Sports

KIGALI: Gianni Infa­ntino has been re-elected as president of FIFA until 2027 after standing unopposed at the congress of world football’s governing body on Thursday. The 52-year-old Swiss lawyer, who succeeded the disgraced Sepp Blatter in 2016, was waved in for a third term by acclamation, just as he was four years ago, by delegates from the 211 member federations. …

ISLAMABAD: Batter Tayyab Tahir has expressed his gratitude to Karachi Kings for giving him a chance to prove his mettle in the Pakistan Super League, which paved the way for his selection in the national T20 team. Right-handed Tayyab received his maiden call-up to Pakistan’s T20 side for the three-match series against Afghanistan being held in Sharjah later this month. …

Peshawar Zalmi skipper Babar Azam’s 64 off 39 and Salman Irshad’s 2-18 inspired the team to a narrow 12-run win to knock out Islamabad United in their Pakistan Super League (PSL) 8 eliminator at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. The victory has set up a tantalising second eliminator against hosts Lahore Qalandars on Friday, with the victor set to take on Multan …

INDIAN WELLS: Daniil Medvedev’s sore right ankle wasn’t a factor Wednesday as he beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 7-5 to reach the semi-finals at Indian Wells, where Aryna Sabalenka and Frances Tiafoe raced into the final four. Medvedev showed little ill effect from the twisted ankle he suffered in a three-set battle against Alexander Zverev a day earlier as he …

LAHORE: Pakistan’s veteran Aleem Dar stepped down on Thursday from the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires after officiating in a record number of international cricket matches during his distinguished career. The 58-year-old stood in 144 Tests and 222 ODIs — both world records — in addition to 69 T20 Internationals. “The veteran umpire [Aleem] Dar has stepped down after 19 …

MADRID: Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said his team were full of confidence after reaching the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday. The record 14-time champions of Europe beat Liverpool 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu, 6-2 on aggregate, to progress to the last eight. Real are aiming to win the Champions League for the sixth time in 10 seasons and Ancelotti …

EAST LONDON: South Africa will look to maintain their ODI momentum ahead of the World Cup, but they are set to contend with key injuries as they take on West Indies in a three-match 50-over series starting at Buffalo Park in East London on Thursday. The Proteas wrapped up a convincing 2-0 Test series win against West Indies earlier in …

HARA: The heads of Spain and Portugal welcomed Wednesday Morocco’s move to join their bid to host the 2030 World Cup, saying it boosted their chances of hosting the event. Morocco’s King Mohammed VI announced on Tuesday that his country had joined the bid by the two European countries, apparently replacing war-torn Ukraine in a three-way alliance. Spain and Portugal …

WELLINGTON: Veteran seamer Neil Wagner is adamant he will be back in Test whites for New Zealand once he shrugs off a serious hamstring strain sustained against Sri Lanka. The South Africa-born Wagner, who turned 37 on Monday as New Zealand won a cliffhanger in the first Test against Sri Lanka, has also been hampered with a bulging disc in …

RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr beat Abha 3-1 in the King’s Cup on Tuesday but it was a disappointing night for the Portuguese forward, who failed to score, received a yellow card and was substituted for the first time since his move to Saudi Arabia. Ronaldo failed to score for the third consecutive game and is yet to open his account …