Sports
BBC takes u-turn by reinstating presenter Lineker
AFP
Britain’s BBC reinstated its highest-paid presenter Gary Lineker on Monday after a move to take the sports host off air over his criticism of the government sparked a near mutiny at the public broadcaster.
The corporation was forced to axe much of its sports coverage over the weekend after presenters, pundits and commentators refused to work in a show of solidarity with Lineker, who had criticised the government’s immigration policy.
The decision to suspend Lineker led to accusations from staff, opposition politicians and commentators that the politically neutral BBC had bowed to pressure from the government, prompting Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to intervene to say he hoped the situation could be resolved soon.
It also renewed the focus on the chairman of the corporation, Richard Sharp, who failed to previously declare that he had facilitated a loan for former Prime Minister Boris Johnson shortly before he was appointed to the role by the government.
Sharp has not commented on the row since it blew up last week. The BBC said it would also review how freelancers such as Lineker, in areas outside news, can use social media.
“I have been presenting sport on the BBC for almost three decades and am immeasurably proud to work with the best and fairest broadcaster in the world,” Lineker said, before returning to the topic of immigration.
“A final thought: however difficult the last few days have been, it simply doesn’t compare to having to flee your home from persecution or war to seek refuge in a land far away.”
The publicly funded BBC had suspended Lineker for breaching its impartiality rules by comparing the rhetoric of Britain’s interior minister Suella Braverman to the language used in 1930s Germany.
Last year Braverman had faced a backlash for her own use of language when she called the arrival in southern England of thousands of asylum seekers on small boats an “invasion”.
Lineker, the former England football captain who presents the country’s flagship football highlights programme, has previously hosted refugees in his home and co-founded a podcast production company whose shows include the popular ‘The Rest is Politics’.
Tim Davie became BBC director general in 2020 with a pledge to uphold the corporation’s impartiality in the face of increasingly furious rows in Britain over a range of cultural issues.
He said on Monday that the suspension of Lineker had been appropriate and that the presenter – who has hosted the main BBC football highlights and analysis show Match of the Day since 1999 – had agreed to stick to current editorial guidelines until a new policy is formed.
Lineker threw his weight behind Davie on Monday, saying that he had “an almost impossible job keeping everybody happy, particularly in the area of impartiality”.
AFP
Carlos Alcaraz swatted aside Serbian Dusan Lajovic 6-0 7-6(5) to keep his title defence on track at the Miami Open on Sunday, as Canadian Bianca Andreescu cruised past American Sofia Kenin in straight sets.
Spain’s teen phenom won Indian Wells to retake the top ranking last week and kept the momentum going at Hard Rock Stadium as he fired off 26 winners to set up a fourth-round meeting with Australian Open semi-finalist Tommy Paul.
“I always think that you have to go for it,” he told the Tennis Channel after the match. “That’s what I told myself in (those) tough moments.”
Lajovic stunned three-times Grand Slam winner Andy Murray in the first round but never hit his stride on Sunday, letting his only break point chance slip through his fingers in the first set as the US Open winner put on a near-flawless performance.
Alcaraz converted on a break-point in the third game of the second set with an expertly placed forehand winner but helped his opponent to a break in the 10th game with a handful of uncharacteristic errors.
Lajovic refused to go down without a fight, fending off three match points in the tiebreak. But Alcaraz never lost his nerve and clinched it with a blistering backhand winner before pumping his fist triumphantly.
“Everything was under control,” said Alcaraz, who greeted the Miami Heat’s six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler courtside after the match.
“But end of match is never easy. The nerves came out. I made a few mistakes that I didn’t do around the whole match. So it was tough to win.”
Former US Open champion Andreescu harnessed her mighty serve to topple Kenin 6-4 6-4, sending over seven aces as the 2020 Australian Open winner failed to mount much of a defense after an early exit from Indian Wells.
The swift affair was welcome reprieve for Andreescu after lengthy battles against first- and second-round opponents Emma Raducanu of Britain and world number 10 Maria Sakkari, with Ekaterina Alexandrova waiting in the round of 16.
“I definitely enjoy the challenge,” she said in a televised interview. “These victories are definitely very sweet and I’ve had many tough matches against Sofia.”
Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands stunned third seed Casper Ruud 3-6 6-4 6-4, while Denmark’s Holger Rune sent over seven aces and 27 winners to stop Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6-4 6-2. The seventh seed next faces American Taylor Fritz.
Fourth seed Daniil Medvedev advanced by walkover after Alex Molcan withdrew, while his Russian compatriot Andrey Rublev beat Miomir Kecmanovic 6-1 6-2. Italian Jannik Sinner beat Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-3 6-4.
Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka defeated 31st seed Marie Bouzkova 6-1 6-2 and will next face former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova, who beat American Madison Keys 7-6(4) 6-3.
Olympic champion Belinda Bencic was knocked out 7-6(8) 6-3 by Ekaterina Alexandrova.
KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/ AFP
Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed two goals in his country’s 6-0 thrashing of Luxembourg in a Euro 2024 qualifier on Sunday, giving them a second win in four days.
The 38-year-old grabbed a double against Liechtenstein on Thursday and scored twice more in Luxembourg to extend his record tally of international goals to 122 in 198 appearances.
Joao Felix, Bernardo Silva, Otavio and Rafael Leao added the other goals to put Portugal top of Group J after an easy start to their qualifying campaign.
Elsewhere, Harry Kane underlined his status as England’s greatest international goalscorer and Bukayo Saka dazzled again in a comfortable 2-0 win over Ukraine to put Gareth Southgate’s team in control of Group C.
Fresh from scoring his 54th goal in the 2-1 victory over Italy on Thursday, Kane made up for a couple of missed chances to break the stalemate in the 37th minute.
Arsenal youngster Saka, again England’s brightest spark, then doubled the lead before halftime with a sensational curler that left the visitors and their 4,000 fans deflated.
Ukraine had their moments and enjoyed some pressure after the interval but never really looked capable of claiming only a second victory over England in 10 attempts.
Meanwhile, goals by forward Mateo Retegui and midfielder Matteo Pessina steered Italy to a 2-0 win over Malta in the other Group C clash.
Italy opened the scoring in the 15th minute when Retegui broke free from his marker to power in a header from a corner with Pessina doubling the lead after 27 minutes when he tapped Emerson’s cross in from a short distance.
Vincenzo Grifo was close to make it three for the visitors shortly after but Malta goalkeeper Henry Bonello skilfully blocked his attempt.
Italy came close to increasing their lead in the second half when Gianluca Scamacca produced an overhead kick from a corner but Bonello came to the rescue again with a one-handed reaction save.
Other matches in the second round saw Slovakia beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0, Iceland crush Liechtenstein 7-0, Kazakhstan overcome Denmark 3-2, Slovenia beat San Marino 2-0, and Finland edge Northern Ireland 1-0.
AFP
The Argentina national team’s training facility has been renamed after talismanic captain Lionel Messi in recognition of his World Cup heroics and star-studded career, the country’s football association (AFA) said.
The Casa de Ezeiza in Buenos Aires, which houses the national team set-up, will now be known as Lionel Andres Messi “in tribute to the best player in the world”, AFA president Claudio Tapia wrote on Twitter.
“Welcome to the world champion’s house,” Tapia said at the unveiling ceremony attended by current and former Argentina players.
Messi ended Argentina’s 36-year wait for the World Cup, emulating the late Diego Maradona when he led them to victory against France in a pulsating final in Qatar in December.
“I feel very happy. This tribute is very, very special,” Messi, 35, said after unveiling the plaque bearing his name. “Knowing it will be named Lionel Andres Messi is something very beautiful.”
The World Cup had been the one piece of silverware missing from Messi’s extraordinary career, during which he has been voted the world’s best player a record seven times and won the Copa America, 11 league titles and four Champions League titles among other major honours.
Messi scored his 800th career goal in Thursday’s 2-0 win over Panama in a friendly in Buenos Aires – Argentina’s first game in front of their home fans since the World Cup triumph.
He will lead Argentina in a friendly against Curacao on Tuesday before returning to club duty with Paris St Germain.
More from Sports
Alcaraz dominates Lajovic, Andreescu breezes past Kenin in Miami – ARN News Centre
Ronaldo leads the way for Portugal while England extend winning run – ARN News Centre
