The ejection of Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals from the IPL has sparked reactions from consternation to bafflement

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2010Lalit ModiEnd of the road for Shane Warne and the Rajasthan Royals?•AFP

“The Teams is what makes the IPL. With what Bcci has done today – is something that will only harm the image of the IPL and Bcci””They are hell bent on destroying something that we as Indians are proud of – The IPL. So as to satisfy there personal Agendas.””The status of all teams is the same. They were all approved. There is no ambiguity as far as that is concerned.The action it totally illegal.”Preity Zinta”Still absorbing the News! After working so hard in the IPL & putting my everything building this team dis is not what I expected! Shocked !”Shane Warne”What now for the youngsters, I hope bcci come to there senses , fingers crossed !””The royals gave young unknown Indian players a chance and I as captain backed them, and our coaching staff supported them we were a team.””3 seasons ago royals won the first ever ipl, underdogs come good what a story, it helped give credibility to the competition !!! Now look..”@TheShilpaShetty hey Shilpa, please keep me posted if you hear anything , such sad news for us and our loyal fans, shattering to all !!!Shilpa Shetty”This is 4 all those who want my reaction”Honestly too shocked to react,just disheartened..cause its more than just a team 4 us!Still hav …””Still havnt recd the termination will react after.Need to kno the basis of this decision”In London nowabout 2 hours ago.”Vijay Mallya”I wonder if IPL franchisees r serious stakeholders whose investments n participation r respected or r they slaves who only come n play ?””@TheShilpaShetty this is down right ridiculous and raises serious questions on the attitude of the BCCI towards IPL franchisees.”Graeme SmithGuys thx for all messages re:ipl and royals!playing for the PROTEAS today so will comment later!have a good one…….Kevin Pietersen”Just heard news on Kings XI and Royals.. What’s happened and what’s reasons for their expulsion from IPL 4?”

تحدث وليد الركراكي المدير الفني لمنتخب المغرب، عن مواجهة كندا الحاسمة، بدور المجموعات في بطولة كأس العالم، قطر 2022.

ويلاقي المنتخب المغربي نظيره الكندي، غدًا الخميس، في تمام الخامسة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، السادسة بتوقيت السعودية وقطر، في لقاء الجولة الأخيرة من دور المجموعات، والتي يحتاج فيها أسود الأطلس للفوز من أجل التأهل لدور الـ 16.

وقال الركراكي في تصريحاته بالمؤتمر الصحفي: “دخلنا في وتيرة اللعب وكل اللاعبين يقومون بدورهم، وإنجاز السنغال والتأهل يدفعنا للأمام”.

وتابع: “قبل مجيئنا إلى هنا، درسنا مع الجهاز المساعد ما إذا كان بإمكننا أن نحضر عائلاتنا أم لا على غرار تجربة عام 2018”.

وأضاف: “هناك بعض اللاعبين لديهم أطفال ويحبون أن يشعروا بتواجدهم مع أبائهم، أظن إننا نجحنا في هذا الأمر، بالفعل ليس من السهل أن تكون كل الأمور جيدة وحين تنهزم يقولون لماذا أحضروا العائلات”.

وواصل: “أنا من أتحمل مسؤولية حضور العائلات، ونحن حاليا سعداء بهذا، والتقينا بهم بعد المباراة أمام بلجيكا، حاليا نحن في أعلى تركيز وهذا شيء عادي وليس هناك أي إزعاج، روح العائلة نريدها أيضا في الملعب وهذا ما يحدث حاليا”.

وبسؤله عن ياسين بونو حارس مرمى الأسود بعد طلب مغادرة المباراة الماضية أمام بلجيكا قبل انطلاقها لشعوره بدوار، قال الركراكي: “بونو في صحة جيدة، حدث خلل بسيط، ولا نريد أن نقف عند هذا الأمر”.

طالع أيضًا | ياسين بونو يوضح تفاصيل إصابته قبل دقائق من مباراة المغرب وبلجيكا في كأس العالم

وأوضح: “كما قلت لم يستطع أن يلعب ولم يلعب، ومنير المحمدي دخل مكانه وقدم عملًا رائعًا، وذلك رفع من معناوياتنا، وبالنسبة لياسين، اليوم التالي للمباراة أصبح أفضل، وسيبقى رقم واحد، وسيظل واحدا من بين قائدي المنتخب، الأهم هو أنه جاهز لمباراة يوم غد”.

وعن تراكم البطاقات الصفراء عند اللاعبين، علق الركراكي: “لا يجب أن نفكر في البطاقات الصفراء لأن ذلك سيسقطنا في الأخطاء، لدينا 26 لاعبًا، وأي عنصر سيغيب يمكن تعويضه، أي لاعب سيدخل مكان زميله سيقوم بنفس العمل، وإذا فكرنا في البطاقات سنقوم بالأخطاء”.

وأردف: “كل شيء مُجهز بشكل جيد حتى يكون اللاعبون في مستوى عال، ويقدمون أقصى ما لديهم، لأن التأهل سيدخلنا التاريخ”.

وعن تغييراته في مباراة بلجيكا: “أخطأت في العديد من المناسبات في التغييرات، لكن نجحت في هذه المباراة، ولو لم أكن موفقًا بها لاغتالني 80% من الشعب المغربي لأنني أخرجت سفيان بوفال، وهذه المخاطرة هي التي جعلتنا نُكافأ في آخر المطاف”.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Criciúmaencaminhou a contratação do zagueiro de 33 anos Fábio Ferreira. O defensor fez parte do Tigre entre 2013 e 2015 e volta para se juntar aos novos reforços: Sueliton, Zé Carlos e Marlon.

Fábio Ferreirafez quase 100 jogos pelo Criciúma, anotando cinco gols. O zagueiro, quejá trabalhou com Argel Fucks,terá a concorrência deNino, Sandro, Ianson e Jacy Maranhão no setor defensivo da equipe.

O clube mais recente do zagueiro foi o Novorizontino. Ao todo, o defensor jogou quatro vezes representando oTigre do Vale no Campeonato Paulista, mas rescindiu contrato após o término da primeira fase da competição.

Para ter condições de jogo ainda no Campeonato Catarinense, Fábio Ferreira deve ser inscrito até sexta-feira, data limite para transferências no estadual. No mesmo dia, o Tigre entra em campo, pela 14ª rodada da competição. No Heriberto Hülse, recebe o Brusque, às 19h15.

There are likely to be a number of clubs who eye up a move for Wolves centre-back Max Kilman this summer, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Kilman a key figure at Wolves

The 24-year-old is enjoying an exceptional season for Wanderers, standing out as one of the first names on Bruno Lage’s team sheet at Molineux.

Kilman has shone on the right-hand side of a back-three, making 27 Premier League appearances , playing 90 minutes in all but one game and finding himself tipped to be named in Gareth Southgate’s next England squad.

The defender’s form could alert some of the country’s leading sides, however, so perhaps after all the attention on Ruben Neves’ future – reports believe talks are underway with Barcelona and the midfielder is ‘likely’ to depart – the Portuguese superstar may not be the only high-profile exit from Molineux this summer.

The Latest: Journalist talks up exit

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke claimed that Kilman won’t be without suitors, as Wolves desperately look to stave off any interest in their emerging star:

“Everything’s going well for Max Kilman at the minute, but Wolves will be desperate to keep hold of him.

“But I’m sure there will be a few clubs looking in the summer, ready to test their resolve.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“388797″]

The Verdict: Got to stay

While Kilman is sure to be in the headlines this summer, as the rumour mills back him to move away, it would be a surprise if he left at this point in his career.

His current deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2026 and he is still very much maturing as a player, with 24 no age for a top centre-back in the slightest.

Granted, it may be that Kilman feels he needs to take a step up in his career in the future, but for now, Wolves is the best place for him to continue developing and playing week in, week out, having averaged two aerial duel wins and 3.4 clearances per game in the league this season.

In other news, the exit of another Wolves player has also been talked up. Find out who it is here.

Leeds United have been dealt a late setback ahead of their Premier League meeting with Crystal Palace this evening.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference (via the Yorkshire Evening Post), Patrick Vieira revealed that, despite being withdrawn in Palace’s 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United last week, Michael Olise could yet feature against Leeds at Selhurst Park tonight – with the winger due to undergo a late fitness test ahead of the clash.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-marsch-raphinha-dest-philhay” title=”Read the latest Leeds news!”]

Concerning the winger’s current condition, the Frenchman said: “With Michael Olise – we were off [Thursay and Friday], so we have to wait until [Saturday]. But, yes, we took him off early in the [Newcastle] game as he wasn’t feeling 100 per cent.”

Marsch will be gutted

Considering how impressive the 20-year-old has been for Palace following his £8m move to south London last summer, the news that the Olise could yet play a role against Leeds on Monday evening is sure to have left Jesse Marsch gutted.

Indeed, over his 23 Premier League appearances this term, the £25m-rated talent has been a livewire in the Eagles’ attack, bagging two goals, providing five assists and creating seven big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.7 shots and making 0.8 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £47.5k-per-week forward average a SofaScore match rating of 6.87, ranking him as the Vieira’s seventh-best outfielder in the top flight of English football.

As such, should the France U21 international indeed be available for selection tonight, it is clear to see that this would come as a huge blow to Marsch’s hopes of taking something back to Elland Road – with a loss at Selhurst Park being a result that would leave the Whites’ hopes of survival this season very much in the balance.

AND in other news: Marsch must now unleash Leeds’ “next big thing” vs Palace, he’s “banging on the door”

Manchester United are interested in a deal to bring Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to Old Trafford in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian publication Il Messaggero (via Sport Witness), who claim that both Ralf Rangnick’s Manchester United and Mauricio Pochettino’s Paris Saint-Germain have submitted offers worth €65m (£55m) to Lazio for the central midfielder.

However, the report goes on to state that, while it is widely expected that the 27-year-old will leave Rome this summer, Lazio president Claudio Lotito is unlikely to be willing to part with the Serbia international for anything less than a figure of around €80m (£67.5m).

Bye-bye Pogba

Considering that it very much appears as if Paul Pogba has now played his last game for United, it is easy to see why Rangnick and the United board would be interested in a move for Milinkovic-Savic this summer.

Indeed, the 27-year-old has been incredibly impressive throughout his near seven-year spell with Lazio, scoring 56 goals and registering 51 assists over his 290 appearances for the club – helping his side lift the 2018/19 Coppa Italia and two Italian Super Cups along the way.

The £63m-rated dynamo has been in particularly fine form over his 33 Serie A outings this season, scoring nine goals, providing 11 assists and creating ten big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making 1.3 key passes per game.

The £95k-per-week central midfielder has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, enjoying an average of 79.7 touches per fixture, in addition to making an average of 0.9 interceptions, 1.9 tackles, 2.2 long balls, 1.2 clearances and winning seven duels – at a success rate of 52% – per appearance.

These returns have seen the player who journalist David Amoyal dubbed “unreal” average a rather breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.27, not only ranking him as Maurizio Sarri’s joint best performer in the Italian top flight but also the joint 12th-best player in the league as a whole.

As such, considering his undoubted ability at both ends of the pitch, it would indeed appear as if Milinkovic-Savic would be a perfect replacement for the outbound Pogba – not to mention a signing United could very easily afford if they were to get the Frenchman’s enormous £290k-per-week wages off of their books this summer.

AND in other news: “I’m told…”: Fabrizio Romano drops big MUFC transfer update, supporters will love it

Makhaya Ntini, the South Africa fast bowler, has retired from international cricket

Firdose Moonda02-Nov-2010

Makhaya Ntini, the South Africa fast bowler, has announced his retirement from international cricket but will continue representing domestic sides. Ntini will be given a farewell during the Twenty20 international between South Africa and India at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on January 9, when he will make his final appearance for South Africa.An emotional Ntini, fighting back tears, announced his decision at a press conference in Johannesburg on Tuesday. He reflected on his journey from being the first black African cricketer to play for South Africa in 1998 to becoming one of the nation’s premier bowlers.”It has been a wonderful journey for me to represent my country,” Ntini said at his retirement press conference in Johannesburg. “I have so many great memories, which I will carry with me for the rest of my life. My career is by no means over; it just means that internationally my time has come to hang up my boots. Domestic cricket is thriving at the moment, and I want to be a part of the set up, as a player, for as long as possible.”Ntini said he made his decision “two months ago” but only announced it on Tuesday because he has been in meetings with Cricket South Africa over his future. “I was in Port Elizabeth and thought it’s time to call it a day. I can’t keep waiting to end something when I don’t know when it’s going to end. I didn’t want to be pushed out of the game.”His international career spanned 13 years and he was the first black African player to represent the country, four years after democracy. It was the completion of a journey that began when, as a 14-year-old boy who could barely speak English, Ntini was given a scholarship to Dale College. The prestigious Eastern Cape school had deep cricketing roots and was where Ntini honedhis skills and made a name for himself. Seven years later, he was picked for South Africa, achieving what many thought was impossible.”Nobody ever thought that we as black people would be able to compete, but I’ve done that. I’ve conquered and I’ve been through all the cricketing countries. I left footprints, I did everything that I needed to do to show that we as black people can manage, we can do everything.”He has never shied away from being the black face of South African cricket and acting as a role model to black youth. Ntini said in his time with the national team “all the coaches and the three captains, the late Hansie Cronje, Shaun Pollock, Graeme Smith showed me that it’s not about your colour, it’s about what you can do.”Ntini always maintained the combination of coming from a rural, poor background and his race meant that he had to work harder than anyone else. “I knew that challenges that would come in the years to come and I was prepared for it. I tied my laces, I ran every day because I wanted to achieve what no one else could,” said Ntini.The hours spent practicing could all have amounted to nought when Ntini was convicted of rape two years after making his debut. He reflected on that time as the worst in his life. “I thought I would never play again. The worst badge you could put on anyone is that of a rapist.” The then United Cricket Board assisted Ntini in his appeal and he was subsequently acquitted but he still had a tainted reputation that took time to mend. “Some of the people of this country believed that if you are mentioned in that way (as a rapist), you’d done it, and to win all of them back was hard.”Despite the difficulty, he managed to do just that. In 2005 and 2007, Ntini was voted South Africa’s most popular sportsman of the year in the BMI Adult SportTrack Report . By then, he had also become the first South African to take 10 wickets at Lords and had claimed the best return by a South African bowler in a Test match, with 13 wickets for 132 runs against the West Indies in Trinidad.”Taking Test wickets was the most important thing that happened to me in my life,” said Ntini, who quickly added that he has no regrets about retiring before reaching the magical 400-wicket mark. “It’s just one of those things that happens.” Ntini retired with 390 wickets from 101 tests at an average of 28.82.His love of cricket has not dimmed and he is committed to playing for the Warriors for “as long as they will have me.” He also plans to spend his part of retirement working at his academy in Mdantsane, near East London. The academy will focus on players between the ages of seven and 24 and will seek to assist players of colour. “I am sick and tired identifying a child and putting him in an academy and six months later, we don’t see him again. We need to make sure we protect the new generations of cricketers,” said Ntini.Although the academy is an independent project, Ntini is in talks with Cricket South Africa (CSA) to assimilate with their development programmes. He will also be acting as a CSA ambassador. Gerald Majola, chief executive officer of CSA said that helping Ntini cope post-retirement is part of an initiative by the body so that “Makhaya can have a career after cricket.” Majola said CSA aims to assist former players in accordance with their “calibre and level of skills.”Ntini ‘s effervescent personality makes him an ideal representative for CSA and will also ensure that he can keep to his promise of “making sure cricket in this country does not die.” Most of all, he wants to remembered as a uniter. “Makhaya is not just a name, or a person, its energy, dedication, pride, all of us together. It’s Ubuntu.” The word originates from African traditions and focuses on communities. Its meaning, ‘I am because we are,’ captures how Ntini flew the flag for the black majority in South African cricket.

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara was unsurprisingly full of praise for his team after they wrapped up their first ever series victory on Australian soil with a 29-run win in the second one-dayer at the Sydney Cricket Ground.”There’s a lot to be taken out of the way we played these games,” he said. “It’s fantastic. We played the way we believed we could coming here. It was just a case of us fighting to convert every opportunity and tonight I thought it was a great all-round performance.”The last time Sri Lanka were in Australia, in 2007-08, they were beaten 2-0 in the Test series and failed to reach the final of the CB series, which also included India. This time, they met an Australian side struggling for form, having lost five consecutive games across all formats going into this series. But Sangakkara insisted that Australia’s struggles didn’t take the gloss off a maiden series win down under.”It means a lot,” he said. “This is a stage we always wanted to get to where everyone does what is asked of them and you can’t ask any more of the players. They have grown in stature and self-belief. Sri Lankan cricket seems to be in really good hands going forward.”While Sri Lanka’s new generation of players, such as opening batsman Upul Tharanga and allrounders Thisara Perera and Angelo Mathews, played a major role in the team’s victory, Sangakkara also made special mention of Muttiah Muralitharan, who is on his final tour of the country.”What more can he do?” Sangakkara said of Muralitharan. “To win the series in Australia on his last tour here. We are thankful to have a champion like him in the side.”

Victoria have been charged with ball-tampering during their win over South Australia at the Adelaide Oval, where Jon Holland took a career-best four-wicket haul

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Dec-2010
ScorecardJon Holland finished with 4 for 61•Getty ImagesVictoria have been charged with ball-tampering during their win over South Australia at the Adelaide Oval, where Jon Holland took a career-best four-wicket haul. The Bushrangers were penalised five runs during South Australia’s innings after the umpires Simon Fry and Bob Parry found markings on the ball after the last delivery on the second day.The side will face a Code of Conduct hearing this week after being reported for a level one offence under rule 1.7 of the Cricket Australia Code of Behaviour, which relates to “failure by a team to ensure the condition of a ball is not changed in breach of law 42.3”. The standard penalty is a fine of 10% of each player’s match fee, as well as the five-run penalty.Victoria’s captain Cameron White said after play he was not aware of any specifics to do with the alleged breach. “I can’t say a lot, obviously the umpires have made an allegation,” White told AAP. “We know that it’s a team thing and it’s a hearing so that is about all we know to be honest. We actually … don’t know what the allegation is at this stage, so when we find out, we’ll assess where it goes from there.”The charges took the gloss off a comprehensive eight-wicket win for Victoria, which took only three days. Chasing 81 for victory, the Bushrangers reached their target with only two wickets down, with Aaron Finch on 25 and David Hussey on 8, after the Redbacks struggled in their second innings.Only one ball was possible in the first session due to rain, and when play resumed South Australia quickly lost Callum Ferguson for 15. Holland and Clint McKay (3 for 66) then ran through the rest of the Redbacks line-up to keep the home side to 213.The left-arm spinner Holland ended up with 4 for 61 and in the current state of Australian spin bowling, a couple more handy performances like that and he could find himself in the mix for a national call-up. The win was Victoria’s second of the summer and they sit fourth on the Sheffield Shield table, while the Redbacks are second-last.

Manchester United appear to be leading the likes of Tottenham in the race to sign Benfica forward Darwin Nunez.

The Lowdown: Man Utd interest in Nunez

Described as an ‘absolute beast’ earlier this month during a podcast discussing his display against Liverpool, the Uruguayan appears to be a man in demand this summer following his starring campaign in Portugal.

The 22-year-old has scored a whopping 33 goals in 39 games, impressing as a centre-forward, second striker and left winger.

The Uruguay international was linked with a big-money move to Manchester last week, and a fresh update has now emerged in their pursuit of a possible club-record deal.

The Latest: United leading the way for Nunez

Sport Witness relayed an update from Spanish outlet AS regarding Nunez on Tuesday. They claimed that 22-year-old could link up with super-agent Jorge Mendes, who is set to meet with ‘several English clubs’ regarding the Benfica forward.

United are thought to be ‘in the lead’ following an ‘express request’ from new manager Erik ten Hag.

The Verdict: Huge

Cristiano Ronaldo looks likely to be the only senior centre-forward available to Ten Hag when he arrives, with Edinson Cavani set to depart Old Trafford over the coming months.

Therefore, bringing in an exciting young attacker who has been prolific this season in numerous positions seems to be a smart move going forward.

Benfica want €130m for Nunez, which equates to around £109m and would make him the most expensive United signing of all time ahead of Paul Pogba, but it could prove to be the perfect one for Ten Hag in what the Red Devils are hoping will be a new era for the club.

In other news: Ten Hag now wants Man Utd chiefs to sign ‘superstar’ attacker for free