Sports

MIAMI: Lionel Messi has pulled off his latest stunning feat: He is headed to Major League Soccer and joining Inter Miami. After months — years, even — of speculation, Messi on Wednesday finally revealed his decision to join a Miami franchise that has been led by another global soccer icon, David Beckham, since its inception but has yet to make …

SYDNEY: Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka will stand trial on a rape charge stemming from an alleged incident which occurred while he was in Australia to play in the Twenty20 World Cup last year. The 32-year-old, who was suspended by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) immediately after his arrest last November, had three of the four sexual assault charges he faced …

LONDON: The highly anticipated schedule of the upcoming World Cup will be announced only after organisers Inter­national Cricket Council’s (ICC) “consultations within the cricket system and governments”, the sport’s global governing body’s chief executive Geoff Allardice has said. The 50-over format’s showpiece is set to start in the first week of October and its fixtures not out in the public …

ISTANBUL: Nearly half the players competing at last year’s World Cup experienced extreme or increased mental fatigue during an unprecedented season of fixture congestion, according to international players’ union FIFPRO. Domestic leagues paused in November for the first mid-season World Cup, with players denied preparation time for the Qatar showpiece and many returning immediately to club competition. FIFPRO’s Player Work­load …

Lionel Messi will snub a lucrative contract in Saudi Arabia and move to Major League Soccer side Inter Miami as a free agent after parting ways with French champion Paris St Germain, the BBC reported on Wednesday. Messi, who played his final game for PSG over the weekend, was also linked with a return to Barcelona but the Spanish club have had their hands …

ZURICH: Football’s world governing body FIFA made false and misleading statements about the reduced environmental impact of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, a Swiss regulator said on Wednesday. The Swiss Fairness Commission, the self-regulatory body of the advertising and communications industry, made its determination after investigating five claims that Zurich-based FIFA marketed the tournament as being carbon neutral. The …

HAMBANTOTA: Easy half-centuries from Sri Lanka openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka made short work of Afghanistan on Wednesday in a nine-wicket drubbing that clinched a 2-1 ODI series win for the hosts. Sri Lanka strode to 120 with 34 overs to spare in Hambantota, striding past the 117 set by the tourists after a fast-bowling attack led by Dushmantha …

KARACHI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has backed the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) current stance over the Asia Cup but has also called for the matter to be dealt with harmony between all parties involved. The PCB’s interim Management Committee chairman Najam Sethi met the prime minister — who is also the board’s patron — on Wednesday and briefed the premier …

ISLAMABAD: The race to be elected Pakistan Cricket Board chairman intensified on Wednesday. As Najam Sethi, the chair of the PCB’s interim management committee, called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, another former chief of the country’s cricket board, Zaka Ashraf, met with Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Ehsan-ur-Rehman Mazari. Zaka has the backing of the Pakistan Peoples Party while Sethi …

Real Madrid’s Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema has signed for Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad for three years starting next season, a source in the Jeddah-based club told AFP on Tuesday. “Benzema has signed a contract for his transfer to Al Ittihad for a three-year period starting next season,” the Saudi club source said. Real Madrid announced on Sunday that the 35-year-old was leaving the …