FIFA President expects “fantastic tournament” after attending Confederation of African Football (CAF) Africa Cup of Nations 2023 opener

Gianni Infantino sees hosts Côte d’Ivoire kick off the competition against Guinea; Match “set the tone for a fantastic tournament,” said the FIFA President (https://www.FIFA.com); Thanked nation for “uniting Africa and the whole world” around the tournament. Mr Infantino was at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in the capital Abidjan alongside the Ivorian President whom the venue is named after, Confederation of African Football (CAF) President and FIFA Vice President […]

January 14, 2024 21

Sport

Gamble pays off for Loeb with victory in marathon stage 6 of Dakar Rally

Sebastien Loeb's decision to 'go slow' in stage five earlier in the week paid off on Friday as the Frenchman won the marathon two-day stage 6 at the Dakar Rally. Veteran Spaniard Carlos Sainz finished second 2min 01sec behind and took the overall lead while five-time winner Nasser Al-Attiyah saw his hopes of winning a sixth title disappear with a mechanical problem in the last 50 kilometres. Adrien van Beveren […]

January 12, 2024 5

Sport

Australia’s Davis grabs US PGA Tour lead at Waialae

Australian Cam Davis nabbed nine birdies in an eight-under par 62 on Thursday to seize a two-stroke lead in the suspended first round of the Sony Open, the first full-field event of the US PGA Tour season. Davis defied windy afternoon conditions at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu, Hawaii, launching a run of four straight birdies with a 37-foot putt at the 13th. After rolling in a 10-footer at […]

January 12, 2024 6

Sport

Wollaston wins bunch sprint to take first TDU stage

New Zealand's Ally Wollaston finished powerfully to take the first stage of Australia's Tour Down Under for her first women's WorldTour win in an uphill finish to claim the leader's jersey on Friday. Wollaston (AG Insurance-Soudal) prevailed in a bunched sprint ahead of Australia's Georgia Baker (Liv-AlUla-Jayco) and Italy's Sofia Bertizzolo (UAE Team-ADQ) in sapping heat in the 93.9km leg from Hahndorf to Campbelltown. "I'm just really proud," Wollaston said. […]

January 12, 2024 2

Sport

Murray : “Curbing late finishes will make tennis more professional”

Andy Murray has welcomed a move by global tennis bodies to minimise the scourge of late finishes, saying it will make the game "a wee bit" more professional. The British veteran's five-hour, 45-minute epic against Thanasi Kokkinakis at last year's Australian Open led to renewed calls for change. Three-time Grand Slam winner Murray memorably asked during his gruelling victory: "Why are we playing at 3 am?". The match finally ended […]

January 12, 2024 1

Sport

Refreshed Man City ready to pounce, Tottenham target top 4 at Man Utd

Manchester City appear ominously poised to strike in the Premier League title race as Pep Guardiola welcomes back key players for Saturday's trip to Newcastle, while Manchester United can ill-afford another damaging defeat when Tottenham visit Old Trafford. City enjoyed a near-perfect festive period as they won the Club World Cup for the first time in Saudi Arabia and then took maximum points from two Premier League games […]

January 12, 2024 6

Sport

Bundesliga Weekend Football Preview

League leaders Bayer Leverkusen's bid for a debut Bundesliga title is likely to hinge on how well Xabi Alonso's side account for their Africa Cup of Nations absences. Unbeaten Leverkusen sit four clear of second-placed Bayern, who have a game in hand, but need to do without the AFCON-bound Odilon Kossounou, Edmond Tapsoba and Amine Adli. A fourth, Nigeria striker Victor Boniface, was set to make his AFCON debut […]

January 12, 2024 4

Sport

Top seed Shelton ousted in Auckland Classic semi-finals

Top seed Ben Shelton suffered a surprise semi-final exit from the Auckland Classic on Friday, beaten in straight sets by Japan's Taro Daniel. Days out from the Australian Open, powerhouse American Shelton couldn't match the consistency of his unseeded opponent, who won 7-5, 7-6 (11/9) to qualify for his second career ATP final. World number 16 Shelton was only broken once but the 21-year-old couldn't capitalise on any of […]

January 12, 2024 5

Sport

Excitement at fever pitch as AFCON draws near

The Africa Cup of Nations kicks off on Saturday in Ivory Coast with the host nation and Mohamed Salah's Egypt among the leading contenders to succeed the Senegal of Sadio Mane as continental champions. The 24-team tournament, which concludes with the final on February 11, is the first in the West African country in four decades, since just eight nations featured in the 1984 edition won by Roger Milla's […]

January 12, 2024 8