SPORTS

Melbourne, Australia | AFP | Rafael Nadal hopes home fans will still love him after he broke their hearts by completing an Aussie hat-trick at the first Grand Slam of the year. The Spanish world number two has only faced Australians so far at Melbourne Park — and sent all three …

?????? pic.twitter.com/QPlidR0Jp8 — Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 16, 2019 Liverpool, United Kingdom | AFP | An untimely series of injuries to defenders has left Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp short-handed at the back as he tries to keep the Premier League leaders on track for a first title in 29 years at …

Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | Romelu Lukaku’s Manchester United future is in the spotlight as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer plots to maintain his 100 percent winning record against Brighton on Saturday. Solskjaer is the first manager in the club’s history to begin his career with six straight victories and the …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Harry Kane’s absence will inevitably affect Tottenham’s performances in the coming weeks, manager Mauricio Pochettino admitted on Friday, but the Argentine is positive they can cope without the England captain. Kane is not scheduled to return to training until early March after suffering ankle ligament damage towards the end …

Barcelona, Spain | AFP | Barcelona overturned a first leg defeat to beat Levante in the Copa del Rey on Thursday but could yet be thrown out of the competition after being accused of fielding an ineligible player. Barca won 3-0 at the Camp Nou, with Lionel Messi setting up …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Chelsea are set to add some much-needed firepower by reuniting manager Maurizio Sarri with Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain, according to widespread reports on Thursday. Higuain, 31, is halfway through a season-long loan at AC Milan from Juventus, with an option to make the deal permanent. However, Chelsea have reportedly …

Melbourne, Australia | AFP | The Australian Open’s new balls this year are dividing opinion at Melbourne Park, with even the two greatest men’s Grand Slam winners of all-time failing to see eye-to-eye. Roger Federer, winner of 20 Slams, says the new Japanese-made Dunlop balls behave differently in cooler night …

Madrid, Spain | AFP | Antoine Griezmann scored one and set up another but could not prevent Atletico Madrid tumbling out of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday as Girona progressed on away goals after a thrilling 3-3 draw. Real Madrid and Sevilla each avoided upsets, their first-leg victories proving …

Paris, France | AFP | It was honours even between Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira as the old France and Arsenal teammates clashed for the first time as coaches on Wednesday in a controversy-laden 1-1 draw between Monaco and Nice. The presence of the two greats in the respective dugouts …

Kampala, Uganda | AGNES E NANTABA | Andrew Stewart Tamale, also known as Andy Skillz, is a 22 year old freestyle footballer who reigns as two time East African free style champion. Freestyle football is a sport in which athletes compete to perform various tricks using a football. The game remains …