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BARCELONA: Spain's La Liga is investigating whether a party organised by Barcelona players at their captain Lionel Messi's home broke COVID-19 protocol. "We're looking into it," La Liga sources told AFP on Tuesday (May 4). Monday's meal brought together Barca players, some accompanied by their partners, at the Argentinian star's house, despite social distancing rules in the Catalonian capital outlawing groups of more than six to meet in private. The party may constitute "a possible breach of COVID-19 protocols", the source suggested. The

Some of England's 11 IPL players are already on their way home following the indefinite suspension of the tournament. It is understood Sam Billings, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow have managed to secure flights back to the UK earlier than initially expected. It had been anticipated that all IPL players would be required to self-isolate in India and test negative before leaving the country. The players will still have to quarantine for 10 days at a government-approved hotel upon arrival in UK, as

MANCHESTER, England: Riyad Mahrez struck twice as Manchester City reached the Champions League final for the first time thanks to a 2-0 victory over Paris St Germain at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday (May 4) that secured a 4-1 aggregate win. City were dominant against their French opponents, who lost their heads in the second half and finished the semi-final, second leg with 10 men after Angel Di Maria was sent off in the 69th minute for an off-the-ball stamp on Fernandinho. Pep

The Football Association has called on the Government to introduce legislation to compel social media companies to do more to stop online abuse following the sport community's powerful and united four-day boycott. Reaction to the four-day social media boycott to tackle online abuse and discrimination - which ended at midnight - has continued to pour in with Kick It Out chief Tony Burnett also appearing on Sky Sports News to lay out what he wants to see happen next. Source: Sky Sports

Spotify CEO and founder Daniel Ek has contacted Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke’s family to make an offer to buy the Premier League club but a takeover could be drawn out, former France international Thierry Henry said. Ek said last week he had secured the funds to buy Arsenal, valued at $2.8 billion according to Forbes. British media reported Arsenal greats Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira were backing Ek's bid. But the club's American owners, under fire from fans following the North London

Paris St Germain will make a late decision on whether forward Kylian Mbappe will be available to face Manchester City in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final, coach Mauricio Pochettino said on Monday (May 3). Mbappe, PSG's top scorer this season with 25 goals in Ligue 1 and eight in Europe, missed the 2-1 victory over Lens on Saturday due to a calf injury. Video footage circulating on social media showed Mbappe limping on his arrival in Manchester for Tuesday's match

Paris - Up to 9,500 spectators will be allowed to attend the Europa League final in the Polish city of Gdansk later this month, UEFA announced on Monday after getting the green light from local authorities. European football's governing body said Polish officials had agreed that 25 percent of the roughly 40,000 seats in the Gdansk Stadium could be filled for the match on Wednesday, May 26. The game could be an all-English affair, with Manchester United almost certain to reach the final

The Spanish Grand Prix will allow 1,000 circuit members to attend Sunday's Formula One race after local COVID-19 regulations are eased, organisers said on Monday. The May 9 race is the fourth round of the season and a home grand prix for Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Alpine's double world champion Fernando Alonso. Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya announced last month that the race would be behind closed doors due to the pandemic, but said on Monday that outdoor events in the region will now

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a season-high 49 points Sunday afternoon and outdueled Kevin Durant as the host Milwaukee Bucks edged the Brooklyn Nets, 117-114. Antetokounmpo, who missed Friday's game against the Chicago Bulls with an ankle injury, delivered the dunk that put the Bucks ahead for good with 7:57 left. The 49 points were the third-most of his career and his most since he scored 50 points against the Utah Jazz on Nov. 25, 2019. Khris Middleton had 26 points and 11 rebounds as

Kim Hyo-joo won the HSBC Women's World Championship at Singapore's Sentosa Golf Club on Sunday as Australian Hannah Green bogeyed the last two holes to hand the South Korean victory in the $1.6 million tournament. Kim's eight-under par final round of 64 earned her the title with a four round score of 17-under par, although it was Green's failure to see out the last two holes in regulation that ultimately gave the 25-year-old first place. Green, who had been third going into the

Ducati's Jack Miller edged out team mate Francesco Bagnaia to claim his first MotoGP win in five years at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez on Sunday. Australia's Miller used his Ducati's power to pip pole-sitter Fabio Quartararo off the start line, with the Frenchman slipping to fourth behind Petronas Yamaha SRT's Franco Morbidelli and Bagnaia on the opening lap. Quartararo, who won both the races in Jerez last season, recovered over the next two laps to regain the lead and began to

Shikhar Dhawan's delightful 69 dwarfed Mayank Agarwal's unbeaten 99 as Delhi Capitals defeated Punjab Kings by seven wickets in the IPL, on Sunday to go atop the points table. Agarwal, leading the side in the absence of regular skipper K L Rahul, used the straight bat effectively in his lone hand to take Punjab Kings to 166 for six. Delhi Capitals hardly broke a sweat in the run chase, cantering to victory in 17.4 overs overs, their sixth win in eight matches. For

LONDON: Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton won the Portuguese Grand Prix for Mercedes on Sunday (May 2) to stretch his Formula One lead over Red Bull's Max Verstappen to eight points after three races. Verstappen finished second at the Algarve circuit with Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas completing the podium, and taking a bonus point for the fastest lap, after starting from pole position. Verstappen's Mexican team mate Sergio Perez was fourth. The victory was a record-extending 97th of Hamilton's career, second of the year

LOS ANGELES: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a season-high 49 points in his return from an injury as the Milwaukee Bucks overcame Kevin Durant's 42-point performance to beat the Brooklyn Nets 117-114 on Sunday (May 2). Two-time reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Antetokounmpo, who had been dealing with a sprained right ankle, outdueled Durant in the Eastern Conference clash between the two highest-scoring teams in the league. Antetokounmpo finished just three points short of his career high, which he set two years ago against Philadelphia.

LONDON: South Africa's Dean Burmester captured his first European Tour title in just over four years on Sunday as he produced a bogey-free final round of nine-under-par 62 to secure victory at the Tenerife Open. Burmester entered the final day at Golf Costa Adeje one stroke off the lead but stormed past his rivals with five birdies on the opening seven holes. The 31-year-old gained four more strokes on the back nine to finish at 25-under for the tournament, five clear of his

LONDON: Two late goals from Cristiano Ronaldo earned Juventus a 2-1 comeback win against Udinese on Sunday to give the Turin club a precious three points in the Serie A top-four race. Juve climbed into third place on 69 points, level with Atalanta in second and AC Milan in fourth, but two points ahead of fifth-placed Napoli. The visiting defence was caught napping when Udinese wing back Nahuel Molina latched onto a quickly taken freekick to fire home the opener after 10 minutes.

VALENCIA, Spain: Lionel Messi led Barcelona to a quick-fire comeback to win 3-2 at Valencia on Sunday and keep the pressure on La Liga title rivals Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid. Barca fell behind in the 50th minute when Valencia defender Gabriel Paulista headed into an empty net from a corner after keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen had stumbled to the ground in his attempt to come for the ball. The Catalans, who had blown the chance to go top of the league with

BANGKOK: A Myanmar swimmer has abandoned his dream of competing at the Tokyo Olympics in protest at the junta ruling his homeland, saying that taking part would be "propaganda" for the regime. Win Htet Oo is one of Myanmar's top swimmers but in early April, the 26-year-old said he was no longer interested in going to Tokyo. "To accept the MOC (Myanmar Olympic Committee) as it is currently led is to recognise the legitimacy of a murderous regime," he wrote in a statement

LONDON: The Champions League final will definitely take place in Istanbul on May 29 despite Turkey going into a COVID-19 lockdown, UEFA said on Thursday (Apr 29). A resurgence of COVID-19 infections has prompted the Turkish government to impose a 17-day lockdown which will end on May 17. With the growing possibility of English Premier League clubs Manchester City and Chelsea reaching the final scheduled for the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, questions have been raised about the logistics of the venue. However, UEFA insist

LONDON: India batting great Sachin Tendulkar has donated 10 million rupees (approximately US$135,000) to a fundraising campaign that is helping hospitals treating COVID-19 patients procure oxygen concentrators. Mission Oxygen, which describes itself as a non-for-profit, charitable initiative, said it has placed an order for 1,365 concentrators from China and thanked Tendulkar for his donation. "His donation of rupees 1 crore to Mission Oxygen in its endeavour to procure and provide life-saving oxygen concentrators to hospitals across the nation in this time of need