nigerian coaches in post colonial history were the Dutchman, Clemens Westerhof [below] and the late, and lamented “Big Boss” Stephen Keshi. Their achievements were a result of resilience against all odds, and resistance to meddlesome technical committees, writers and pundits. Even Dan Anyiam who became the first indigenous coach of the national team when he first took over from John Finch , demanded total control in both his stints

Of course, in the late 1950s, Leslie Courtier moulded the idea of a national side in Nigeria, camped and groomed raw talents along a football philosophy and diagnostic guidance of the English FA. This was at the dawn of Independence, and of course nobody dared interfere with his work at the King George V Stadium at Onikan. It was he who led the then Red Devils to their most lopsided victory ever. A 10-1 pummeling of then Dahomey. [below]

A lot has been said of the exploits of the Serb, Tiko Jelisavic, but it was the high profile Brazilian, Otto Gloria who guided Nigeria to a first ever AFCON win in 1980. Anecdotal accounts show that both men quit as a result of a plethora of appointed and ad hoc groups shoving them around. Gloria [below] had handled the Brazilian side that included legends: Pele, Garrincha, Didi and Djalma Santos, and was amused at the many faces crowding the dressing room in Lagos at half-time to threaten and tell him who should be replaced.

Gernot Rohr, by contrast is a humble man without notable successes as a soccer manager, and was not even the NFF’s first choice. It makes him prone to interference from the outside ironically by many eager to see to see him slip on the very banana peels which they have strewn along his path.
The mistake overlooked is that quiet people can be principled and stubborn, and that is what we’re very likely to see in the coming weeks if things continue as they have. A stand-off.
Add to the fray that as unassuming as Rohr is, he has also silently won the hearts of many fans in his short spell as coach and there is quiet storm brewing among the local aficionados of the game who want him to be left alone and pick his own ingredients to make his soup.
To those that who will listen their mantra is "good wine takes time". History is there to teach us that this certainly has merit - at least in Nigeria.
Regardless of which way the pendulum finally swings, there is no doubt that the Cameroon game on the 28th in Uyo will go a long way to determine the way forward for both Rohr and his 'helpers.' 

© supersport.com

Golf : Koepka's win shows folly of focusing on a few stars

 
Open triumph on Sunday was the latest reminder of how the sport used to be before Tiger Woods came along and blew away all preconceived notions of what sort of dominance was possible.

In becoming the seventh consecutive first-time winner of a major championship, Koepka showed that behind the superstars who dominate the headlines are dozens of players who on any given week are capable of beating anyone.
Koepka flew under the radar coming into the second major of the year but was far from a long shot, entering the week at Erin Hills ranked 22nd in the world and having finished no worse than 21st in his seven previous major starts.

Strong and aggressive, the 27-year-old Floridian is one of the longest drivers on the PGA Tour, averaging over 300 yards off the tee this season.
Koepka is among the new breed of big-hitting golfers and at Erin Hills in Wisconsin he found a venue ideally suited to his game on a course softened by rain that took the fire out of what already were the widest fairways ever at a U.S. Open.
There was still waist-high fescue that was as good as a one-stroke penalty, but it took a wildly inaccurate shot to find it, and Koepka did not hit too many wild shots.
He ranked fourth in driving accuracy and seventh in distance, a potent combination that he parlayed into 21 birdies, leading the field for greens in regulation while limiting his blemishes to five bogeys.
And on Sunday, the only day all week when a challenging wind tested the players, he missed only one green, in supreme command of all facets of his game as he compiled a five-under 67.
It was a round people would be talking about for years if it had been delivered by Woods, Dustin Johnson or Rory McIlroy.

"I put myself in some good chances over the majors over the last few years and never really quite came through," Koepka said, adding that he loved the all-round test of a U.S. Open.
"You can't make mistakes every shot. I mean there's a double (bogey) and a triple (bogey) waiting around every corner, if you just kind of take your mind off of it or just relax for a half second."There's something about majors where I just focus in a lot more. Obviously I need to do that more often. But it's got my full attention. Every shot, every putt, even if it's 12 inches ... I'm still reading it, still doing everything, and it's got my attention."

Koepka's victory, and before him Sergio Garcia at the U.S. Masters, show the folly of jumping on the bandwagon of whoever happens to be hot on any given week, or month.
World number one Johnson seemed unbeatable three months ago. It was a similar case with Jason Day for the first half of last year, Jordan Spieth for much of 2015 and McIlroy before that.
Woods won 14 majors in 46 starts from the 1997 Masters to the 2008 U.S. Open, an almost other-worldly record in a sport where a 10 percent winning record is considered outstanding.
But his era at the top is long gone, and we are back to how things used to be, when you could make a winning case for dozens of players heading into any major championship.
This time it was Koepka's turn to celebrate.
 

© Thomson Reuters

Football | Super Eagles : Proper balance key to Eagles progressing

 

How did the unthinkable happen? The defeat against the South Africans is not to be categorized under an old adage that “Pride goes before a fall,” but comes very close to it. There comes that pivotal encounter which stuns sportsmen into a chilling reality, never to take things for granted. This was the drama played out at the Godswill Akpabio theatre last Saturday. Without a doubt the South Africans were superior on the day and deserved their handsome away victory against Nigeria. This was no fluke, and there was no luck involved.
Bafana Bafana arrived with a clear tactical finesse, surprising skills on the ball, and the quiet optimism that they had the sharp scalpels to cut through the rib cage of the Super Eagles, given half a chance. They went about their surgery with clinical efficiency that in the end left the patient dead on the turf at Uyo.
So, what lessons are there to be learned from a hurried post-mortem?
The first problem with the Super Eagles is one that has suffused everything in the wider context – the lack of quality human resources management and maintenance culture.
A graph of Nigerian sports shows a victory today, a fall the next, then another victory and further failures into mediocrity, followed by depression, quarrel, dismissals, and a fresh start.
Experts in business management will tell you that such a scenario dissipates strategic thinking and productive energy, and further destroys invigorating capital resources. The result is not excellence, but imprisonment at a level just above the baseline.
This is why the “Super” Eagles were once ranked among the top five in the world, but currently languish in spaces between 30th and 60th, even with the pedigree, and high quality of human resources always available to the country.
Perhaps one thing the NFF does not possess is the financial clout to maintain a professional national outfit. Why this remains the case over the years, and the business community cannot invest in sports is a mystery.


There should be no more guaranteed shirt for any Eagle. Each spot should be earned.
For over fifty years we have vacillated between selecting more home-based than foreign-based footballers, a native or a foreign coach, and the use of stadiums in the swamps of coastal Lagos, in the savannah of Kano and Kaduna, in the centrality of Abuja or in the rainforests of Uyo and Calabar.
Rather than concentrate on the coming encounter with the South Africans, our sports media columns were awash with which Nigerian players were signing new contracts with teams in England, Turkey, Portugal, Russia, Belgium and Slovakia, all of which hyped into a crescendo that the Super Eagles were invincible.
Last Saturday the goalkeeper was nervous, the defence lethargic, the midfield starved attackers that had a poor first touch on the few passes they received from behind.
The South African keeper had no shots on goal to save, as his massed defence asphyxiated the aimless Nigerian onslaught that only produced disarray and disappointment.
Gernot Rohr must start considering the fact that there could be alternatives to Akpeyi, Iheanacho, Iwobi and Onazi, and not to guarantee them a starting line-up on each occasion, which infuses arrogance into their young heads.

Football | Premier League : Fans must lay off Wenger - Petit

Arsenal must spend more on wages if it hopes to keep players away from global competitors, former midfielder Emmanuel Petit told AFP on Friday, adding fans also needed to lay off embattled manager Arsene Wenger.

It is 13-years since Wenger's 'Invincibles' won the last of his three Premier League titles and the club has just come through their worst season in two decades.
Former French national Petit was at the heart of Arsenal's glory days under Wenger, but he said fans risked fixating on that era without understanding the present.
"I think that at times it has gone much too far (criticism of Wenger)," he told AFP in Bangkok where Petit was taking part in the first-round draw of the EFL's newly rebranded Carabao Cup.
"I think that, once again, people have been suffering from amnesia. I think that they tend to focus on what happened in the past, rather than the whole picture."
Wenger has spent much of the last year facing down a growing fan rebellion against his long tenure that looks unlikely to subside unless the team returns to their winning ways.
A surprise FA Cup win against Premier League champions Chelsea last month briefly lifted supporter spirits and was followed by the news that Wenger had signed a new two-year contract.
Wenger now faces a tough task of attracting new talent and keeping his best players.
For starters, he has to persuade Alexis Sanchez to sign a new contract amid rumours the Chile forward will attract offers from Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
Sanchez and teammate Mesut Ozil are both holding out for weekly wages of around £300 000-per-week and have just one year left on their current deals.

Football | Premier League : Hazard plays down transfer rumours

Midfielder Eden Hazard tried to play down speculation that he is about to move away from Stamford Bridge by describing how settled he feels with his Chelsea "family".

The Belgium international scored 17 goals and provided five assists to help Chelsea win the Premier League title and reach the FA Cup final last season.
Media reports have linked the playmaker, who joined Chelsea in 2012, with a big money move to Spanish champions Real Madrid but Hazard said he feels at home at Stamford Bridge.
"I like this club because it's a family," Hazard told the club's website. (www.chelseafc.com)
"I have a lot of friends and we all talk to each other. I've been here five years now and I'm so happy. I'm at one of the best clubs in the world, so I'm very happy to play for such a big club as this."
Hazard's exploits led to him being named Chelsea's Player of the Year for the third time in five years at the club, as they lost just five league matches to seal the title and Hazard is hoping for more success next season.
"Hopefully next year it is the same, we win the league and then I win Player of the Year," Hazard said.
"Obviously winning the league is what we want most, and this award is just a bonus."
Chelsea host Burnley in their first match of the 2017-18 league campaign and travel to Wembley to face last year's runners-up Tottenham Hotspur, a week later.

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Athletics : Bolt to leave unmatched legacy - Coe

Usain Bolt is without question the greatest ever track athlete and the Jamaican's involvement in athletics after his retirement will be paramount to ensure its relevance to a younger generation, according to Sebastian Coe.

The IAAF president watched Bolt cruise to victory in the 100 metres at the national stadium in Kingston on Saturday, the 30-year-old bidding farewell to more than 30 000 spectators at his last meeting on home soil.
Coe, who won back-to-back 1 500 metres golds among four Olympic medals, said no other sprinter could compare to the eight-times Olympic champion, who will bow out at the world championships in London.
"When you're sitting in the pub and you’re having the discussion: who is the greatest footballer? Nobody will agree on that," Coe told Reuters in an interview.
"If you have the same discussion around golf or tennis, everybody will have different views.
"It’s a slam dunk. (Bolt) is the greatest sprinter the world has ever seen.
"If you look at the records he set, if you look at the Olympic championships he’s had -- three in a row -- I’m not sure I’m ever going to see that in my lifetime.
"So it’s a massive legacy and the most important legacy is that he has connected our sport to people who weren't traditional track and field fans, that’s the measure of the man."

Coe said the 100 and 200 metres world record holder would have a bigger challenge in life after competition.
"The second leg of his journey, the biggest challenge athletics has, the biggest challenge the Olympic movement has, is for young people to feel what we offer is relevant to their lives," the 60-year-old Briton said.
"He connects with all ages, he connects with all denominations, all cultures, all creeds, all politics and that’s a very unique breed and we need to maintain his involvement,” the IOC vice president said.
“I’m delighted that he has agreed to help us grow the sport and to help our sport remain relevant to young people."
Coe was thrilled to see Bolt make his last run on home soil.
“There’s nowhere else on this planet that I would rather be tonight, than here, this was the must see moment and I’m not just saying that as the president of the world sport, I’m saying this as a fan,” he added.
“This guy has transformed our sport, he’s connected with young people, he’s connected with people that didn’t even think they liked track and field, he’s turned them into lifelong fans and every single plaudit that he receives tonight, he’s deserving of every syllable of it."

© Reuters

Football | La Liga : Ronaldo seeks Real Madrid exit

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave the club and Spain after being accused of committing tax fraud in the country, a report in Portuguese sports daily A Bola said on Friday. The newspaper said its story was based on a reliable source and that the 32-year-old four-times world player of the year had already made up his mind to ask the club for a transfer.
It said that Ronaldo was "deeply disenchanted" with the allegations against him.
Spanish prosecutors have filed a lawsuit against the player accusing him of defrauding tax authorities of €14.7 million by hiding his image rights income between 2011 and 2014. Ronaldo has denied any wrongdoing.
Real Madrid said on Thursday that they were confident the Portuguese forward had acted legally. They could not immediately be reached on Friday to comment on the report.
Ronaldo led Real Madrid to their 12th European Cup earlier this month after scoring two goals in a 4-1 victory over Juventus in the Champions League final, becoming the tournament's top scorer.
Ronaldo, Portugal's all-time leading scorer, is the latest in a long line of soccer players in Spain – among them Barcelona's Lionel Messi and Neymar – to be caught up in cases over tax or transfers.
Ronaldo has completed eight seasons at Real Madrid since joining them from Manchester United in 2009 for a then world record fee of €96 million.
During that time, they have won the Champions League three times and La Liga twice. In November, he agreed to extend his contract until 2021.
He is currently at the Confederations Cup in Russia with the Portuguese national team.

© Reuters

Football | Argentina : 'Messi will be best in world until he retires' - Sampaoli salutes Barcelona and Argentina talisman

Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli says Lionel Messi will remain the world's greatest player until he retires, despite an underwhelming performance against Brazil on Friday.
Gabriel Mercado's strike helped Argentina to a hard-fought 1-0 win over their bitter rivals in Melbourne, with Brazil missing a number of fine chances to equalise after the break.
Messi was unable to take his side by the hand in a tightly contested encounter, but Sampaoli was not interested in criticising his captain.
"When it comes to Messi, he is and will continue to be the best player in the world until he retires," Sampaoli said at a news conference after his first game in charge of the national team.

"That is simply the way I feel about Leo.
"Overall, I appreciate the enthusiasm and the attitude of the players. We did not have a lot of time to prepare.

"We got more chances to score than Brazil in the first half and were mainly playing inside their half. We suffered a bit after the break. Brazil got some chances to level the scoring in the second half.

"It is always a motivation to beat Brazil, this game is a classic. We did not just come here to play, but wanted to win. The players fought for the jersey."

Swimming: Australia’s Fraser-Holmes To Fight ‘Whereabouts’ Ban

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australian Olympic swimmer Thomas Fraser-Holmes will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to overturn a 12-month ban for missing anti-doping tests.

Athletes are required to file information on their whereabouts every day to allow drug testers to locate them for random out-of-competition tests.

Fraser-Holmes - Meters - Relay - Bronze - World

Fraser-Holmes, who won a 200 meters freestyle relay bronze at the 2015 world championships, had fallen foul of the ‘whereabouts’ rule and missed three tests, local media reported, citing the swimmer’s lawyer.

Swimming Australia confirmed world governing body FINA had banned the 25-year-old after a hearing.

Thomas - Fraser-Holmes - Decision - Court - Arbitration

“We have been informed that Thomas Fraser-Holmes will be appealing the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, as is his right,” SA said in a statement on Friday.

Fraser-Holmes’s lawyer...

Tennis : Raonic parts ways with coach Krajicek

Milos Raonic and coach Richard Krajicek have decided to part ways after less than six months working together, the Canadian said in the wake of his exit from the French Open.
The world number six did not win a title under the former Wimbledon champion, who was appointed in December, and progressed to the final in two of nine tournaments.
Raonic lost to Pablo Carreno Busta in the fourth round at Roland Garros on Sunday.
"My coach, Richard Krajicek, and I have decided to part ways. This decision has been a mutual one," Raonic said on his official Twitter account.
"I would like to thank Richard for his help with my game, his dedication and professionalism. I wish him all the best."
Raonic, who has continued to work with long-time coach Riccardo Piatti, will aim to get his season back on track at the Aegon Championships in Birmingham, later this month.

© Thomson Reuters

Brazil 0 Argentina 1: Mercado makes the difference on Sampaoli's debut

Jorge Sampaoli's Argentina reign began with a win as Gabriel Mercado's goal secured a 1-0 friendly victory over great rivals Brazil at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
The defender reacted quickly after Nicolas Otamendi's header came back off the upright and tapped home to make the difference shortly before the break.
Sampaoli fielded an attacking XI in his first game as Argentina boss, including Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Paulo Dybala and Angel Di Maria.
Brazil, meanwhile, were without star attacker Neymar, but Tite did name Premier League trio Gabriel Jesus, Willian and Philippe Coutinho in his line-up.

The Selecao were left to rue an astonishing miss in the second half, though, as Jesus struck the post with the goal gaping as Tite tasted his first defeat since replacing Dunga at the helm, bringing an end to a run of nine consecutive victories.
Brazil take on Australia on June 13 in another friendly, while Argentina meet Singapore before they attempt to revive their stuttering World Cup qualifying campaign against Uruguay in August.
Sampaoli's side made an encouraging start and came close to opening the scoring after just six minutes, Di Maria blasting a powerful shot against the left upright from a narrow angle after being set up by Dybala.
Brazil first threatened midway through the half when Willian escaped the attentions of his marker down the left and unselfishly squared for the unmarked Coutinho, only for the Liverpool man to take too much time and allow Otamendi to make a last-ditch block.
Di Maria then nearly surprised Weverton with an ambitious volley from the corner of the box after Gil failed to adequately clear a cross from the left, the goalkeeper only just managing to keep the winger's attempt out with his chest.
But there was no denying Argentina in the 45th minute as Mercado broke the deadlock with a calm finish from close range, reacting first to the rebound after Otamendi hit the upright following a cross from Di Maria.
Brazil went in search of the equaliser after the break and Jesus was first to try his luck when he forced goalkeeper Sergio Romero into a one-handed save with a curled shot toward the top corner from 15 yards out.

Football | Afcon 2019 : Ghana eye winning start in qualifiers

Ghana eye winning start in qualifiersGhana will face off with Ethiopia in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group F match at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi on Sunday.

Kick-off is at 5.30pm CAT.
The Black Stars are four-time Afcon title winners - having lost five times in the final. They finished fourth during the 2017 finals in Gabon.
Newly appointed Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah as been handed a two-year mandate to qualify for the 2018 Fifa World Cup and also win the 2019 Afcon title in Cameroon.
Prior to the clash with Ethiopia, the Black Stars have been at a training camp in Kumasi. Late last month, Ghana drew 1-1 with Benin in an friendly match in Accra.
The Black Stars will once again look to their star players, Asamoah Gyan and Andre Ayew, who also serve as the captain and vice-captain respectively.
Ghana head coach Appiah has urged fans to come in numbers on Saturday and he also discussed the Black Stars' squad depth.
“I am on my knees pleading to all Ghanaians to rally support behind the Black Stars as we play Ethiopia on Sunday at the Kumasi Baba Yara Sports Stadium,” Appiah said.
"We have lot of talents in the country and I want to do my best by making good use of them and create competition in the team.
"All we want is the best for Ghana."
Meanwhile, Ethiopia were crowned Afcon champions in 1962. Since then they have participated in seven finals. Their last appearance was in 2013 where they failed to reach the knockout stages.
The Walia Ibex are under the guidance of Ashenafi Bekele, who was appointed last February. The Ethiopian tactician is expected to guide the team to the 2019 Afcon finals.
Before facing the Black Stars, Ethiopia were suppose to face Zambia in an international friendly, but the encounter was cancelled.
Saladin Said, who is the current top in the 2017 Caf Champions League with six goals, is part of the Walia Ibex squad that is in Kumasi.
Ethiopia Football Federation (EFF) general secretary Wolvinken Nllyou says they can claim at least a point against Ghana.
"Our first game is very important because Ghana is a good side. If we just draw with Ghana in an away match, our chances of qualifying will be brighter," Nllyou said.
"A good result in Ghana will bring optimism in our team so we will try to win or at least pick one point from the game.
'We're aware that Ghana are playing good football and are one of the top countries in Africa but we're determined."

© Backpage TXT

Cricket : Muttiah Muralitharan to be inducted into ICC Hall of Fame during Champions Trophy

Legendary off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, the first cricketer from his country to be voted into the ICC Hall of Fame, will be formally inducted during the ICC Champions Trophy in England later this year, Sri Lanka Cricket announced on Wednesday.
“It gives us immense sense of pride that Murali is receiving this highest honour. We are proud of him and the glory he has brought to Cricket in Sri Lanka. His illustrious career demonstrates that he belongs to this highly prestigious group,” Ashley de Silva, CEO Sri Lanka Cricket, was quoted as saying on srilankacricket.lk.
( Read | ICC Champions Trophy: Morne Morkel, Keshav Maharaj named in South Africa’s squad)
One of the most iconic cricketers of the game, Muralitharan has been synonymous with the rise of Sri Lankan cricket since the early nineties. He was part of their World Cup winning squad in 1996 and had taken the world by storm with the art of mastering the ‘doosra’. According to de Silva, Murali was offered to choose between the Bangladesh tour to Sri Lanka, the ICC Champions Trophy and the India tour for being inducted and he chose the ICC event.

He will also be joined by former Australia captain Karen Rolton, Arthur Morris and Englishman George Lohmann, who were voted by ICC Cricket Hall of Famers and a section of the media. The latter two will be represented by their family members at the event. The ICC will honour their contribution to the game by presenting them with commemorative caps.

A year back, when their names had been chosen, ICC chairman Dave Richardson had congratulated them and said: “Muralitharan has been one of the greats of the modern era. His guile and consistency over the years helped Sri Lanka develop as a very competitive side in both Tests and ODI cricket.”

Golf: Cink tied for lead in Memphis, Fowler struggles

Three days after sealing a U.S. Open spot via a grueling 36-hole qualifier, Stewart Cink carried his good form into the first round of the St. Jude Classic in Memphis on Thursday to earn a four-way tie for the lead with a six-under-par 64.
Cink ran up nine birdies and three bogeys in a rollercoaster round at TPC Southwind to join Matt Every, Scott Brown and Colombian Sebastian Munoz at the top, with South African Charl Schwartzel and Australian Matt Jones one shot off the lead.
Rickie Fowler struggled to get his game on track after posting a double bogey at his fourth hole and a triple at his sixth and ended the day on four-over-par (74), leaving him with a lot of work to do to make the cut in the final tune-up for next week’s U.S. Open.
The 44-year-old Cink said he was "a little tired" after coming through a sectional qualifier for the second major of the year.
"Takes a little bit longer at 44 to get over those kind of days," the 2009 British Open champion told reporters.
“I did a pretty good job of managing myself out there, not getting too bent out of shape about anything good or bad that happened. And it was a solid day. Every part of the game was pretty solid.”
Co-leader Every was delighted with his performance, a rare bright spot in what has been a terrible run of form.
“I was kind of due for one,” said the two-time PGA Tour winner who has made only two cuts all season and is without a single top-60 finish.
Phil Mickelson, who was wayward off the tee but salvaged a one-under 69, is unlikely to play in the U.S. Open, the only major he has yet to win after six runner-up finishes.
He will attend his daughter’s high school graduation ceremony in California, which is scheduled for next Thursday, barely two hours before his first round tee time at Erin Hills in Wisconsin.
Mickelson's only shot at making it would seem to be a weather delay.
“If there was any kind of delay I’ll have everything ready to go and we’ll hopefully be able to make it but the weather looks pretty nice next week which is great for the tournament,” he added.
© Thomson Reuters

Motor Race : Alonso says he will quit F1 if season expands to 25 races

Double world champion Fernando Alonso said on Thursday he would not stick around in Formula One if the calendar grew to 25 races a year.The 35-year-old, whose future at under-performing McLaren is already uncertain beyond this season, was asked at the Canadian Grand Prix if it was true he had told Spanish television he would retire rather than do such a number of races.
"Yes," he replied.
"I started when the calendar was 16 races, plus the tests," continued the Spaniard. "Now we keep on increasing the races year after year and I think we are in a number that is quite demanding already.
"The preparation, the sponsor events, the tests, the commitments you have plus 20, 21 races, I think is already enough.
"I consider that a good quality of life is more important than to do more seasons in F1 -- so if the calendar stays between 20-21...I’ll be happy to continue. If it’s increasing, like NASCAR, that they have 40 or 50 races, it’s not for me."
The 2017 calendar has 20 races but next year will see it grow to 21 with France and Germany returning and Malaysia leaving.
Liberty Media, Formula One's new American owners, have big plans to reshape the sport and are targeting new venues in key markets, including another race in the United States and Asia.
"We want to work in partnership with our teams in terms of determining where we go, but our view is that we’d like to go above 21 (races)," Formula One's commercial managing director Sean Bratches told Reuters last week.
He did not specify an upper limit.
McLaren's executive director Zak Brown told Reuters on Wednesday that he would welcome a second race in the United States, another in China, one in South Africa and ideally a return to India although that looked unlikely.
"We still aren’t where we need to be in China. You could have a race in Beijing and Shanghai and I don’t think you’ve saturated Asia," he said.

He warned, however, that the sport needed to preserve its exclusivity. And it also depended on the venues.
"If we are at 21 (races) and you are talking that the 22nd can be New York, then yes! If you told me the 22nd was Nebraska, no," he said.
Piecing together the calendar is never so simple, with many of the sport's constituents looking for different things and concerned about budgets and the impact on team staff.
Triple world champion Lewis Hamilton said he agreed with Alonso but the Mercedes driver stopped well short of saying he would leave if the calendar continued to expand.
"I understand what Fernando is saying and I tend to agree with it," said the Briton.
(Additional reporting and editing by Alan Baldwin)Double world champion Fernando Alonso said on Thursday he would not stick around in Formula One if the calendar grew to 25 races a year.
The 35-year-old, whose future at under-performing McLaren is already uncertain beyond this season, was asked at the Canadian Grand Prix if it was true he had told Spanish television he would retire rather than do such a number of races.
"Yes," he replied.

Football | Premier League : Kane reveals Ballon d'Or dream

Kane reveals Ballon d'Or dreamHe has established himself as the most lethal finisher in the Premier League and now Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane has set his sights on winning the Ballon d'Or.

Kane, 23, has won the Premier League Golden Boot for the past two seasons and is the first Spurs player since Jimmy Greaves to have scored 20+ top-flight goals in three successive campaigns.
He knows that he is a long way from surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the world's stand-out player, but says success with Spurs and England can set him on their tails.
"Who wouldn't want to win that big gold trophy? It's definitely something I aspire to do," Kane told reporters at England's St George's Park training base this week.
"You have to win the big tournaments, for club and country. Ronaldo won the Euro and the Champions League and that's part of the reason why most of the time he wins it. Messi's a similar situation.
"To do that, it isn't just individual. It's part of a team thing as well, winning team trophies. That's hopefully what we can do at Tottenham. And for sure I'd love to win that trophy one day."
Seven goals in his last two games allowed Kane to finish the 2016-17 season with 35 goals in all competitions, following hauls of 31 and 28 in the two previous campaigns.
But his first international tournament ended in humiliation last year as England were dumped out of Euro 2016 by minnows Iceland in the last 16.
England are well placed to qualify for next year's World Cup in Russia and if they get there, Kane knows he must deliver.
"You always get judged on the big games and the big moments," he said.
"You see the world's best do it every time they seem to get those occasions. First and foremost, we've got to get there as a team.
"But as a player, you want to prove to the world you're as good as anyone else. I'm no different.
"I want to prove to everyone here and everyone across the world that I'm one of the best strikers out there."

Football | Super Eagles : Eagles pay homage to Keshi

It was an emotional training session for the Super Eagles on Wednesday as a minute of silence was observed for late Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi on the one-year anniversary of his death.

Keshi was at the helm of affairs when Nigeria won the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa and also took the country to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
The Eagles, currently in Uyo preparing for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa, took time out to remember Keshi, who died on 7th June 2016.
The one-minute of silence before the training session at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo was emotional for a lot of players whom Keshi gave their debut in the national team and also groomed for success.
Ogenyi Onazi, who was part of the 2013 AFCON cup winning side led the players, while midfielder John Ogu described Keshi as legend who ‘made my dream come true’.
The Nigeria Football Federation also took to their Twitter to pay homage to late Stephen Keshi who also won the Africa Cup of Nations title in 1994 as a players.
“We say not in grief you are no more, but we live in thankfulness that you were. Rest on BIG BOSS! Late Stephen Keshi.” the NFF said via their verified Twitter account @theNFF.
Keshi, who made his debut in 1981, earned 64 caps for Nigeria scoring nine goals. He also played club football for ACB Lagos, NNB Benin, Stella Abidjan, Lokeren, Anderlecht, Racing Strasbourg among others.
He also coached the senior national teams of Mali and Togo.

© supersport.com

Football | Super Eagles : Musa not worried by Ramadan

Musa not worried by RamadanSuper Eagles winger, Ahmed Musa says the on-going Ramadan is not a problem for him ahead of Saturday’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (Sawm) to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad according to Islamic belief.
This annual observance is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam.
The month lasts 29–30 days based on the visual sighting of the crescent moon, according to numerous biographical accounts compiled in the hadiths.
Musa, a Muslim, says as a professional footballer, he does not think his performance will be detrimentally affected if he is selected to face the Bafana Bafana on Saturday.
The Leicester City man is drawing from his experience at the 2014 Fifa World Cup finals in Brazil where he had to play at the highest level under similar conditions.
"I don't think (Ramadan) will affect me at all. We have been here for a long time,” Musa said at a press conference in Uyo on Thursday.
“Ramadan is a very difficult thing but we are used to it so I don't think there's anything new about it.
“Most of the players have been playing football during the Ramadan so I don't think we have to skip Ramadan because of football.
“I have played at the World Cup during (Ramadan) under the former coach, the late Stephen Keshi and played all 90 minutes,” he said.
Musa has been capped 63 times by Nigeria at senior level.

© supersport.com

Football | Argentina : Sampaoli banking on Messi for revival

Sampaoli banking on Messi for revivalNew manager Jorge Sampaoli says he is looking to superstar Lionel Messi to revive Argentina's World Cup fortunes starting with Friday's friendly with Brazil in Melbourne.

Sampaoli has been installed to kick-start the two-time world champions' ailing South American campaign where they lag outside the automatic qualifying positions in fifth spot with four games left.
Argentina will square off with Brazil before a capacity 100 000 crowd at the Melbourne Cricket Ground ahead of their crucial next qualifier in Uruguay on August 31.
Sampaoli, who is Argentina's third coach during the current World Cup campaign after Gerardo Martino and Edgardo Bauza, said he valued Messi's commitment to get his country to next year's World Cup finals in Russia.
"I'm very thankful that the best player in the world cut short his vacation in China and was able to travel here for a friendly," Sampaoli told reporters on Thursday.
"He has the will to participate and drive Argentina to the World Cup, so he’s very much involved toward these goals.
"The things that he’s done for the team, especially this time round, are really valuable.
"I really hope that the abilities that he shows as a leader and as a player will help Argentina improve."
Sampaoli wants to use the Melbourne match to see Messi and Paris Saint-Germain's Angel Di Maria work together.
"They are very good players, individually, and these friendly games give us the opportunity to test their compatibility and see how well they can work together," Sampaoli said.
"They’re both great players and we have great expectations. I believe that they will be able to help the team."
NEVER A FRIENDLY
But Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi, recalled to the Argentine squad for the first time since 2013, is in doubt for Friday's match with a thigh injury.
Sampaoli said he was keen for Icardi to at least play a few minutes "but unfortunately the doctor is not on the same page".

Football | Fifa : Fifa sponsors push China's WCup chances

Fifa sponsors push China's WCup chances China's footballers may be struggling on the pitch but its companies are proving to be a big player, signing sponsorship deals with Fifa as the giant Asian nation looks to boost its chances of hosting the World Cup.

In the space of a year, football governing body Fifa has gained three major Chinese sponsors in conglomerate Wanda, Hisense – the world's No 3 television manufacturer – and smartphone maker Vivo, who concluded a deal just a week ago.
The new partnerships came as a welcome relief to football's governing body after Fifa's image and reputation was battered in recent years by a slew of corruption allegations involving former president Sepp Blatter.
Sony, Emirates, Castrol, Continental and Johnson & Johnson all declined to renew their sponsorship deals, leaving Fifa struggling to find new backers.
"Vivo was very well received by Fifa, which was why (the deal) was concluded very quickly," said Mark Gao, CEO of the agency Momentum Sports, which brokered the sponsorship agreement. "Negotiations were tough on the amount, but lasted less than 100 days."
The Vivo deal comes 18 months after e-commerce world leader Alibaba signed a partnership with the Fifa Club World Cup, lending further ammunition to those who believe China will bid for the 2030 World Cup.
When Wanda became a sponsor of Fifa at the beginning of 2016, its chief Wang Jianlin, known to have Beijing's ear, said the partnership "would increase the chances" of a Chinese World Cup.
Gao says he too is now "convinced that the arrival of Chinese sponsors will promote and accelerate a Chinese bid for a World Cup".
'Rules cannot change'
The Chinese national team currently ranks 82nd in the Fifa world ranking, just behind the tiny Faroe Islands and Benin.
But that has not stopped the Asian giant's president Xi Jinping, a devoted football fan, from dreaming of glory and pushing for his country to host a World Cup in the future.
Next year's World Cup is in Russia, who are part of Uefa, and 2022 will be in Qatar, part of the Asian Football Confederation, making China ineligible to be a host until at least 2030 under Fifa rules that stipulate tournaments must alternate between continents.

Football | Super Eagles : Onazi makes Afcon, World Cup vows

Ogenyi Onazi has declared that featuring at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2018 Fifa World Cup finals remain the major target of Nigeria.

The 24-year-old midfielder believes that the current "group" of Super Eagles players can take Nigeria to the next Afcon in Cameroon and then to the World Cup in Russia based on the display of "confidence" and "ambition" in camp ahead of the game against South Africa in the Afcon qualification this Saturday.
Nigeria begin their quest to qualify for a first Afcon since 2013 when they won their third African title, coincidentally in South Africa, which played hosts to that edition, and Onazi has described the contest as "a big game."
The Trabzonspor man has also made it clear that the Super Eagles are ready to face South Africa's Bafana Bafana this Saturday.
“It is a big game, and we are one for the big occasion.
“I have confidence in the group that we have now and the ambition oozing in the camp. We want to go to the World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations. Starting well on Saturday will be key to our aspiration,” Onazi, expected to captain Nigeria, told thenff.com.
He also sees the opportunity to play South Africa in the Afcon qualification a chance to make amends for the past when they failed to qualify for the 2017 Afcon in Gabon.
Nigeria face South Africa at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo in their first of six matches in Group E of the Afcon qualification before games against Seychelles and Libya.
In August, the Super Eagles go up against African champions Cameroon in a Group B game of the World Cup qualification in which they sit pretty at the top of the pile with six points, four more than the chasing pack.

© supersport.com

Football | La Liga : Pepe unhappy with Real Madrid exit

Portugese defender Pepe confirmed he has had offers from Premier League clubs after announcing he will leave Real Madrid when his contract expires this summer.

Pepe, 34, has spent 10 years with the European champions, but has fallen down the pecking order under Zinedine Zidane this season as Madrid won a La Liga and Champions League double for the first time in 59 years.
"What Madrid have done is spectacular, but there are things that I still don't understand," the Brazilian-born centre-back told Spanish radio station Cope.
"I don't know why I have disappeared from the team.
"An era has come to an end and, from now, a new one will start, but Real Madrid's way of doing things hasn't been correct."
French giants Paris Saint-Germain and Italy's Inter Milan have both been rumoured as Pepe's possible next destination.
However, he said England also remained a possibility having previously snubbed the option of a lucrative move to China to help his chances of playing for Portugal in next year's World Cup.
"There are more offers. Not just from PSG or Inter, but England for example," he added.
"I don't have anything signed with any other club. I could have done so earlier but I didn't want to destabilise the team."
Pepe has won three La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues in his decade in Spain.
However, his career at Madrid was overshadowed by a shocking incident in 2009 when he kicked Getafe's Javier Casquero twice as he lay prone on the ground, for which Pepe was handed a 10-game ban.

© AFP

Football | Premier League : Arsenal sign Kolasinac from Schalke

Arsene Wenger's first activity in the transfer market since signing a new contract last week is to secure the services of Bosnian international defender Sead Kolasinac on a free transfer.

Kolasinac – who turns 24 later this month – joins the FA Cup winners from Bundesliga side Schalke 04 and will compete with Nacho Monreal for the first choice berth.
"Sead Kolasinac will join us this summer on a long-term contract," read a short statement on the club website on Tuesday.
"Subject to the completion of all regulatory processes, the defender will start pre-season training in July."
Kolasinac, born in Germany but to Bosnian parents, made 94 Bundesliga appearances for Schalke and played over 20 Europa League and Champions League matches for the 'Royal Blues'.
He played for Bosnia in the 2014 World Cup finals making unwanted history in scoring the fastest own goal in the tournament's history – the third minute of the group match with Argentina.
Arsenal supporters, some of whom have turned against Wenger and wanted him to leave, will be watching the Frenchman's transfer activity carefully after the Gunners won just the FA Cup during a largely unsuccessful season.
Arsenal have been linked with a big-money move for Monaco forward Kylian Mbappe, while Henry Onyekuru – a forward currently at Belgian outfit KAS Eupen – has also been touted as a target.

© AFP

Tennis : Memory fails Nishikori ahead of Murray reunion

Memory fails Nishikori ahead of Murray reunionKei Nishikori admitted he couldn't remember last year's US Open upset of Andy Murray after booking a quarterfinal rematch with the world No 1 at Roland Garros on Monday.

The Japanese star recovered from a dreadful start to beat veteran Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 0-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 in the French Open fourth round to reach a seventh Grand Slam quarterfinal.
Nishikori surpassed Jiro Satoh for the most quarterfinal appearances by a Japanese man, as he made the last eight for the second time in three years in Paris.
He will take on Murray for a place in the semifinals, with the Briton prevailing in eight of their 10 previous meetings.
But Nishikori famously dumped the 2012 US Open champion out in New York last year after rallying from sets to one down.
"Sorry that I don't remember much," Nishikori responded when asked of the confidence he could draw from that five-set victory.
"You know when we play it's always a battle," he added. "Yeah, for sure, it's gonna be a tough one.
"We have been playing so many times. He's great player. Very smart tennis player. It's never easy, and I think this week he's been playing well."
Verdasco knocked out German ninth seed Alexander Zverev in the first round and looked like claiming another top-10 scalp when he raced through the opening set.
"I lost my mind, after 6-0 down I knew I had to change something," said Nishikori.
"I couldn't do anything first set but I tried to play deeper and more aggressive, and little by little I got better today.
"But still it was really, really tough battle. There was so many long rallies, second and third sets. I don't know how I got the second and third.
"The fourth, I think it was perfect tennis I played. So, yeah, very tough battle but very happy to win today."
Nishikori was playing for the third day running after his last-32 clash with South Korea's Hyeon Chung was held up by rain.
"I'm a little bit sore. Three days in a row. Not easy. Long matches. But I'm sure it's going to be okay. I have one day rest tomorrow (Tuesday)."
Murray, who coasted into the last eight with a straight-sets win over Russia's Karen Khachanov, knows Nishikori will represent his biggest test so far.
"Kei, you know, obviously lost against him at the US Open. He plays well on the clay. You know, very solid off both wings. Moves well, quick," said Murray.

© AFP

Football | La Liga : Valverde to 'revisit' Barca's tiki-taka

Valverde to 'revisit' Barca's tiki-takaNewly installed Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde vowed on Thursday to "deepen" and "revisit" the renowned slick passing game of the Catalan giants in a bid to lead the club to success in all possible competitions next season.

"I know the style because I played here" between 1998-2000, Valverde said at his first press conference after being named successor to Luis Enrique on a two-year contract with the option of a further year.
"I must adapt myself, or rather readapt, in a certain way. My goal is always to deepen the style, to revisit it once again."
Valverde, 53, has some big shoes to fill, Enrique having won nine of 13 possible trophies in his time at the helm.
"I must absolutely adapt to the style of the gameplan employed by the team, which has had so much success," said the coach, who signed from Athletic Bilbao.
"To have a very collective gameplan, based on midfielders," he said, adding that he wanted to win "all competitions that we can" next season.
"What I've always liked is that Barca manages to achieve its ends through its gameplan, without speculating, by going forward."
Valverde did not say what exactly he wanted to improve.
"We'll see over time," he said. "In football, you always have to keep going forward. If you don't, you go backwards. But it's a progressive issue and we'll see little by little.
"To say what can be improved is a dangerous thing and I can only tip my hat to what my predecessor Luis Enrique, who is a great coach, achieved here.
"I have my idea about what can be done, not better but in a different way."