Established 1961 19 Sports Monday, June 1, 2020 Brazil leader wants football season back despite pandemic Smaller regional leagues players have to survive somehow

RIO DE JANEIRO: The right-wing populist presi- Bolsonaro’s remit to restart football. This must be dent of Brazil wants the football season to resume done by the regional states and municipalities. even though the five-time World Cup winning coun- When football was suspended, seasons at the try is a hotspot of the coronavirus pandemic. regional level were underway, but the national Brazil is for many synonomous with football and championship had been due to start in May and as many of the all-time greats, from Pele to , yet there are no solid plans to begin. hail from the nation. But Brazil is is also the epicen- Bolsonaro and his son held meetings on May 19 tre of Latin America’s coronavirus outbreak. with the presidents of two Rio superclubs, Vasco da The death toll from coronavirus in Brazil has hit Gama and Flamengo. Photos of Bolsonaro and his 27,878, official figures showed on Friday, surpassing son wearing the shirts of the two clubs stunned the toll of hard-hit Spain and making it the country social media, with official supporter groups claiming with the fifth-highest num- their image had been sold ber of fatalities. out to politics. Football has been sus- “This is just political pended in Brazil since intolerance,” said mid-March but President Flamengo president Jair Bolsonaro recently Political Rodolfo Landim, explain- told Radio Guaiba that ing that Bolsonaro just footballers would likely intolerance wants football back as not fall very ill with soon as possible and he COVID-19. himself “is defending the “As footballers are interests of Flamengo.” young athletes the risk of The day afer the meet- death if they catch coron- ing Flamengo were filmed avirus would be dramatically reduced,” Bolsonaro by a TV Globo helicopter breaking the Rio lock- PORTO ALEGRE: Handout picture released by Brazil’s Gremio football club player Everton Soares said. Back in March Bolsonaro also claimed that down rules by training without permission. (Cebolinha) undergoing tests before a training session at Arena do Gremio in Porto Alegre, Brazil thanks to his own sporting past he would only suffer Rio state health secretary Ana Beatriz Bush said on May 6, 2020. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has urged football clubs to begin league com- a slight cold if he caught the virus. the act of defiance set a terrible example. petition as soon as possible. —AFP The president says his chief motivation for want- “Imagine all the young people who see Flamengo ing football to get back underway is to curb unem- training, they’ll want to go out of their homes and ployment and the misery that accompanies it. that is not possible,” she said. mature. One of Brazil’s top sports journalists, unlike in Germany, the infection curve is still “The players have to survive somehow,” he said, Rio mayor Marcelo Crivella, however, has autho- Mauro Cezar Pereira, of ESPN Brazil also feels it is climbing in Brazil.” explaining that while some top footballers earn a rised training to resume in June and sees matches too soon. Players may have little say in the matter, with the fortune, those from smaller regional leagues need to taking place behind closed doors sometime in July. “It reflects the fact that some clubs are deeply president of the Internacional club saying any play- play “to feed their families”. Rio’s two other major clubs, Fluminense and in debt and dependant on broadcasting income. er refusing to come back to training should instead The way Brazilian politics works, it is not in Botafogo, are on record as saying this seems pre- The Bundesliga restart intensified the rush. But resign. —AFP

Hansie Cronje, flirted with greatness Kane warns Spurs but succumbed they can’t slip up to temptation in quest for CL JOHANESBURG: All-rounder , who died on this day in 2002, flirted with greatness but LONDON: believes Tottenham succumbed to temptation, exposing the dark world Hotspur will have to win eight of their remain- of bribery in before his tragic death in a ing nine games if they are to plane crash at the age of 32. qualify for next season’s Champions League. The perennially scowling South African averaged The north London club were seven points above 36 with the bat both in tests and one-dayers adrift of the top four when the coronavirus and was more than a handy medium pacer. But it shut down the season in March. was his inspirational skill as a leader which stood Then it was thought the likes of Kane, Son out. Heung-min and would miss Under the -born Cronje, South Africa registered series victories against every oth- the rest of the campaign through injury. er major cricketing nation except Australia. But the trio, as well as , are In his 53 tests in charge, the Proteas won 27 and all set to be fit in time for the planned restart lost only 11 matches, although his hopes of leading of June 17, although young striker Troy Parrott South Africa to a World Cup title never materialised. will be sidelined after having his appendix “Hansie was a great leader,” team mate Gary removed. Kirsten said in his tribute after Cronje’s tragic early Eighth-placed Spurs face crunch matches death. Hansie Cronje against Manchester United, Sheffield United, “He was an inspiration to me when I first came Arsenal and Leicester. Their hopes of into the national team and he gave me confidence. It Champions League qualification would also be was impossible not to respect him.” to fix matches shook the sport to its foundations. ing coming from a charismatic leader who com- Succeeding in the job, Cronje Delhi Police had been probing an unrelated manded absolute loyalty in his team mates. boosted if Manchester City fail in an appeal forged a fruitful partnership with , a extortion case when they stumbled upon a tape that The widespread scandal also resulted in life bans against a European ban. coming together of an uncompromising leader and eventually led to the unearthing of the scandal. for former India But Kane wants Spurs to take matters into an innovative coach. After initially denying fixing charges, Cronje con- and ex-Pakistan skipper Salim Malik, while several their own hands. “We have got to finish in the Their chemistry and tough-minded approach to fessed his role to an inquiry commission in South others were implicated. top four, there is no doubt about that,” he told the job was best illustrated in the 1999 World Cup. Africa and was subsequently banned from the game The International Cricket Council (ICC) subse- the club’s website. “We have got a massive In their tournament opener against India, Cronje for life. quently ramped up anti-corruption measures but game against Man United in the first game and had to be asked by the match referee to remove an “In a moment of stupidity and weakness I traces of the scandal continue to haunt the game. realistically we are going to have to win seven earpiece he wore to communicate with Woolmer. allowed Satan and the world to dictate terms to In February, extradited London-based Indian or eight to get into the Champions League. But together they led the side through to the semi- me,” Cronje, a devout Christian, said in a confession bookmaker Sanjeev Chawla, accused of involve- final, where they were eliminated after a tied match to a church leader, couching it in Biblical terms. ment in an affair eventually nicknamed “That has got to be our aim. Of course we against Australia. “The moment I took my eyes off Jesus, my whole “Hansiegate”, was taken into police custody in want to win every game but we have got to Two years before his death, Cronje’s admission world turned dark.” New Delhi. He was granted bail in May but the make sure we finish strong if we want to be that he had taken bribes from an Indian bookmaker The lapse of judgment was all the more damag- case continues. – Reuters playing Champions League football next season.” Kane suffered a hamstring injury against 12-day residential camp at the Colombo wait for more clarity regarding curbs on inter- Southampton on New Year’s Day but with the S Lanka begin Cricket Club, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said in a national travel before making a decision on the season suspended, the England captain has statement. “The players taking part in the camp tour. On Saturday, South Africa also allowed been able to recover without the worry of represent a general squad chosen from across training and playing of professional non-contact missing matches. training today all formats, and primarily consist of bowlers, as sport, a decision welcomed by its cricket board. “From the hamstring point of view it is great they need more time for conditioning before “This is a big boost for the operational side COLOMBO: A select group of Sri Lanka crick- to be able to give it a bit more rest,” the star going into active competition,” it said. of our cricket,” Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) eters, mainly bowlers, will return to training on forward said. “I have not played a game for six A coaching and support staff of four will acting chief executive, Jacques Faul, said in a Monday, amid efforts to restart the game after months now, it has been a long, long time.” oversee the training, during which players will statement. the coronavirus shutdown, the cricket board not be allowed outside the hotel premises and CSA’s COVID-19 steering committee will said yesterday. ‘SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM’ the practice venue. meet on Monday to draw up a protocol for the Professional cricket has been suspended Spurs only sit four points behind Man The SLC would ensure everyone at the train- return to training and playing, he added. since March because of the pandemic, with Sri United in fifth, which could be good enough ing camp adhered to the government health reg- On Saturday, Britain allowed elite competitive Lanka’s home series against England and South for a Champions League spot depending on ulations, it added. Sri Lanka are preparing to sport in England to resume behind closed doors Africa among its casualties. the of Man City’s appeal. host India for a limited-overs series in July. from Monday, in compliance with strict condi- Thirteen players will check into a hotel for a However, India’s cricket board has said it will tions. —Reuters Kane, a two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner, has scored 17 goals for Tottenham in all competitions this season, to Celtic over a of years,” said Celtic I know they will cherish dearly.” Centre-back including 11 from 20 appearances in the Simunovic, manager Neil Lennon. Simunovic joined Celtic from Dinamo Zagreb in league. “Jozo has been part of our great club for 2015 and went on to make 125 appearances for “I am feeling good, I am feeling sharp,” he Jonny Hayes some time and has given us some wonderful the club while managing a knee problem during added. “It has been good to do some individ- times, playing a really important part in our his time with the Glasgow giants. ual training, a bit of finishing, a lot of individual success. Jonny, too, has been an important The 25-year-old scored the winner against drills to work on my game and improve. leave Celtic player for the club in recent years. Kilmarnock after 67 minutes while wearing the “I am at a stage where I am looking forward “Above all, both are great men and everyone number five jersey made famous by Billy to getting some games and hopefully I’ll be LONDON: Scottish Premiership champions at Celtic wishes Jozo and Jonny and their fami- McNeill — Celtic’s captain when they won the back playing before too long. Celtic announced on Saturday they have decid- lies all the very best for the future. We are sure European Cup in 1967 — in the first game after “It is a good shock to the system. It has ed against extending the contracts of both Jozo they will continue to be successful in everything the former Hoops manager’s death last year. been very intense... “Hopefully I’ll be back in a Simunovic and Jonny Hayes. they do. “Both players leave Celtic as nine-in-a- Utility player Hayes, a Republic of Ireland inter- better place (than) before I was injured and “I would like to sincerely thank both Jozo row champions, something they have earned, an national made 68 appearances after arriving look forward to a busy next year.” —AFP and Jonny, brilliant lads who have given their all achievement they richly deserve and something from Aberdeen in 2017. —AFP