SPORTS

Doha, Qatar | AFP | The boss of Qatar Airways said Wednesday his company was considering “several options” for a potential sponsorship deal in the English Premier League. Speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony announcing a yet another sponsorship deal, this time with South America football federation, CONMEBOL, Akbar …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Chelsea assistant coach Marco Ianni was fined £6,000 ($7,600) by the Football Association on Tuesday after his wild celebrations in front of Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho. Ianni, who serves as one of Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri’s assistants, sparked a touchline row after celebrating …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Wayne Rooney has urged Manchester United’s under-achieving stars to show more respect for their troubled club. United are languishing in eighth place in the Premier League and have made a slow start to their Champions League campaign. Sunday’s 2-1 win over Everton did little …

Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Superstar LeBron James warned his young Los Angeles Lakers teammates that his patience was wearing thin after a third narrow loss less than two weeks into the new regular season. “You probably don’t want to be around when my patience runs out. I’m …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Wilfried Zaha claims he suffered racist abuse and threats to his family after he won a controversial penalty in Crystal Palace’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal. Palace forward Zaha was clipped by Granit Xhaka in the closing minutes of Sunday’s Premier League clash, with Luka …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya are hoping to clinch the final place at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in next month’s play-off tournament, coach Ian Snook said on Monday A Kenyan victory at the round-robin contest would mark the first time for the 15s team at the World Cup. …

Madrid, Spain | AFP | Julen Lopetegui’s brief and inglorious reign as Real Madrid coach lasted just 139 days after the club confirmed he had been sacked on Monday. Lopetegui was dismissed following a meeting of the board of directors, who concluded there had been a “great disproportion between the …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Pep Guardiola claimed Manchester City’s 1-0 win over Tottenham was extra special because of the problems posed by Wembley’s damaged pitch. Playing on the scarred Wembley turf just 24 hours after it was torn up by an NFL fixture, City’s peerless quality and a …

Milan, Italy | AFP | Claudio Ranieri revealed on Monday he had been “terribly shaken” by the death of Leicester City boss Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha. Ranieri, 66, was hired by Vichai in 2015 and led Leicester to their historic Premier League title success the following year. Billionaire Vichai, 60, died along …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Unai Emery refused to condemn Mesut Ozil’s tantrum after the Arsenal captain threw his gloves to the ground following his substitution in Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Crystal Palace. Ozil was replaced midway through the second half with Arsenal leading 2-1, but the German midfielder …