SPORT | 09

SPORTBCCI source

hints at IPL

taking place

later this year

SPORT | 10

THURSDAY 21 MAY 2020

S

US Open without

fans would

devalue title

win, says Cilic

Hockenheim ready to step in if Silverstone failsREUTERS — LONDON

Hockenheim is ready to step in if British quarantine restrictions prevent Silverstone from hosting a Formula One race during the COVID-19 pandemic, the German circuit’s boss said yesterday.

Jorn Teske said that a decision needed to be made soon, however.

“We are talking with F1, that’s correct. We have spoken about the idea of having a race without spectators here at the circuit,” he said.

“We already checked if this could be possible, from dates as well as the legal general point of view. For us, it is an option.”

Formula One has said a planned 14-day quarantine for most people entering Britain would rule out a British Grand Prix unless the sport, whose season has yet to start, was granted an exemption.

Silverstone, which this year marks the 70th anniversary of hosting the first world champi-onship race, has been ear-marked for two closed-door races following two in Austria in July.

Hockenheim, which hosted the German Grand Prix last year but could not agree a new deal on acceptable terms, is an obvious alternative.

Teske said Hockenheim was keen to help but needed to make money and did not want to turn away business while waiting for a possibility.

“What is really crucial for us is not to be pending now for months. We have to get our circuit booked and there is a high demand on track days... but Formula One is aware and understands our situation,” he said.

The circuit would need several weeks to organise track marshals, security and

emergency services, Teske said, but could move fast on the tech-nical side.

The return of Bundesliga soccer behind closed doors last weekend had also provided a reference point while the lack of an existing contract meant Hockenheim had a ‘blank sheet’.

“Others have a contract in place which might be a bit more complicated in regards to costs they had already and other costs coming up because of prepara-tions which were initiated already,” said Teske.

“We can just say OK, if we find a time slot then we have these costs. And then we come together or not. This might be a little advantage in our talks.

“But we will see what happens. I think the most decisive (thing) is the current situation with quarantine in the UK.”

The chances of Hockenheim

returning to the F1 calendar next year remained remote, said Teske.

“As long as we have no financial support from the gov-ernment side, or from

whomever else, we couldn’t manage the normal fee. The risk is by far too high,” he said.

“We found a solution for 2019, quite surprisingly, but this was a special situation. If we

could find another solution for a mid-term agreement we would like to have it but at the moment we are concentrating on this season. This is chal-lenging enough.”

A file photo of German Grand Prix in Hockenheim, Germany, which took place on July 28, 2019.

NFL set to lose $5.5bn if it plays in empty stadiumsAFP — NEW YORK

NFL teams stand to lose a combined $5.5bn in stadium revenue if the 2020 campaign is played without any spectators, according to a Forbes magazine estimate.

The magazine, which annually values each NFL club, said the amount teams would lose with no spectators due to the coro-navirus pandemic equals 38 percent of total NFL revenue from the 2018 season, the latest from which figures are available.

That includes lost revenue from ticket sales, parking, sponsors, food and drinks and souvenir sales. It’s uncertain whether or not fans will be able to attend 2020 NFL games, with state shutdown regulations against large crowds and possible medical advances likely to impact such plans.

The absence of spec-tators would hit some teams harder than others, but none more than the Dallas Cowboys, who would lose $621m in stadium income -- more than the total revenue of any other NFL franchise and a huge chunk of their $950m total revenue.

New England Patriots would lose $315m from total revenues of $600m while the New York Giants ranked third at $262m lost from $519m in total revenue.

The Tampa Bay Buc-caneers, 24th of 31 teams on the list with $119m in lost revenue from a $400m total, would expect a major jump in ticket sales and associated income after signing six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady.

The Chargers, second-worst in the report with $93m in lost revenue from a $375m total, are set to move from a smaller venue into a new $5bn stadium with 70,000 seats for regular NFL games.

Qatar 2022 will unite the globe once virus is defeated, says Al Thawadi

THE PENINSULA —DOHA

The Secretary General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) believes the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ has the potential to unite the globe once the COVID-19 pandemic has been defeated.

Hassan Al Thawadi (pic-tured) outlined the SC’s response to COVID-19 and dis-cussed tournament prepara-tions during Leaders Week Direct – a global sports industry conference currently being held online due to the ongoing pandemic.

Speaking during an interview with James Worrall, Leaders CEO & Founder, Al Thawadi said the SC had moved quickly to protect its workforce once the pandemic reached Qatar.

“It’s an unprecedented sit-uation and our immediate focus was our workers’ health and safety,” said Al Thawadi.

“In coordination with the Ministry of Public Health, we

isolated at-risk workers, pro-vided awareness materials and educated people about best practice. We also took other actions, such as disinfecting work sites, to limit the spread as much as possible.”

Al Thawadi said Qatar is guaranteeing the salaries of anyone affected by the pandemic. “Our government is ensuring eve-ryone gets paid – even if they are isolated or hospitalised due to the illness,” he said.

Despite COVID-19, Qatar is on track to deliver much of its infrastructure by the end of this year.

“We are continuing to work at a much slower pace than normal but we are blessed with already being ahead of the game in terms of infrastructure. We have completed more than 80% of venues – two-and-a-half years before kick-off.”

Al Thawadi said one of the core challenges for Qatar 2022 is to ensure the tournament is economically accessible to fans who wish to attend.

“It’s difficult for anyone to paint a clear picture of a post-COVID world. This is the first time in the m o d e r n w o r l d where all economic activity has come to a s t a n d s t i l l

and there are big implications on business, employment and livelihoods. We need to con-sider the ability of fans to afford to visit and participate in the World Cup. We’re in discussions with experts and also other tournament holders, such as Tokyo 2020, to plan and put scenarios together.

“We’ve said from day one this will be an affordable expe-rience. We demonstrated that during the Club World Cup by working closely with clubs, fan groups and Qatar Airways.

There

is no blueprint for a post-COVID world – but we can look and anticipate, and try to under-stand what the recovery is going to look like. We need to host an event which is affordable for fans and functionable for indus-tries and supply chains.”

Al Thawadi went on to say Qatar’s World Cup has the potential to unify the globe once COVID-19 has been defeated.

“It may sound idealistic, but COVID-19 has made us realise we are all social creatures. The impact on our mental health, the uncertainty, social dis-tancing, not being able to engage with each other – eve-ryone misses human inter-

action. I’ve always dreamed big and said this is a World Cup to bring people together – and goodness knows, after COVID, we have to come back together. We need to get over this and celebrate col-lectively during Qatar 2022.”

Al Thawadi was also asked about the ongoing

blockade which Qatar is subjected to by several n e i g h -b o u r i n g countries. He said t h e political

situation had helped boost resil-ience in the country – but hoped it would be eased in order to allow people to attend the tournament.

“In many ways, the blockade has been a blessing in disguise for Qatar. It has forced us to be self-reliant and look inwards. It’s actually helped us become better prepared to deal with COVID. We’re now number 13 in the world when it comes to food security and, as soon as COVID came along, Qatari com-panies started producing 8 million face masks per week, along with 2,000 ventilators [for local requirements and global aid].”

Al Thawadi continued: “Support from the people of the region – notably blockading countries – is there. People are very excited about the tour-nament. We hosted the Gulf Cup last year, which included teams from blockading countries. Two thousand Bahrain fans were here to see their country win the Gulf Cup for the first time in their history.

“I hope the blockading countries remove the travel restrictions. There are no restrictions from Qatar. I hope they remove them for what is a once-in-a-lifetime oppor-tunity for the people of our region. By 2022, I’m optimistic we will have overcome this pandemic. I’m optimistic we will have become more resilient as a human race. It’s a chance for us all to celebrate together.”

to de ve uc o tsucture by the end of this

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e completed more thanvenues – two-and-a-rs before kick-off.” hawadi said one of the allenges for Qatar 2022 sure the tournament is ically accessible to fans sh to attend.

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Spectacular Al Bayt Stadium Al Bayt Stadium is seen as the sun goes down and Iftar begins. Fans arriving at this 60,000-capacity arena will have never seen anything like it. A giant tent structure will cover this whole stadium in the northern city of Al Khor. The stadium will host matches right through to the FIFA World Cup 2022 semi-finals.

It may sound idealistic, but COVID-19 has made us realise we are all social creatures. The impact on our mental health, the uncertainty, social distancing, not being able to engage with each other – everyone misses human interaction. I’ve always dreamed big and said this is a World Cup to bring people together – and goodness knows, after COVID, we have to come back together. We need to get over this and celebrate collectively during Qatar 2022. Hassan Al Thawadi

Al Sulaiti one win away from QORC title after claiming another victoryTHE PENINSULA - DOHA

Former Qatar Superstock 600 champion Saeed Al Sulaiti is one victory away from confirming a title this season as he stormed to win his second consec-utive race in the Qatar Online Racing Champi-onship (QORC) on Tuesday.

With two victories in the three-leg final stage of the series, the popular Qatari rider raised his expectations of winning the inaugural QORC title by collecting 80 points, eight clear of his closest rival Soud Al Thani (72).

The former World Superbike racer, Al Sulaiti kept his pace throughout the 15 laps on a virtual e Brne Circuit in Brne, Czech Republic and sealed the victory in 28:36.710 despite two crashes.

It was a repeat of the previous podium as Soud finished in the second spot

again while Khalid Al Maraghi came third.

K u w a i t i g a m e r Mohamad Al Zaidan was fourth.

Jeremy Parola, known as the ‘Flying Frenchman’ made a remarkable comeback after staring 8th in the grid to enter the top 5.

Earlier, Al Sulaiti’s pole position was decided by just 0.578 secs when he clocked 01:52.590 for his fastest lap during the qual-ifying round.

Soud was second while the reigning QSTK600 champion and Sulaiti’s familiar opponent on real track, Abdullah Al Qubaisi

completed the front row in the starting grid.

The riders will now head for the third and final round of the QORC finals which will take place today.

With all motoracing action coming to a halt due to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic

around the world, the online championship is providing some sort of relief for action-starving fans.

The series, played on PlayStation 4 platform of MotoGP 19 game, is organised by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF).

09THURSDAY 21 MAY 2020 SPORT

ATP launches partnerships to help playersREUTERS — MUMBAI

The men’s tennis tour has joined up with Sporting Chance and Headspace to help players and its staff deal with mental health problems and look after their well-being during the COVID-19 shutdown, the ATP said yesterday.

The professional tennis season was halted in early March due to the pandemic and will remain suspended until at least the end of July, depriving lower-level players who depend solely on tournament winnings of the chance to earn a living.

With no clarity on when the sport can resume again, many players have been left anxious as they struggle to cope with the uncertainty that lies ahead.

“Being mentally strong is just as important as physical strength in tennis and looking after the mental health of our players and staff is a key pri-ority for us,” ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi said in a statement.

“Everyone has been adapting to periods of self-iso-lation and decreased physical activity during the pandemic, but this can have a particularly

detrimental effect on profes-sional athletes who are used to particular training structure and playing day in day out.”

The ATP’s tie-up with Sporting Chance, founded by former England and Arsenal soccer captain Tony Adams to help with emotional welfare and addictive disorders, gives players access to therapists experienced in working with elite athletes.

“The challenges that all sports and sports professionals are experiencing in the light of this pandemic will be affecting all of us in different ways,” Adams said.

“Holding out our hand to those in need at this time is important to me and working with organisations like the ATP is a pleasure - well done

Tennis!” As part of another partnership,

Headspace will provide free subscriptions to ATP players and employees, giving

them access to all 1200+ hours of meditation and mindfulness content.

Earlier this month, the ATP also announced a two-year

partnership with online learning platform Coursera which will allow players to access over 4,000 courses for free.

A “Tennis Event Cancelled” sign flashes outside the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, California, in this file photo.

The men’s tennis tour has

joined up with Sporting

Chance and Headspace to

help players and its staff

deal with mental health

problems and look after

their well-being during

the COVID-19 shutdown.

US Open without fans would devalue title win, says CilicREUTERS — MUMBAI

Marin Cilic (pictured) thinks winning the US Open in front of empty stands at Arthur Ashe Stadium would be forever remembered as a Grand Slam triumph with a very big asterisk, the former champion said.

The tennis season came to a halt in March due to the coronavirus pandemic and the shutdown will continue at least until the end of July with many countries in lockdown and air travel bans in place.

The US Open is scheduled to take place from August 31 and organisers are looking at a wide range of scenarios to get the show on, including keeping fans out.

Cilic, who held the silver trophy aloft at Flushing Meadows in 2014 in the biggest achievement of his career, felt a crowd-free envi-ronment would devalue the accomplishment.

“I just feel that it’s going to more or less feel like practice matches,” the former world n u m b e r three said in an

interview from Croatia. “It’s always going to be... in the years to come, ‘oh, you know that guy won a US Open in 2020 without fans’. I don’t think it’s going to have that weight...

“It wouldn’t be the best scenario.”

Cilic thinks the interna-tional travel required to get professional tennis up and running again means the issue might end up being academic in any case.

“Tennis season is slightly different than football, than basketball,” he added.

“ T h e y h a v e seasons to finish off, and the next season is depending on this s e a s o n a s

well. For tennis, if we start in December or in January, it’s not going to change too much.

“I believe that there won’t be any tournaments without fans.

“Basically the whole tour is revolving a lot on sponsors and people coming to the tournaments. Sponsors are investing money because people are coming to watch tennis and see the players,” he said.

While many players have been left with a lot of spare time and an empty schedule

during the shutdown, the break has

p r o v e d timely for

C i l i c , w h o

became a parent

for the first t i m e i n

January.The 2017

Wimbledon and 2018 Australian

Open finalist said his entire day locked

down on the coast of the Adriat ic Sea

revolved around his son ‘Balbo’.

“It is a very, very big blessing for me. It’s a silver l ining situation,” the 31-year-old said.

“Basically since his birth I have missed only two weeks of his life. It’s been a beautiful time with him, spending time with my family, seeing how he’s

growing up and then feeling all the things that he is going through. “It’s been, I have to say, one of the best moments and best periods of my life, of my tennis career.”

While Cilic is in a much better mental state than some of his tennis colleagues, he says he might also have a physical advantage when the circuit finally resumes.

“I was really privileged as we moved to my wife’s hometown, which is quite a small place,” he said.

“I know a person that runs a couple of tennis courts here and he gave me keys to one. So we were able to play on our own, me and my coach.

“I believe, more or less, when things become calmer everyone is going to have enough time to prepare and train but hopefully I’m going to be just slightly better.”

shutdown will continue atleast until the end of July with many countries in lockdown and air travel bans in place.

The US Open is scheduled to take place from August 31 and organisers are looking at a wide range of scenarios to get the show on, including keeping fans out.

Cilic, who held the silver trophy aloft at Flushing Meadows in 2014 in the biggest achievement of his career, felt a crowd-free envi-ronment would devalue the accomplishment.

“I just feel that it’s going to more or less feel like practice matches,” the former world n u m b e r three said in an

might end up being academic in any case.

“Tennis season is slightly different than football, thanbasketball,” he added.

“ T h e y h a v ee seasons to finish off, and the next season is depending on this s e a s o n a s

he said.While many players

been left with a lot of time and an empty sch

during the shuttht e brea

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Wimbledo2018 Austr

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revolved around h‘Balbo’.

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a y, see g owfamily, seeing how

I just feel that it’s going to more or less feel like practice matches. It’s always going to be... in the years to come, ‘oh, you know that guy won a US Open in 2020 without fans’. I don’t think it’s going to have that weight. It wouldn’t be the best scenario: Marin Cilic

British number one Konta wants ATP/WTA merger on equal termsREUTERS — MUMBAI

British number one Johanna Konta feels a merger of the women’s governing WTA tennis body with the men’s ATP makes sense but stressed it must only be on equal terms.

Roger Federer last month called for a merger between the two organisations, with the Women’s Tennis Association chief Steve Simon and Associ-ation of Tennis Professionals Tour Chairman Andrea Gau-denzi welcoming the suggestion.

Konta, who sits on the WTA player council, has joined some of her fellow women profes-sionals in calling for an equal position in any combined body in the future.

“For me, for my compre-hension, I don’t understand how it wouldn’t be of equals because if we are then talking about that, would it be us lit-erally saying we are worth less than our male counterparts?” the world number 14 told British media.

“It would have to be a merger of equals because that’s what we are. I wouldn’t see

how, right now in today’s age, it would be allowed to be called anything else.”

As many as seven associa-tions run different parts of tennis in the world.

Besides the ATP and the WTA Tours, the sport is also controlled by the International Tennis Federation and the boards of the four Grand Slam tournaments.

Currently viewers need dif-ferent pay-TV platforms to watch tennis matches and a merger of the Tours could sim-plify television contracts and sponsorship deals.

American great Billie Jean King had called for a unified governing body for men and women years ago but the 29-year-old Konta feels Fed-erer’s comments have brought attention back to the topic.

“I definitely think in the long run it makes sense for it to be one tour, it makes logical sense but I also know there are a lot of moving parts to it, and I know there will be a lot of people who won’t want it to happen, but also a lot of people who do want it to happen,” Konta added.

Johanna Konta

QORC STANDINGS (AFTER TWO FINALS)RK RIDER R1 R2 PTS1 Saeed Al Sulaiti 40 40 802 Soud Al Thani 36 36 723 Khalid Al Maraghi 33 33 664 Jeremy Parola 30 30 605 Mohamad Al Zaidan 29 31 60

10 THURSDAY 21 MAY 2020SPORT

BCCI source hints at IPL taking place later this year IANS - NEW DELHI

In what could be the biggest news for cricket fans across the globe amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is looking at a possibility of hosting the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League from September 25 to November 1, provided the country is able to lower the rate of coronavirus infections.

Sources in the know of developments said that while it is still early days, the BCCI is looking to zoom in on the end-September to November period to organise the cash-rich league to start India’s domestic season in the post-coronavirus era.

“It is still early days as a lot of other things have to fall in place for this to materialise, but yes, the BCCI is looking at a September 25-November 1 window provided the number of cases in the country come down and the government does give a go-ahead. As I said, a lot of things do need to fall in place,

but yes these dates are being talked about and contingency planning is on,” the source said.

When contacted, an official of one of the IPL franchises said that they were indeed working on the road ahead with an eye on the end-September to early-November window as it would take at least a month’s planning leading up to the league when it comes to advertising and marketing.

“Yes, we have been told that we should plan with an eye on these dates and in fact, we are

looking to plan our build-up in such a manner. But then again, it all depends on the country’s position with regards to the pandemic. There is no denying that we are keeping our fingers crossed and hoping that the government will continue with the brilliant job they have done and we will see a drop in the number of cases per day,” the official said.

Another IPL official said that while the window is being zeroed in on, a lot of clarity will need to come as time progresses

with regards to logistics and the on-ground preparations.

“Yes, we have been told about the window, but nothing yet on the venues or how to go about the logistics. We need to understand those sides as part of the next step of preparation as foreign players will need to come in and we have to ensure that government directives with regards to fighting the pan-demic are fully abided by. I am sure we will get more clarity as time moves forward as prepa-rations will start say around mid-August if we have to play our first match around the end of September,” the official explained.

But most importantly, the T20 World Cup needs to be postponed first as it is still panned to be played from October 18 to November 15 in Australia. Interestingly, quite a few Australia cricketers, who are part of the national T20 team, believe it will be almost impossible for the country to host the tournament as per schedule.

Pacer Cummins wants artificial substance to shine the ballREUTERS - SYDNEY

Australia quick Pat Cummins wants cricket’s lawmakers to approve the use of an artificial substance to shine the ball after a ban on the use of saliva was recommended in the wake of the COVID-19 health crisis.

The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) cricket committee has recommended the ban on the use of spit when the sport returns after the coronavirus shutdown because of fears it could lead to the spread of COVID-19.

Cricketers have long used saliva and sweat to shine one side of the ball, altering the aerodynamics in an attempt to gen-erate movement in the air as it flies towards the batsman.

“If we remove saliva, we have to have another option,” Cummins told the cricket.com.au website.

“Sweat’s not bad, but I think we need something more than that, ideally. Whatever that is, wax or I don’t know what.

“If that’s what that science is telling us, that it’s high risk using saliva ... as long as we’re keeping other options open, whether that’s sweat or something artificial.”

Earlier this month, Australian cricket-ball manufacturer Kookaburra said it had developed a wax applicator to enhance shine and aid swing.

Australia quick Josh Hazlewood says the proposed ban on cricketers using saliva to shine the ball will be difficult to police but ultimately might not make much difference to the art of swing bowling.

“I’d like saliva to be used obviously but if that’s what they’ve put forward, I guess everyone is playing the same game,” he told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph.

“Once it comes back to you as a bowler, it’s second nature to just give it a little touch up if you see something, and that’s going to be hard to stop to be honest. And it’s a tough thing to monitor for sure.”

Hazlewood, while admitting he had no medical training, questioned whether the measure was necessary at all given that players live in each other’s pockets during matches.

As to whether it would make much of a difference to the effectiveness of pace bowling, Hazlewood was uncertain.

“Sweat probably makes (the ball) a bit wetter if that makes sense. Makes it a bit heavier,” he added.

“I think you’ll use very small amounts because people have sweaty hands anyway and it gets on the ball ... I don’t think this will have as big an impact as what people think.”#

Cricket Australia (CA) is also considering disinfecting the ball during matches to minimise the health risk to players, the head of its medical team said yesterday.

Australia’s Pat Cummins in action against South Africa in the third T20 played at Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town, South Africa, in this February 26, 2020, file photo.

Pakistan to send combined squad for ‘bio-secure’ England tour: CEOREUTERS - ISLAMABAD

Pakistan plan to send a 25-man squad to England in July to meet the demands of playing an entire tour in a ‘bio-secure’ bubble, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief executive Wasim Khan said yesterday.

Pakistan are scheduled to play three tests in August followed by an equal number of Twenty20 Internationals, with the matches taking place behind closed doors as part of measures to combat COVID-19.

The England and Wales Cricket Board detailed the provisions they planned to implement for the tour in a presentation on Friday and Khan said the PCB was encouraged by the proposals.

“So from that point of view, in principle, we are planning towards touring England,” he said.

The PCB would seek medical advice and government guidance before going on the tour, he added.

The UK government has said elite sport can return in June without spectators and England hope to begin their delayed summer of cricket with a test series against West Indies in July.

Pakistan will have to arrive almost a month before the first test to undergo a two-week quarantine period mandatory for all visitors and get in some match practice.

The Test and Twenty20 squads will travel together, giving team management options in the event of injuries.

“From a manageability point of view, it makes sense for us and the ECB that the whole squad travel as one, so you create a bubble if you like around those players for the whole of the time that they are in England,” Khan said.

The ECB has not announced venues for the tour but British media tipped Man-chester and Southampton, both with on-site hotels, to stage the matches. Khan said venues would have testing centres and zones that would be off-limits to anyone other than players and officials.

“They are planning to create bio-secure hotels, a sort of environment around the players in certain parts of the hotel to keep the players safe and away from the general public,” Khan added.

Meanwhile Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal has filed an appeal against the duration of his three-year ban for failing to report corrupt approaches before this year’s Pakistan Super League.

The 29-year-old Akmal was banned earlier this month until Feb. 19, 2023 after the Pakistan Cricket Board’s disciplinary committee found him guilty of two charges of violating the anti-corruption code.

He had been provisionally suspended on Feb. 20, just hours before he was set to represent Quetta Gladiators in the PSL’s opening game at Karachi.

The chairman of the disciplinary com-mittee, retired Justice Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan, said in his ruling that it appeared Akmal showed no remorse and had “tried to take refuge under the pretext that in the past whenever any such approaches were made, the matter was reported by him.”

A view of the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London from the back row of the redeveloped Compton Stand seen in this photo posted by @HomeOfCricket.

Former Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar cuts his son Arjun’s hair, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in Mumbai, India, in this still image obtained from a social media video.

England players set to resume trainingAFP - LONDON

England bowlers are set to report for training today, leading the way as cricket chiefs step up plans to start a season heavily delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The global health crisis has put matches on hold in England until July 1 at the ear-liest while in other countries the season is already over.

Despite the pandemic, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is still planning to stage a full home international pro-gramme, starting with a three-Test series against the West Indies, which was origi-nally scheduled for June.

The ECB has announced that up to 18 bowlers will be involved from today.

Edgbaston, Hove, Old Trafford, the Oval, the Riverside, Taunton and Trent Bridge will stage at least one session, before batsmen and wicketkeepers become involved from June 1.

The bowlers’ identities have yet to be made public but the choice of venues indi-cates that James Anderson (Old Trafford) and Stuart Broad (Trent Bridge) will be among the leading England bowlers training at their home county grounds.

Bowlers will have to bring their own kit, including designated cricket balls, wash their hands regularly, and clean any equipment used with disinfectant wipes.

England managing director Ashley Giles said last week he wanted the training ses-sions to be safer than a trip to a supermarket.

As well as the West Indies Test series, England’s cricket schedule includes three Tests against Pakistan and limited-overs matches against Australia and Ireland, with the fixtures set to be played behind closed doors at bio-secure venues. ECB chief exec-utive Tom Harrison has warned a season without any matches at all could cost the board £380m ($465m).

Sri Lanka hoping to train from June 1: Coach ArthurREUTERS - COLOMBO

Sri Lanka’s cricketers are hoping to return to training from June 1 in bio secure venues once the government gives the green light, head coach Mickey Arthur has said.

Cricket has been suspended since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Sri Lanka’s home series against England and South Africa have been postponed.

Sri Lanka has had some success in cur-tailing the spread of the new coronavirus, having reported just over 1,000 cases, and the government is prepared to ease lockdown restrictions.

“Last Wednesday we had a quick meeting because we are starting to get our plans in place for June 1,” Arthur told ESP-Ncricinfo. “Once we get the official go-ahead from the ministry of health I will start putting meat into that structure with the captains and my support staff.”

Training will initially be limited to fast bowlers but Arthur hopes he can coach the full squad from June 20.

“It is looking good with the health min-istry, but it will be a smaller group. We’ll probably prioritise our fast bowlers because they are the ones who are going to need more time to get back into it,” Arthur, who took the job in December, said. “Once we get some assurances from the medical staff around the world that biosecure (envi-ronment) is fine and what the virus could do to you potentially if you got it.”

Bangladesh cricket has improved immensely: AkramIANS - NEW DELHI

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram feels Bang-ladesh cricket has improved a lot in the last 10-12 years due to the emergence of some top-class talent in recent times.

Akram, who was the Man of the Match in the 1992 World Cup final, hailed the current crop of players in the country during a Facebook live session with Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal.

With no cricket going on these days due to coro-navirus pandemic, former and current cricketers have been keeping themselves busy by engaging with fans on social media.

Akram joined Tamim in a conversation that also had former cricketers Minhajul Abedin, Khaled Masud and Akram Khan.

“I miss coming to Bangladesh... Bangladesh have always been very close to my heart. The people... the food... and of course cricket as well,” Akram told Tamim during the live video session.

“For me it is very proud moment to see Bang-ladesh cricket improve immensely in last 10-12 years.

@World top players like yourself, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur (Rahim), Mustafizur (Rahman)...all these guys... it’s really good to see.

Tamim jokingly said he counts his lucky stars

that he doesn’t have to face the former Pakistan speedster to which Akram said that he would have cherished the battle against the current Bangladesh southpaws.

“We are lucky Wasim bhai. I don’t want to face you. We are very lucky that you are not playing,” said Tamim.

“But it would have been a very good battle. Especially against you and Shakib. Being a left-hander, it would have been a very good battle,” Akram said.

“I am happy sitting at my home. I don’t want to face you no matter what,” Tamim said with a smile during the chat.

11THURSDAY 21 MAY 2020 SPORT

Football closer to coming back, says Klopp as Liverpool return to trainingAFP - LONDON

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is optimistic about the chances of completing the Premier League season as the champions-elect returned to training in small groups yesterday.

Klopp’s side were just two victories away from ending a 30-year wait to win the title when the English top-flight was shutdown more than two months ago due to the corona-virus pandemic.

Six positive cases of COVID-19 were detected in the Premier League’s first round of 748 tests of players and staff ahead of a return to socially dis-tanced training this week.

At the start of the outbreak, Klopp accepted football should be suspended if it would help save even one life.

But the German believes it is now safe for players to return to phase one of training.

“I always said we don’t want to rush anything, but I don’t think it is rushed. It is for the first step, for this kind of social distancing training,” Klopp told the Liverpool website.

“It was a long time, it is still ongoing, but the development is going with everything in the right direction and that helps.

“That football is closer to coming back I think is really a good sign for people as well.”

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder is also heartened

that just 0.8 percent of the tests carried out by the Premier League resulted in positive cases.

“A lot of people have been tested and the signs are encour-aging,” said Wilder, whose side are in contention to qualify for European competition for the first time in their history.

Germany’s Bundesliga resumed its season behind closed doors last weekend, becoming the first major league to return to action.

The Premier League’s target of restarting on June 12 has been called into question by players’ concern for their welfare, both from the threat of the virus and injuries with little preparation time after such a long layoff.

However, Wilder does not believe fitness should be an issue as players have been able to maintain their conditioning during the lockdown.

“They weren’t off to Dubai or Vegas eating and drinking whatever they want,” Wilder added.

“They’ve got a profession-alism about them and my players are in absolutely bril-liant condition.”

Newcastle and England defender Danny Rose though is angry at the restart plans, arguing that players are being treated like “guinea pigs or lab rats”.

“I could be potentially risking my health for people’s entertainment and that’s not

something I want to be involved in, if I’m honest,” said Rose on the Lockdown Tactics podcast.

Watford captain Troy Deeney has said he will not return to training this week over fears he could pass the virus onto his five-month-old son, with three of the six positive cases in the Premier League registered at the club.

Watford’s Adrian Mariappa confirmed he had tested pos-itive, with the bemused defender telling the Daily Tel-egraph: “Ever since I got my positive result back on Tuesday, I’ve been scratching my head to try to work out how I might

have got coronavirus. It was a big surprise because I haven’t really left the house, apart from some exercise and the odd walk with the kids.”

Burnley had previously announced that assistant manager Ian Woan, who is asymptomatic, was another case with two more from one other club yet to be revealed.

Meanwhile, Tottenham have launched another inves-tigation into one of their players after defender Serge Aurier appeared to flout social-distancing rules for a third time.

The Ivorian posted an

Instagram photo on Tuesday showing off his new haircut and tagged the barber in his post.

Hairdressers are closed in Britain in line with the govern-ment’s rules on social distancing.

Spurs have previously had to remind Tanguy Ndombele, Davinson Sanchez, Ryan Ses-segnon and Moussa Sissoko of their responsibilities after they were pictured in breach of social distancing guidelines.

Manager Jose Mourinho also admitted his wrongdoing in arranging a one-on-one training session with Ndombele in April.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp applauds the fans after his team’s Champions League match against Atletico Madrid at Anfield, Liverpool, Britain, in this March 11, 2020, file photo.

FIFPro warns against punishing players who refuse to trainAFP - PARIS

The head of global players’ union FIFPro has given his backing to footballers who do no want to return to training because of coronavirus fears and cautioned that it would be “inhumane and unacceptable” if they were to be punished for taking such a stance.

Jonas Baer-Hoffmann’s comments come after Troy Deeney of English Premier League side Watford refused to restart training ahead of a possible resumption of the season because he does not want to put his young child, who has breathing diffi-culties, at risk of catching the virus.

Deeney has also cited fears his family could be in danger because of figures that show black and ethnic minorities in the UK -- which has the highest recorded death toll in Europe -- are more likely to become seriously ill with COVID-19.

Deeney is “a player who has very legit-imate concerns and wants to protect his family”, Baer-Hoffmann said in a con-ference call with reporters on Wednesday.

“If these players are being pressured or

potentially facing disciplinary actions, we feel that is very much unacceptable.

“The idea that somebody may be pun-ished in a pandemic for trying to protect his family’s health is inhumane and unacceptable.”

However, there is no suggestion that Watford are planning to take disciplinary action against Deeney.

Several players in England have voiced concerns about returning to training, even in small groups.

Watford were among the Premier League clubs affected by six positive tests for the virus out of a total of 748 tests con-ducted on Sunday and Monday.

England defender Danny Rose, on loan at Newcastle United from Tottenham Hotspur, said players were being treated like “lab rats” as the league attempts to get going again.

“No system can actually exclude the risk of infection, so it is a question about the probability by which you minimise that risk and many of the systems that we are seeing and reading about -- not particularly England -- still leave many, many gaps and

many risks,” Baer-Hoffmann said. “If the players in England -- of which Danny Rose is a part -- would like stricter rules then that needs to be discussed.”

Baer-Hoffmann admitted that plenty of players around the world were keen to get back playing despite the potential risks involved, but said FIFPro recommended that players undertake three to four weeks of training before beginning matches again due to the risk of injuries.

In England the Premier League has been suspended since March 13.

The financial consequences of not restarting would be potentially very serious for clubs, although players at the top level in England are in a better position than some of their counterparts around the globe.

Baer-Hoffmann highlighted the case of players in several Latin American coun-tries, including Colombia and Uruguay, as well as in Botswana and Egypt, who are now relying on food packages from their local players’ union “because they cannot even provide for their own basic needs and are being stranded in terms of income”.

This aerial view shows

Park Stadium - where Besiktas football team used to play in

Istanbul - during a four-day curfew aimed at curbing

the spread of the COVID-19

pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus.

Turkey’s Super Lig will restart on

June 12.

Star Neuer signs deal, set to stay at Bayern until 2023AFP - BERLIN

Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has signed a new deal with Bayern Munich that ties him to the club until 2023, the Bundesliga champions said yesterday.

The announcement ends weeks of speculation over the Bayern captain’s future, with widespread reports that talks between player and club had hit the rocks.

“During the weeks of the shutdown for the coro-navirus pandemic, I didn’t want to make a decision because nobody knew if, when and how Bundesliga football would continue,” Neuer said in a statement.

“I look to the future with great optimism. I feel very comfortable and at home in Bavaria.”

Last month the Bild daily reported that Neuer and his agent Thomas Kroth were demanding a five-year deal with a salary of €20m ($22m) per season.

Neuer had revealed his irritation both at the status of the talks and that details were being leaked to the media.

A World Cup winner in 2014 with Germany, Neuer joined Bayern from Schalke in 2011 and has won almost everything with the Bavarian giants, with seven Bundesliga titles, five German Cups and the 2013 Champions League to his name.

The 34-year-old is on course to win his eighth league crown with Bayern after a 2-0 win at Union Berlin on Sunday that maintained his team’s four-point lead at the top of the table as the Bundesliga became the first major European league to return from the coronavirus shutdown.

UEFA chief hopes CL will finish by ‘end of August’AFP - LISBON

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin is aiming to finish this year’s Champions League by the end of August as football in Europe slowly starts to bounce back from the corona-virus pandemic.

“Our plan is to finish it between now and the end of August,” Ceferin said in an interview with Portuguese sports daily Record, published yesterday.

“I think that will work. You never know what’s going to happen but things seem to be calming down.

“Eighty percent of European leagues are going to restart, I don’t see why the Champions League and Europa League shouldn’t take place.”

That end date for UEFA’s European tournaments was widely reported but never offi-cially confirmed by the conti-nent’s football governing body.

Ceferin’s desired deadline gives clubs a chance to finish their domestic competitions -- halted across Europe in mid-March -- before the Cham-pions League restarts in early August.

In an interview with British daily The Guardian, Ceferin added that he would be pre-pared to bet a million dollars on Euro 2020 being played next year following its post-ponement to 2021.

“Yes, I would,” he told the newspaper “I don’t know why it (the tournament) wouldn’t be (played).

“I don’t think that this virus will last forever. I think it will (change) sooner than many think.

“I don’t like this apoca-lyptic view that we have to wait for the second and third waves or even a fifth wave.”

Ceferin said football would follow the recommendations of the authorities but he was optimistic that fans would return to the stands quicker than many observers think.

“I’m absolutely sure, per-sonally, that good old football with fans will come back very soon,” he said.

And Ceferin said he did not expect the game to be pro-foundly changed by the coronavirus.

Monday matches set to be back on La Liga agendaREUTERS - MADRID

The fight over Monday night matches escalated a bitter dispute between Spain’s two main football bodies last year but the contentious time slot is set to return as organisers scramble to complete a season paralysed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales led a successful campaign to do away with fixtures on Mondays, delighting an army of fans who say the

time slot prevents families or those who work late from attending matches.

A commercial court’s ruling to ban Monday matches deepened tensions between Rubiales and La Liga chief Javier Tebas, who claims that a variety of time slots makes the league more attractive to broadcasters.

But if the two institutions were deeply divided by their opinions on scheduling, they have been united by a desire to complete the final 11 rounds of matches without spectators and avoid

potentially catastrophic losses of €1bn ($1.09bn).

“I hope there will be matches on Mondays and that the federation shows some sensitivity. The situation with spec-tators isn’t a problem any more,” Tebas said on Sunday.

Tebas has targeted resuming matches from June 12 and promised matches every day for five weeks to complete the season as soon as possible, although the latter plan hinges on the federation agreeing to lift the ban on Monday

games. But while Rubiales said in Feb-ruary there would be no Monday fixtures on his watch, a federation source said that after holding an eight-hour meeting with Tebas and sports minister Irene Lozano last month, he was ready to soften his stance as a goodwill gesture in the national interest.

While Monday Night Football is one of the Premier League’s top television slots, many in Spain have long been hostile to the idea since it was introduced in 2010.

No decision yet on ending WSL season REUTERS - LONDON

The English Football Associ-ation said yesterday that is in talks with Women’s Super League (WSL) and Women’s Championship clubs about how to conclude the season, but no decision has been taken to end it early.

Sky Sports reported earlier yesterday that the FA had written to clubs informing them that season was being cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the FA later clarified that no final decision had yet been made.

Soccer in England has been suspended since mid-March due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, though top-flight men’s teams were given permission to resume training in small groups this week.

Manchester City were top of the WSL table, one point ahead of Chelsea, with Liv-erpool bottom when matches were suspended. Aston Villa were six points clear at the top of the Championship.