English football extends shutdown until April 30

Above, a football fan wearing a protective face mask walks near the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on March 15, 2020. (AFP)
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Updated 19 March 2020
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English football extends shutdown until April 30

LONDON: The shutdown of English football was extended until at least April 30 on Thursday after the Premier League and English Football League (EFL) held crisis meetings.
UEFA’s decision to postpone Euro 2020 for 12 months earlier this week could allow games to be completed over the summer if strict restrictions of traveling and mass gatherings to halt the spread of COVID-19 are lifted in time.

“We’ve collectively agreed that the professional game in England will be further postponed until no earlier than Thursday 30 April,” said a joint statement by the Football Association, Premier League, EFL, players and managers’ bodies.
However, the authorities still hope to finish the season once play can be restarted rather than accepting the current standings as final or declaring the campaign null and void.
“We’re united in our commitment to finding ways of resuming the 2019-20 football season and ensuring all domestic and European club league and cup matches are played as soon as it is safe and possible to do so,” added the statement.


Norway’s Carlsen wins first FIDE Freestyle World Chess Championship

Updated 16 February 2026
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Norway’s Carlsen wins first FIDE Freestyle World Chess Championship

Norway’s Magnus Carlsen added ‌another crown to his collection on Sunday by becoming the first official FIDE Freestyle Chess world champion after ​a comeback win over Fabiano Caruana in Germany.
The chess master secured the title with a cautious draw in the fourth and final game, clinching a 2.5–1.5 match victory against his 33-year-old American opponent in Weissenhaus.
Sunday’s turning point came in the thrilling third game, in ‌which Carlsen, ‌35, pulled off a stunning ​win ‌from ⁠a ​seemingly lost ⁠position, swinging the entire contest in his favor.
The world number one only needed a draw in the decisive fourth game, and that’s exactly what he got in an equal endgame, with Caruana missing late opportunities to mount a ⁠comeback.
Carlsen has now won 21 world ‌titles in various formats.

 

The ‌World Championship marked a breakthrough ​collaboration between FIDE and ‌private organizer Freestyle Chess, staging the first ‌officially recognized title in this format.
Carlsen had previously failed to capture the FIDE Fischer Random World Championship, making this victory particularly sweet for the chess great.
In ‌the bronze medal match, Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov beat Germany’s Vincent Keymer, securing ⁠his spot ⁠by drawing from a winning position in the final game.
Both finalists and Abdusattorov have qualified for next year’s championship.
The tournament’s lower placings saw Hans Niemann of the United States take fifth with a 2-0 victory over India’s Arjun Erigaisi, while Armenia’s Levon Aronian won his Armageddon game against Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov for seventh place.
In the women’s exhibition match, Kazakhstan’s ​Bibisara Assaubayeva prevailed over ​Switzerland’s Alexandra Kosteniuk after their final encounter ended in a draw.