6 November 4, 2020 Evans Loses to Wawrinka in Saeid Marouf FIVB’s Player Paris Masters First Round of the Week TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Masterminding Iran’s play for well over a decade and helping bring the country’s national team amongs the world’s elite, set- ter Saeid Marouf has long been a shining star in Iranian, Asian and world volleyball. Hailing from a family deeply involved with volleyball, the now 35-year- old progressed through all stages of Iran’s age-group national teams, guiding his sides to silver medals at the U19 Asian Championship in 2003 and the U20 Asian Championship in 2004, capping these with a bronze at the 2004 FIVB Volleyball U19 World Championship. But by 2005 he was already establishing himself within Iran’s senior Dan Evans reached the Vienna Open semi-finals last week team and was part of the squads that won gold medals at the Asian Cups of 2008 in Nakhon Ratchasima and in 2010 in his hometown of Oroumi- PARIS (Dispatches) - British difference in the opener before yeh. number one Dan Evans fell to a Wawrinka edged past the 30-year- Marouf has also won gold medals at the 2013 and 2019 Asian Champi- straight-set defeat by Stan Waw- old in the second set tie-break. onships, as well as at the 2014 and 2018 Asian Games. rinka in the first round of the Paris Wawrinka will play either Masters. Gilles Simon of France or Amer- Evans lost 6-2 7-6 (7-3) to the ica’s Tommy Paul in the second Russia’s Ban Appeal Set to Be Heard by CAS Swiss 12th seed, who now holds round. a 5-0 winning record against the Top seed Rafael Nadal begins LONDON (Dispatches) - Rus- son Maria Markova said she is Briton. his campaign in Paris against Fe- sia’s appeal against its four-year hopeful for a positive outcome. A single break of serve was the liciano Lopez on Wednesday. ban from all major sporting “Any blanket ban is no good events will be heard by the Court for sports at all and is not fair to of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) the athletes who have never been Leicester Power Into Second from Monday. involved in any anti-doping in- In December 2019, Russia’s vestigation,” she said, Anti Doping Agency (RUSA- Only athletes who can prove Place, Fulham Earn First Win DA) was declared non-compli- they are clean competitors ant for manipulating laboratory would be permitted to compete data handed over to investiga- under the ban, and would have tors the previous January. to do so as so-called “neutral” The World Anti-Doping Agen- athletes. cy (WADA) had controversially A total of 168 Russian athletes reinstated Russia in 2018 after a competed under a neutral flag at three-year suspension for its vast As it stands, athletes will not be allowed to compete under the Russian the 2018 Winter Olympics in Py- state-sponsored doping scandal. flag at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics or Beijing 2022 Winter Games eongchang. But WADA’s executive com- Russia has been banned from mittee made the unanimous de- Cup in Qatar. decision will be announced at a competing as a nation in athlet- cision to impose the ban, which The appeal hearing, which later date. ics since 2015. bars Russia from competing in is not open to the public, is WADA said it had “left no The final decision in the pun- the Tokyo Olympics and Para- scheduled to take place at an stone unturned in preparation for ishment now rests with CAS, lympics, set to be held next year, undisclosed venue in Lausanne, this hearing” although Russian whose ruling on the matter and football’s 2022 World Switzerland, until Thursday. A Anti-Doping Agency spokesper- would be binding.

Leicester’s , left and Leicester’s manager Brendan Man City to Offer Messi Pre-Contract: Report Rodgers leave the pitch after the end of the English soccer match between Leeds United and Leicester City at Elland Barcelona are set for later in the for March, after which Messi’ Road in Leeds, England, Nov 2, 2020. season, The Telegraph reported. future could become clearer. The Barca captain, 33, reluc- But it will still give City or other LEICESTER (AFP) - Leicester formances.” tantly stayed at Camp Nou this clubs a window where they can swept into second place in the Pre- Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa said: season instead of going to court agree terms on a contract starting mier League with an impressive 4-1 “In the first 30 minutes we de- over being allowed to leave on a in July 2021, ending two decades victory at Leeds, while Fulham beat fended poorly and after we didn’t free transfer but he can openly at the club after moving from Ar- West Bromwich Albion 2-0 to finally create enough danger. That is one negotiate with other clubs in less gentina. clinch their first win of the season on of the main responsibilities of the than two months’ time. City’s chief operating officer, Monday. manager.” According to Barca sources, Omar Berrada, recently stated Messi’s future is likely to be that Messi is still being consid- ’ side are just Leicester made the perfect start resolved later in the campaign ered at the Etihad Stadium after one point behind leaders Liverpool in the third minute. rather than imminently, regard- missing out on him in the sum- after winning five of their first sev- A poor back-pass from Robin less of Josep Bartomeu’s depar- mer. “I think any club in the en games in a top-flight season for Koch was intercepted by Vardy ture as president after a bitter world would like to explore the the first time in their history. and he rounded keeper Illan Mes- Lionel Messi of FC Barcelona reacts during the La Liga Santader fallout with the club’s greatest possibility of him joining their and Youri Tiele- lier before squaring for Barnes to match between Deportivo Alaves and FC Barcelon player. team,” he said. “He’s probably MANCHESTER (Dispatches) chance to offer Lionel Messi a pre- Barcelona’s elections for Bar- an exception to potential invest- mans put Leicester two up before tap into the empty net. - Manchester City will have the contract as talks over staying at tomeu’s successor is scheduled ments that we’d do.” half-time at Elland Road. Leicester didn’t have to wait long Stuart Dallas got one back for to double their lead in the 21st Leeds but Jamie Vardy’s eighth minute. Maradona Admitted to Hospital in Argentina goal of the season and a late Marc Albrighton’s cross picked BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentine football great Diego Maradona Tielemans penalty wrapped up out Vardy at the near post and was admitted to hospital Monday for medical checks, his personal doctor an- Leicester’s fourth successive away his diving header was unconvinc- nounced. league win. ingly pushed out by Meslier to “It’s not a serious situation and we didn’t come for an emergency,” Leo- After the disappointment of miss- Tielemans, who slotted home from poldo Luque told reporters outside the clinic in La Plata, south of Buenos ing out on a place in the Champi- close range. Aires. Though he gave no details of Maradona’s condition, Luque said his pa- ons League last term, Leicester Dallas gave Leeds a lifeline in tient would undergo a series of medical check-ups. have shown they are capable of the 47th minute when his cross “He’s an elderly patient with many pressures in his life. It’s a time when mounting another top four chal- evaded everyone and looped past we must help him. It’s very difficult to be Maradona,” Luque said of the lenge. the flat-footed Schmeichel. star, who celebrated his 60th birthday on Friday. Even a title push might not be im- Leeds had the momentum and The doctor ruled out any link to the coronavirus pandemic, which is rav- possible given they have already Pablo Hernandez almost equalised aging the South American country, much of it still under confinement. thrashed Manchester City 5-2. with a curling strike from the edge Maradona, who has a history of drug and alcohol abuse and poor health, is considered at high risk of coronavirus complications should he be infected. “We were technically brilliant. of the area. Diego Maradona (pictured September 2020) was hospitalized in He has suffered two heart attacks in the past and contracted hepatitis. We had the quality to play when But Leicester weathered the Argentina, but his doctor ruled out any link to the coronavirus “Diego is fine, but he can be much better. I didn’t find him the way I we had the opportunities. I thought storm and Vardy struck in the 76th wanted to see him. I had a previous talk with him, I told him: ‘Let’s go to a sistants after staying only 30 minutes. we were amazing right across the minute with a close-range finish clinic to improve a little,’ and he said: ‘Well, let’s go,’” said Luque. “It breaks my heart to see him like this,” one of his daughters, Giannina, team,” Rodgers said. after Cengiz Under flicked James tweeted the next day. The former Argentina captain, who led his team to triumph in the 1986 “This team has got an amaz- Maddison’s pass over Meslier. World Cup, is currently coach of Argentine SuperLiga club Gimnasia. “I didn’t go to see him that day, but the day before he was very well,” ing mentality with lots of young, Belgian midfielder Tielemans got Along with Brazil’s Pele, Maradona is widely regarded as the greatest his doctor told reporters outside the clinic in La Plata, where Gimnasia is player of all time. based. hungry players. It’s still very early the fourth with a stoppage-time He joined his players briefly at the club’s training ground on his birthday, Maradona went into self-isolation last month after a bodyguard showed and most of our games have been spot-kick after Mateusz Klich’s but had obvious difficulty walking and had to be helped away by his as- symptoms of the virus, though he later tested negative. away but we’ve had brilliant per- foul on Maddison.