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Showing posts from March, 2020

Neymar to help poor families to cope with COVID-19

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Neymar  backed the campaign to help underprivileged families in Brazil cope with the coronavirus outbreak. The campaign called on Brazilians to donate money either directly or through charity organizations to the needy families regardless of the amount. The initiative also has the support of dual world surfing champion Gabriel Medina and other Brazilian celebrities. Medina stated: “Now more than ever we need to give a hand to others.” The Brazilian government announced a monthly subsidiary of 600 reais ($120) for low-income workers and small entrepreneurs as many states impose lockdowns that effectively halt the informal economy. Around 4,000 cases of infection have been reported in Brazil thus far and 114 deaths. Globally the pandemic has claimed more than 30,000 lives. Neymar last played for  PSG  in their Champions League round of 16 matches against Borussia Dortmund. The match was played behind closed doors at the Parc des Princes in Paris and a few days after, the

Coronavirus: LaLiga Fest raises €625k as Pique talks of 'invincible' unity

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LaLiga Fest raised more than €625,000 on Saturday as Barcelona stalwart Gerard Pique spoke of the need for unity amid the coronavirus pandemic. Where Saturday nights would normally consist of fixtures in Spain's top flight, the live action was restricted to performances on an internet stream. A host of LaLiga stars - including Pique - addressed supporters, while musicians performed at the online festival. Fans were encouraged to donate to the Banco Santander Foundation, where the money would be used to buy medical equipment to combat COVID-19. There have been over 72,000 confirmed cases of the virus in Spain, with close to 6,000 deaths. The total raised ticked past €625,000 as the festival ended, although donations would continue to be welcomed until Sunday afternoon. Barca's Pique was the most high-profile star to address those watching, as he claimed players and supporters alike could be "invincible together". "Without training, at home an

Facts You Didn’t Know about Mikel Arteta, Coronavirus Patient

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It was just four month ago when the club’s former midfielder replaced the team’s interim head coach, Freddie Ljungberg, after Unai Emery was sacked in November. Since then he has been trying to help the team with their results as currently they are 9th in the Premier League. Just before his Coronavirus test, the coach helped the Gunners to win their match against West Ham with a 1-0 result. However, later he was tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, which resulted in an emergency Premier League meeting where all games were postponed and the league announced suspended. Later on Monday his wife Lorena Bernal announced that Arteta is fine and that if his illness wasn't coronavirus, he would have stayed on the training pitch. Arteta is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a midfielder during his professional life as a football player. He is currently the head coach of The Gunners, while previously he was Guardiola’s co-assistant at Manchester City . Arteta started

Coronavirus: Premier League, NBA, F1 – when are suspended competitions aiming to return?

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There is no sign of an imminent return for the leading sporting competitions halted amid the coronavirus pandemic. Athletes across the globe are still waiting to learn when they will go back to work, with now more than 318,000 confirmed cases of the virus and over 13,500 deaths. After a week of further postponements and delays, we take a look at the latest provisional return dates. BASKETBALL Kevin Durant was among a host of NBA stars to test positive for the virus this week, but there has been no firm update on commissioner Adam Silver's March 12 suggestion the league's hiatus would "be most likely at least 30 days ". Silver added this weekend: "We're exploring all options to resume our season if and when it is safe to do so. Nothing is off the table." CRICKET Cricket has seen another week of postponements, with April matches between Pakistan and Bangladesh pushed back, while the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) suspended the star

Coronavirus: CONMEBOL postpones 2020 Copa America until 2021

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The 2020 Copa America has been postponed until 2021, CONMEBOL has confirmed. Argentina and Colombia had been due to stage the tournament this year, but South American football's governing body has opted to delay by 12 months in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The new dates for the 2021 Copa America are June 11 to July 11. It means CONMEBOL taking parallel steps to UEFA , which postponed Euro 2020 until 2021 on Tuesday – a decision the two federations acknowledged had been taken in co-ordination with one another. A statement issued by CONMEBOL read: "After a detailed analysis of the situation regarding the world and regional evolution of the coronavirus (COVID-19), and of the recommendations made by international organisations in the field of public health to take extreme precautions, CONMEBOL announces the postponement of the 47th edition of the CONMEBOL Copa America to the dates of June 11 to July 11, 2021. "The confederation, with its president Alejan

Juventus' Daniele Rugani Feeling 'Lucky' Following Early Coronavirus Diagnosis

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​Juventus centre-back Daniele Rugani has considered himself 'lucky' as he continues to make a recovery after testing positive for coronavirus. News broke of Rugani's test last week, and was the first of several high-profile players to go into self isolation following a confirmed diagnosis. And speaking to  ​Juventus ' in-house television channel, has said that he has not suffered with any severe symptoms. "I want to reassure everyone by saying that I am fine. I have always been quite well. I have not had the serious symptoms mentioned." Rugani said, as quoted by  ​Goal . "I consider myself lucky even if it was a heavy blow also because I was the first in our environment [and] served to raise the awareness of all those who had not understood the seriousness of the problem." Rugani mentioned that he has been passing the time during his isolation by watching Peaky Blinders and reading the Harry Potter novels - helping him improv

Latest news on coronavirus impact on football world (timeline)

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Dear reader, the timeline is updated on a daily basis, but it’s in ascending format. To see the latest news, please scroll down to the bottom of the page. February 04, 2020 AFC Champions League involving Chinese teams postponed over coronavirus worries The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced that the matches, which were due in February and March, would be rearranged for April and May, with only one exception: Chiangrai United vs Beijing FC since Beijing FC were in South Korea on a training camp and did not need quarantine measures. February 22, 2020 Italian amateur football matches postponed to prevent the spread of coronavirus According to Italian news agency ANSA, 88 amateur football matches including Serie C and Serie D matches were postponed as a preventive measure against coronavirus. Also Serie B match between Ascoli and Cremonese was postponed after two people died in Lombardy and Veneto regions. February 23, 2020 Three Italian Serie A fixtu