New-Look Contenders in Action As Persian Gulf Pro League Gets Underway
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Nov. 5, 2020 Stefanos Tsitsipas said he is unsure how his ATP Finals title defense will go later this month after the Greek suffered a leg injury during his second- 11 round defeat at the Paris Masters, Reuters reported. New-look contenders in action as Persian Gulf Pro League gets underway Sports Desk of Hamed Lak, Milad Sarlak, Ehsan Pahlevan On Saturday, Sepahan legend Moharam and Issa Al-e-Kasir will fill the void of the de- Navidkia, who hopes to bring back the he Persian Gulf Pro League kicks off on parted players. glory days of his playing career with the Friday where title favorites hope to get Also on Friday, Javad Nekounam’s Foolad, club, will embark on a new chapter, as the Toff to a flying start to their campaigns. which impressively finished third last season, manager of the Isfahan-based giant, when There were fears over further suspension to will travel to Isfahan to play Zob Ahan. playing away to Amir Qalenoei’s Golgohar the league – initially Sirjan. scheduled to begin on Qalenoei himself October 31 – due to the will have a point to surge in the coronavi- prove against his rus cases in the coun- former club after a try, but the National run of disappoint- Headquarters for Man- ing results saw the aging and Fighting league’s most deco- Coronavirus eventual- rated manager’s JUAN MABROMATA/AFP ly gave the green light days in Sepahan end Flags of Diego Maradona are hung by fans outside the Ipensa clinic in La Plata, Argentina, on November 3, 2020. for the competition to in the latter stages go ahead as planned. of last season. celebrated when reports of the Of the regular con- Esteghlal is the Maradona undergoes successful outcome started to tenders for the title, other title challenger emerge, chanting, “Diego, Di- only Persepolis and with a new face in its ‘successful’ brain surgery ego!” Foolad Khuzestan dugout. Maradona, who won the will see their last sea- The long-time di- Diego Maradona was in recov- risky due to the ex-footballer’s World Cup with Argentina in son’s managers on the lemma of the Blues’ ery after a “successful” surgery delicate general health, lasted 1986 and is widely considered bench heading into the hot seat finally led to treat a subdural hematoma, about two hours and was car- to be one of the greatest players new season. to the club’s board a blood clot on the brain, a ried out by a team led by Leo- of all time, coaches local club Yahya Golmoham- naming the veteran source close to the former poldo Luque, Maradona’s Gimnasia y Esgrima. He last madi’s Reds, eyeing Mahmoud Fekri as World Cup winner said. neurosurgeon and personal appeared in public on his 60th a record-extending the manager – after he The operation, after Mara- physician. birthday last Friday before his fifth consecutive title, delivered some decent dona, 60, was admitted to hos- Luque said earlier that the side’s league match against Pa- will hope to carry on results with Nassaji pital a day earlier, was to ad- procedure was a “routine sur- tronato. the momentum from Mazandaran. dress the clot, often caused by a gery” and that Maradona had Dozens of fans of Gimnasia the AFC Champions TASNIM Last season’s run- head injury, and which can put been “lucid” and understood y Esgrima have converged on League campaign, ner-up will be well pressure on the brain. and agreed with the procedure. the hospital since Monday eve- which saw them secure a place in December 19 Tractor, meanwhile, under new manager Ali- aware of the importance of a powerful start, as “The operation proceeded Maradona was admitted to ning, waving flags and holding final, into Friday’s clash at Saipa. reza Mansourian, will host Naft Masjed Soley- many of Esteghlal fans believe below-par re- normally and without com- the Ipensa clinic in La Plata, posters with messages of sup- Persepolis, however, will see some of its key man in Tabriz. sults in the early stages of the previous seasons plications and was success- Argentina, on Monday for ane- port as they waited for news. assets in the previous four glittering seasons be- Mansourian will be aiming to rebuild his saw their club fall behind its archrival in the title ful,” the source told Reuters, mia and dehydration, before “What we want the most is ing replaced by new signings. damaged reputation – after a disappointing time race. adding that the diagnosis was being transferred to Olivos for Diego to get out of all this. While the Tehran-based club has parted ways in Esteghlal – by bringing the Tabirz faithful’s Esteghlal will play Mes Rafsanjan at Tehran’s a chronic subdural hemato- Clinic in Buenos Aires Prov- He can be, he is the greatest, with international goalkeeper Alireza Beiran- long hunger for the title to an end. Azadi Stadium on Saturday. ma. The person did not give ince. the greatest in the world,” said vand, first-choice center-back Shoja Khalil- Aluminium Arak, in its top-tier debut, will Elsewhere, Mehdi Rahmati’s Shahr Khodro details on the potential recov- Around 50 fans gathered in Diego Bermudez, 41, a Mara- zadeh, as well as frontline duo Ali Alipour and host Nassaji Mazandaran in the other of the four will host Mashinsazi Tabriz, with San’at Naft ery period. front of the Olivos Clinic, in dona fan waiting outside the Mehdi Torabi, Golmohammadi hopes the likes Friday fixtures. and Paykan squaring off in Abadan. The intervention, which was the suburbs of Buenos Aires, hospital. IOC ‘aware’ of complaint calling for organization to suspend FIFA chief Infantino The International Olympic ticular, “the management of as Articles 3.8 and 59 of the He is currently the sub- Committee (IOC) said its FIFA and its president are Olympic Charter provide ject of a criminal investi- chief ethics and compliance violating a whole host of for the possibility,” accord- gation in Switzerland, with officer is aware of allega- provisions protecting sport, ing to French newspaper Le proceedings opened against tions made against Gianni its integrity and that of the Monde. the FIFA president in July Infantino, after a sports athletes” regarding transfer “This file is a real crash over his relationship with management company regulations. test for the IOC. Swiss Attorney-General called for the organization The IOC confirmed it “Either it takes its re- Michael Lauber. to suspend the FIFA presi- was aware of the com- sponsibilities to ensure The case centers on un- dent over alleged breaches plaint. that FIFA also respects the documented meetings that of the Olympic Charter. “The IOC chief ethics principles of governance Lauber and Infantino are Swiss sports manage- and compliance officer is that it imposes on other alleged to have held in ment company Sport 7 re- aware of the allegations, international sports federa- 2016 and 2017. portedly lodged the com- but cannot make any further tions, or it fails, and then, it Infantino has insisted his plaint to the IOC regarding comments at this stage,” is the Swiss law of the asso- innocence, saying the meet- Infantino, insidethegames. the IOC told inside the ciation, which is far too in- ings “were in no way secret biz reported. games in a statement. Renz complete, which will have and most certainly not ille- Swiss lawyer and Sport called for the IOC to “im- to be thoroughly revised.” gal.” 7 principal partner Philippe mediately open an investi- Infantino, who is current- FIFA’s Ethics Commis- Renz wrote to the IOC to gation [...] with a view to ly in quarantine after test- sion has also cleared the request Infantino’s suspen- his exclusion from the IOC, fifa.com ing positive for coronavirus organization’s leader after sion. and that it suspend him pro- FIFA president Gianni Infantino (L) and IOC president Thomas Bach pose for a photo during a visit to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, last week, became a mem- opening and then closing Switzerland, on June 18, 2020. Renz argues that, in par- visionally in the meantime, ber of the IOC in January. an investigation. Jota shows pedigree moment to stake his claim to a starting spot. Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp hailed Jota’s recent form with terrific treble in Italy but said Firmino’s influence on the team’s success should not be Diogo Jota’s superb hat-trick lit in football. Wolves last season. forgotten. up Liverpool’s 5-0 Champions With Firmino’s form under He has already begun pay- “Good performances never League thrashing of Atalanta on the spotlight after an under- ing back that fee in earnest with give me headaches ... The world Tuesday and served further no- whelming start to the campaign, seven goals in 10 games, and he is sometimes a really bad place tice to the club’s famed frontline Jota slotted in alongside Salah tormented the Atalanta defense that in the moment when some- that the Portuguese striker does and Mane against Atalanta and together with Mane and Salah. body is shining, we speak im- not intend to play solely a sup- put on a clinical display of fin- “Obviously (they are) two mediately about another player porting role. ishing before being replaced by world-class players, we all who played for us, it feels like, Liverpool faces Manchester Firmino in the 65th minute. know their quality makes it easy 500 games in a row,” Klopp City in the Premier League on “I’m playing in the best for me to do my job because said.