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Al Nassr released an official statement after the club postponed their China tour. Karim Benzema broke his silence on the transfer rumours doing rounds on the internet. Whereas in the world of tennis, Star Indian player, Rohan Bopanna on Wednesday, January 24 made history as he became the oldest World No. 1 to enter the semifinals of the Australian Open 2024.
Read below to know major updates in the sporting world in the past 24 hours.
Al Nassr release official statement after postponing China tour due to Ronaldo’s injury
Saudi Pro side Al Nassr released an official statement after the club postponed their China tour. The decision came after their star player Cristiano Ronaldo suffered a muscle injury. Ronaldo released a statement apologising to the Chinese fans for the blow that came as the club had to cancel the games. Ronaldo said, "This is a sad day. I want to say sorry to the Chinese fans, but some situations are really out of control.” The club’s statement read, “We are willing to complete our training camp as planned in Shenzhen, a city that has warmly welcomed us and shown so much love for us and our Captain. Furthermore, we have agreed with the organiser to schedule a new match as soon as possible.”
Karim Benzema breaks silence on reports claiming transfer from Al Ittihad
Al-Ittihad star Karim Benzema broke his silence on the reports claiming that he wants to leave the club. There were reports that Benzema was unhappy with his Saudi Pro League side and was considering a move to other sides and leagues. Benzema opened up on the rumours circulating and said that he is rather happy being at the Saud Pro League side. He also bashed the French media, claiming that the reports doing rounds on the internet are completely false. Benzema told L'Equipe: "It's completely false! The French media don't know what to invent any more. The bigger the better."
Mauricio Pochettino 'desperate to win a title' after reaching Carabao Cup final
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino said that he is desperate to win a trophy now that the team is in Carabao Cup final. Chelsea beat Middlesbrough 6-1 at Stamford Bridge in the second leg of the seminal to reserve their spot in the final fixture. It is their third Carabao Cup final in six years. In their last final of the tournament, they were defeated by Liverpool in a penalty shootout. Pochettino said, “I’m desperate to win a title here. In one year and a half in Paris, we won three trophies, and we want to win one here. I think it was the objective when we started: with no Champions League, no Europa League, no Conference League, to build a team from nearly zero.”
Everything he seems to touch turns to gold: Shay Given hails Diogo Jota
Former Newcastle United goalkeeper Shay Given hailed Liverpool forward Diogo Jota for his performance in their Premier League clash against Bournemouth. Given told The Kelly & Wrighty Show, “Jota started as a 9, Klopp made the change at half-time and put him out on the right and that made a big difference. I’m still not sure about Nunez.” He added, "But you look at his partner Jota, he looks the most natural goal scorer maybe in the league everything he seems to touch turns to gold. He’s a brilliant striker and a very natural finisher.”
Major Football fixture results:
England EFL Cup Semifinal
Chelsea 6-1 Middlesbrough
Asian Cup
Iraq 3-2 Vietnam
Japan 3-1 Indonesia
Africa Cup of Nations
Angola 2-0 Burkina Faso
Spain Copa del Rey QF
Celta Vigo 1-2 Real Sociedad
Tennis
Nick Kyrgios makes himself unavailable for Paris Olympics 2024
Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has made himself unavailable for the Paris Olympics 2024 citing poor treatment by the Rio 2016 Games Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller. Kyrgios was not permitted to take part in the Rio Olympics despite being World number 13. Confirming his decision, Nick Kyrgios said, "One thing I will guarantee, though, is that if I am fit and ready to play, I won't be making myself available for the Olympics. The way I was treated by the Australian Olympic Committee and former Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller will never be forgotten."
Rohan Bopanna becomes oldest World No. 1 after reaching AO24 SF
Star Indian tennis player, Rohan Bopanna on Wednesday, January 24 made history as he became the oldest World No. 1 to enter the semifinals of the Australian Open 2024. The tennis veteran attained his career-high ranking, early on Wednesday after winning in men’s doubles quarterfinals along with Matthew Ebden. The Indo-Australian duo beat the sixth-seeded Argentinian duo of Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni with the scoreline 6-4, 7-6 (5).
Basketball
Tristan Thompson handed 25-game suspension for violating NBA drug policy
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has handed Cleveland Cavaliers centre Tristan Thompson a 25-game ban after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. Thompson returned to Cleveland for the first this season since his free-agency exit in 2020. In these four years, the Canadian big man has had short stints with teams like Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics and more. Thompson's suspension will begin from the Cavaliers' fixture with the Milwaukee Bucks.
LeBron James and Stephen Curry lead 41-member USA Basketball player pool
LeBron James and Stephen Curry are among the top stars part of the 41-member USA Basketball player pool on Tuesday. This will be the first step toward assembling the team that will be the favourite to win the gold medal in the men's basketball tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympics. A 12-member team will be selected from these 41 players out of which 28 players have represented the United States at an Olympics and/or the FIBA Basketball World Cup and collected 23 Olympic or World Cup gold medals.
