QSL CEO Reveals Plans to Complete Season
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NBA | Page 3 MOTORSPORT | Page 5 Lakers’ LeBron UK quarantine eager to get would make back to British GP basketball impossible: F1 Wednesday, May 20, 2020 FOOTBALL Ramadan 27, 1441 AH QSL CEO reveals GULF TIMES plan to complete season SPORT Page 2 FOOTBALL Six positive tests for Covid-19 at Premier League clubs ‘PLAYERS OR CLUB STAFF WHO HAVE TESTED POSITIVE WILL NOW SELF-ISOLATE FOR A PERIOD OF SEVEN DAYS’ Agencies spread testing conducted by other London major leagues hoping to complete the season. Liverpool captain Jordan Hender- ix positive cases for coronavirus son was among those returning for the have been detected at three Pre- league leaders while Tottenham also mier League clubs after players saw some of their players come back. Sand staff were tested ahead of a Manchester United said their players return to training, England’s top flight would not return until Wednesday. said yesterday. Germany’s top two divisions regis- “The Premier League can today con- tered 10 positive cases out of 1,724 tests firm that, on Sunday 17 May and Mon- two weeks ago ahead of their return to day 18 May, 748 players and club staff action last weekend. were tested for Covid-19,” the league Five players from Spain’s top two di- said in a statement. visions tested positive last week before “Of these, six have tested positive La Liga’s return to group training. from three clubs.” Premier League clubs are aiming for No details were released over which a return to action by the middle of next individuals or clubs are affected. month, but face resistance from players “Players or club staff who have tested concerns over their welfare. positive will now self-isolate for a pe- Watford captain Troy Deeney has riod of seven days,” added the league’s said he will not return to training this statement. week due to fears he could pass the vi- rus on to his five-month-old son. I can’t get a haircut until “I can’t get a haircut until mid-July, mid-July, but I can go and get but I can go and get in a box with 19 in a box with 19 people and people and jump for a header,” said jump for a header. Deeney on the Talk The Talk podcast. ‘ “I don’t know how that works. No one — Troy Deeney, could answer the questions, not because Watford captain they didn’t want to, but because they don’t know the information.” Brighton have previously confirmed Newcastle left-back Danny Rose three positive cases among their squad claimed players were being treated like at different stages of the pandemic, “guinea pigs or lab rats”. while positive tests for Arsenal man- Rose’s manager Steve Bruce said the ager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea winger majority of his players are in favour of a Callum Hudson-Odoi played a major return to training and praised “meticu- role in the decision to suspend matches lous” planning on behalf of the Premier on March 13. League to make the environment as Premier League clubs began return- safe as possible. ing to training in small groups yester- However, Bruce has also questioned day after protocols on safety measures the limited preparation time players were signed off on Monday. could have between returning to con- The number of positive cases repre- tact training and competitive matches, sents just 0.8 percent of those tested warning his squad could “fall down like and is consistent with similar wide- a pack of cards” with injuries. Liverpool’s Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker arrives at Melwood in Liverpool for a training session yesterday. (AFP) FOCUS Ronaldo back training at Juve after 2 months AFP Turin, Italy PSG chief al-Khelaifi all praise for Ronaldo Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser al-Khelaifi ristiano Ronaldo returned to train- has explained his admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo. ing with Juventus in Turin yesterday In an interview no doubt destined to spark a fresh after an absence of over two months round of transfer rumours, the PSG chief hailed because of the coronavirus pandemic. the Juventus forward’s “extraordinary strength of C character”. The 35-year-old arrived at the Juventus Training Centre in a Jeep with tinted win- Ronaldo is about to return to training, having dows around 09:20 (0720 GMT), leaving arrived back in Turin from Portugal as the Serie A three hours later with a smile and thumbs up season looks to get back underway. for waiting photographers. “Year after year, he shows a unique determination, Ronaldo underwent medical and physical an extraordinary strength of character,” al-Khelaifi tests before joining up with his teammates for told France Football. the first time in 72 days for individual train- “He remains motivated by this desire to improve ing, according to media reports. every day and he always pushes his limits. Coach Maurizio Sarri has been conduct- “I admire this relentless will; he is a great example ing training in small groups since Monday, for all athletes of the future.” pending the final health protocol to be agreed The French capital has been suggested as a pos- Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser al-Khelaifi. with the Italian government. Juventus players sible destination for Ronaldo in the past, with PSG got back to individual training on May 4, the keen to acquire some of football’s biggest names. career, with a memorable farewell for PSG at the day Ronaldo returned to Italy after spending Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo gestures as he leaves Juventus training centre in Turin, Italy, Perhaps their most significant signing of their Parc des Princes. The England legend spent half lockdown in his native Portugal. For the past yesterday. (Reuters) modern era was Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who scored a season in Ligue 1 at the tail-end of his career, two weeks, he has been in quarantine in his 156 goals in 180 games for the club after joining returning for a final spell in Europe after his time villa in Turin. are leading Lazio by one point as they target a suggesting the possibility of a restart on June from AC Milan in 2012. at LA Galaxy. According to the president, Beckham Ronaldo played in Juventus’ last Serie A ninth consecutive ‘Scudetto’. 13 might still exist. “Thinking back to all the players who have joined played a key role in transforming PSG into the game before the season was suspended, a 2-0 The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) an- But Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte us since the beginning of our ambition with PSG, I superclub they are today. win over Inter Milan behind closed doors at nounced on Monday that all its competitions, said on Saturday he needed “more guaran- could still highlight the time of Zlatan Ibrahimovic “I must also quote David Beckham. Although he the Allianz Stadium on March 8. The five- including Serie A, will remain suspended un- tees” before the green light could finally be for his character, his leadership, his charisma and was only at PSG for a short time, he had a trans- time Ballon d’Or winner is the first Juventus til June 14. given for football to resume. his ability to get things done,” al-Khelaifi noted. formative effect on our club. foreign player, among those who left Italy Serie A had hoped to return on June 13 but A meeting is planned in the near future be- “He was always reliable, and when the situation “His investment in training, his concern for apply- during the lockdown, to return to the team’s the FIGC has pushed back the date in line tween Conte and Italian football bosses.The demanded something from him, he knew how ing every detail at every moment, his determina- Continassa training centre. with a government decree that all sports government’s technical and scientific com- to stand up to the challenges of the moment.” tion to succeed, his taste for teamwork and his Italy has been one of the countries hard- competitions be suspended until next month. mittee will decide in the coming days if it ac- Monday marks seven years to the day since David natural aura were extremely precious assets.” est hit by the Covid-19 pandemic with more The FIGC said the choice was made “pending cepts the new health protocols proposed for a Beckham played the final game of his professional (Goal.com) than 32,000 deaths. League leaders Juventus any further... decision by the authorities”, return to group training and competition. Gulf Times 2 Wednesday, May 20, 2020 FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT German FA, Bayern want salary cap for ‘credible’ football Berlin: German FA presi- QSL CEO reveals plans dent Fritz Keller and Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge want to pro- pose a salary cap to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin, it was revealed yesterday. “There are absurd salaries and transfer fees that are no to complete season longer credible,” Keller, boss of the German Football Asso- ciation (DFB), told reporters. Ballan says the decision to resume football are based on an integrated plan “We have to talk about salary caps. I am glad that I ani Ballan, CEO of the Qatar agree with Karl-Heinz Rum- Stars League (QSL) and mem- menigge on this point. There- ber of the Executive Commit- Hani Ballan, CEO of the Qatar Stars fore we will write a letter to tee of the Qatar Football As- League (QSL) and member of the UEFA president Aleksander H Ceferin.” sociation (QFA), has provided a detailed Executive Committee of the Qatar explanation after the ruling body’s de- Football Association (QFA).