RADES, Tunisia: Esperance won the CAF Champions League in Tunisia Saturday after Wydad Casablanca refused to continue playing on 60 minutes because VAR was unavailable to judge a disallowed equalizer.
The Tunisian side were leading 1-0 in the second leg of the final and 2-1 overall when play was halted, and after a 90-minute delay the referee awarded the match to the home side.
Tunisian media reported that officials were aware before the match that the VAR (video assistant referee) system was not working, but the players seemingly did not know.
It is the first time in the 55-year history of the elite African club competition that a match in the home-and-away final series has not been completed.
Wydad believed they had leveled on 59 minutes when Walid El-Karti headed a cross into the net. TV replays confirmed he was onside, but might have fouled an opponent with his shoulder.
The Moroccan team insisted that the Gambian referee check with VAR, apparently unaware that the often controversial system was unavailable.
Wydad substitutes and 69-year-old coach Faouzi Benzarti joined in the protests and police foiled an attempted assault by a spectator wearing the red and gold of Esperance.
Plastic bottles containing liquid were also flung toward the Wydad players and coaches as tempers flared.
At one stage, CAF President Ahmad Ahmad and the bosses of Esperance and Wydad spoke on the side of the pitch without succeeding in getting the match restarted.
The Wydad players and coaches eventually went to the changing room and, after a long delay, the referee indicated that Esperance had been awarded the match.
There was widespread criticism of the debacle on social media with many tweets saying that calling off the club showpiece brought shame to African football.
The abandonment occurred just 20 days before an expanded 24-team Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Egypt, with VAR scheduled to be used during the knockout phase.
VAR had played a major role in the first leg of the final in Morocco last weekend, with referrals ruling out a goal by Wydad and later appeals for a penalty by the Moroccans.
The Egyptian referee of that match was subsequently banned for six months with CAF saying his performance was “poor.”
Three-time former champions Esperance took the lead on 41 minutes when Youcef Belaili curled a shot into the net from the edge of the box at the Stade Olympique.
The Tunisian outfit dominated the opening half and fully deserved to lead at half-time in the 60,000-seat stadium.
But the way Esperance ultimately won the competition for a second successive time took much of the gloss off the achievement.
They are only the fourth club after Al-Ahly of Egypt, TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Enyimba of Nigeria to achieve back-to-back Champions League triumphs.
And by going through their 2019 CAF campaign unbeaten — equalling the achievement of the 1994 squad — Esperance became the first club to win the competition twice without losing a match.
It was also a special night for 37-year-old coach Moine Chaabani, who became the first from north Africa to win two Champions League finals in a row.
Tunis citizens reacted to the triumph by pouring into the streets and screaming joyfully while cars and motorbikes crisscrossed the capital, honking horns.
Many Esperance supporters flocked to the district where the club was formed 100 years ago in a cafe of the same name.
Tunisian club win African title after final abandoned over VAR
Tunisian club win African title after final abandoned over VAR
- Wydad Casablanca refused to continue playing on 60 minutes because VAR (video assistant referee) was unavailable to judge a disallowed equalizer
- Wydad believed they had leveled on 59 minutes when Walid El-Karti headed a cross into the net
Tennis legend Boris Becker discharged from bankruptcy court in England
Becker, 57, was deported to Germany two years ago after serving 8 months in a London prison
LONDON: German tennis legend Boris Becker was discharged from bankruptcy court in London after a judge found Wednesday he had done “all that he reasonably could do” to repay creditors tens of millions of pounds.
Becker fell far short of repaying his creditors in full, but Chief Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Nicholas Briggs said it would be “perverse” not to end the case given the efforts Becker made.
“On the spectrum of bankrupts who range from ‘difficult as possible and doing everything to frustrate the trustee’s inquiries’ to ‘co-operative, providing information and delivering up assets’, Mr. Becker clearly falls on the right side of the line,” Briggs wrote.
Becker, 57, was deported to Germany two years ago after serving 8 months in a London prison for illicitly transferring large amounts of money and hiding 2.5 million pounds ($3.1 million) in assets after he was declared bankrupt in 2017.
He had been convicted in a London court on four charges under the Insolvency Act, including removal of property, concealing debt and two counts of failing to disclose estate. He was acquitted of 25 other charges, including nine counts of failing to hand over Grand Slam trophies and his Olympic gold medal to bankruptcy trustees.
He was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison, but was released early under a fast-track deportation program for foreign nationals.
Becker rose to stardom in 1985 at the age of 17 when he became the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon singles title. He went on to become the world No. 1 player, winning two titles at Wimbledon, two at the Australian Open and one at the US Open.
He retired from professional tennis in 1999 and worked as a coach, television commentator, investor and celebrity poker player.
Becker blamed laziness and bad advice for his financial problems that led him to declare bankruptcy after owing creditors nearly 50 million pounds ($62.5 million) over an unpaid loan of more than 3 million pounds ($3.75 million) on his estate in Mallorca, Spain.
Attorney Katie Longstaff said at a High Court hearing last month that the joint trustees did not oppose his effort to end the case but did not support it because he still owed about 42 million pounds ($52.5 million).
Becker’s lawyer, Louis Doyle, said the two sides had reached a settlement that includes a “substantial sum” the tennis great must pay. The agreement “includes the outstanding trophies,” Doyled said, adding Becker “can’t do more than he has done to bring us to this point.”
Cricket World Cup ‘stepping stone’ to building US fanbase for Olympics
- New York, Dallas and Florida will be venues for T20 World Cup to be held in June
- International Cricket Council says tournament would help sport leave a mark in US
New Delhi: Next month’s T20 World Cup will help build cricket’s profile and popularity in the United States ahead of its appearance at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, the sport’s world body said.
The showpiece 20-over event will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States in June with New York, Florida and Dallas as venues.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) said it was confident the tournament would help the sport leave a mark in a land where baseball rules.
“The fact that a World Cup has come to the US — the largest sports market in the world — that in itself has generated a lot of interest,” Chris Tetley, the ICC’s head of events, told reporters in a media roundtable on Tuesday.
“This is a key stepping stone for the promotion of the game toward 2028 and beyond in terms of providing world-class cricket for the massive existing fanbase that the sport already has in the US,” he added.
“We are trying to give them something they haven’t had on their doorstep before and maybe pique the interest of the American sports community by telling them that cricket’s actually an older sport in the US than baseball.”
T20 cricket will feature as one of five new sports at the Los Angeles Olympics.
Cricket’s only previous appearance at an Olympics was in 1900 in Paris, where a team from Great Britain defeated France.
Nassau County’s Eisenhower Park, near New York, has seen a 34,000-seater temporary stadium, with a drop-in cricket pitch, constructed.
It will host the hotly-anticipated India-Pakistan clash on June 9 among its eight scheduled World Cup games.
“We are really happy with the pitch,” said stadium manager Damian Hough.
“Everything that we have done has exceeded expectations. I can’t predict scores, that’s for the batters.
“We hope that we have got a typical T20 pitch where there is good bounce, good pace and value for shots. Obviously you want batters to play shots all around the ground.”
Hough and his team introduced drop-in pitches more than a decade ago at Adelaide Oval, where he is head curator.
But creating the stadium in Nassau County has seen different challenges, including growing the pitch in the sub-tropics of Florida before transporting it 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) north through multiple climatic zones.
Tetley said the stadium would be dismantled after the T20 extravaganza, but the “world-class facilities” would leave a lasting legacy for cricket in the United States.
Turkish Kung Fu champion slams threat to strip him over Gaza protest
- Necmettin Erbakan Akyuz, 22, says he will not ‘back down’
- Probe launched into his actions by sport’s governing body
DUBAI: Turkish Kung Fu champion Necmettin Erbakan Akyuz, who raised the Palestinian flag during a European championship contest in solidarity with Gaza, has said he stands by his decision.
Responding to the European Kung Fu Federation’s threat to strip him of his title, the 22-year-old reportedly said on Wednesday: “If I had raised the Israeli flag there instead of the Palestinian flag, the (federation) would not have imposed this penalty on me.”
Akyuz won his division in the European Kung Fu Championships held on Dec. 17, 2023, in Istanbul.
Ben Necmettin Erbakan Akyüz
— Necmettin Erbakan Akyüz (@neakyuz) April 29, 2024
Madalyaların en güzelini aldım
Mazlumların sesi olmak adına yaptığım hareketten dolayı Avrupa Federasyonu soruşturma açtı
Yaptıklarımdan dolayı pişman değilim, verilecek kararlarım nezdimde hiçbir kıymeti yoktur.
NEHİRDEN DENİZE ÖZGÜR FİLİSTİN . pic.twitter.com/Jpo8yjEnP1
As he stood on the podium, he raised the Palestinian flag and performed the Dabke, a traditional Palestinian dance.
“Opening an investigation, withdrawing the championship title, issuing sanctions and withdrawing all the world and European championships that I own … if you think that you can scare me with these things and make me back down, then you are truly fools,” he said.
Akyuz added that he did not break any rules and said the federation has “no values, no humanity, no conscience, no manhood, no honor, no dignity.”
Delighted Al-Hilal coach Jesus praises ‘extraordinary’ Abdulhamid after King’s Cup semifinal win
- The Saudi right-back scored a late winner to take his team to the final on May 31
JEDDAH: Al-Hilal coach Jorge Jesus has revealed his delight at his team’s 2-1 win over Al-Ittihad in the semifinals of the King’s Cup on Tuesday night, with particular praise for the “extraordinary” match-winner Saud Abdelhamid.
Brazilian forward Michael had given Al-Hilal the lead in the 25th minute at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah before Serbian teammate Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was sent off three minutes before half time.
Morocco international Abderrazak Hamdallah equalized for the reigning Saudi Pro League champions after 67 minutes, before Abdulhamid scored in the 81st minute to take his team to the King’s Cup final on May 31. They will meet the winners of Wednesday’s second semifinal between Al-Nassr and Al-Khaleej.
“Saud Abdulhamid is extraordinary. In the 90th minute he is still going at full speed,” said Jesus. “He can always improve, and I expect the best from him. Saudi players in general are open to developing tactically.”
He added: “We fought for more than 60 minutes (with the one-man) deficiency, and after conceding the equalizer we were better in transitions and controlled the match.”
The Portuguese coach has set his sights on completing a hat trick of triumphs this season.
“We have three championships this season,” Jesus added. “The league is close, we already achieved the (Saudi) Super Cup, and now we have reached the (King’s) cup final. This is a wonderful thing, and we are continuing to achieve our goals.”
He added that excluding Salman Al-Faraj from the starting lineup had been a “tactical” decision.
Maxey magic fires Sixers past Knicks, Bucks stay alive
- Maxey led the Sixers back from the brink of defeat in the fourth quarter with a late burst of scoring before dominating in overtime
- Donovan Mitchell rattled in 28 points as the Cavaliers ground out a 104-103 win over Orlando Magic
LOS ANGELES: Tyrese Maxey produced a 46-point gem as the Philadelphia 76ers stunned the New York Knicks 112-106 in overtime to keep their NBA Eastern Conference playoff hopes alive on Tuesday.
Maxey led the Sixers back from the brink of defeat in the fourth quarter with a late burst of scoring before dominating in overtime to ensure a Game 6 back in Philadelphia.
The Knicks, leading the best-of-seven series 3-1 heading into Tuesday’s game, had looked poised to clinch after Jalen Brunson helped the second seeds take a six-point lead with 29 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
But Maxey drained a three-pointer from 24 feet and then hit a stunning 34-footer from the logo with nine seconds left to send a pulsating duel into overtime.
It looked as if the Knicks had reclaimed the initiative after Brunson scored five points to give New York a five-point lead before a raucous Madison Square Garden.
Yet Maxey and NBA MVP Joel Embiid had other ideas, launching a 9-0 run to give the Sixers a 106-102 advantage. New York pegged it back to 106-106 but the Sixers regrouped and pulled clear again to seal victory.
“Season on the line, we fought for 53 minutes and never gave up,” Maxey said.
“Even when we were down late guys still went out there and made plays — that was big time.”
A pumped-up Maxey could be seen roaring in defiance after helping the Sixers take the game to overtime in the fourth quarter.
“I was saying some things that my grandma probably wouldn’t like,” he said. “I’m a happy guy but I absolutely hate losing.”
Maxey’s 46-point haul included seven three-pointers while Embiid posted a triple-double of 19 points, 16 rebounds and 10 rebounds.
Tobias Harris added 19 points for the Sixers while Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 14.
Brunson led New York’s scoring with 40 points while Josh Hart had 18 and O.G. Anunoby 17.
Game 6 is in Philadelphia on Thursday.
In other games, the injury-hit Milwaukee Bucks stayed afloat by beating the Indiana Pacers, winning 115-92 to extend their series to Game 6.
Milwaukee, trailing 3-1 and missing injured stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, looked to be heading for an early postseason exit after Indiana raced into a 31-23 first-quarter lead.
But the Bucks cut loose though in the second and third, outscoring Indiana 64-36 to take control.
Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis led Milwaukee with 29 points apiece while Malike Beasley added 18.
Tyrese Haliburton top scored for Indiana with 16 points but endured a frustrating night against a sterling Milwaukee defensive effort.
Game 6 takes place in Indiana on Thursday.
In Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell rattled in 28 points — including 14 in the fourth quarter — as the Cavaliers ground out a 104-103 win over the Orlando Magic to take a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference first round series.
Orlando had fought back from 2-0 down to level after recording emphatic wins in Games 3 and 4 in Florida.
But Cleveland dug deep to ensure they will head back to Orlando for game six on Friday with a chance of clinching the series.
“It’s not gonna be pretty but it’s the playoffs,” Mitchell said after Cleveland’s win.
“The fourth quarter — that’s what I do. But I’ve got to play better for my group.
“We’ve played well at home as a group. Now we’ve got to go down there in a hostile environment and handle our business.”
Paolo Banchero led Orlando’s scorers with 39 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
