Belgium stand in France s path as neighbours collide

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1 BASKETBALL Page 5 NBA Finals MVP Durant inks new deal with Warriors FORMULA 1 Page 6 Hamilton backtracks on Raikkonen criticism Shawwal 26, 1439 AH GULF TIMES SPORT FOOTBALL France ready for Belgium s tactical surprises, says Deschamps Page 2 PREVIEW FRA vs BEL ST. PETERSBURG, 9PM Belgium stand in France s path as neighbours collide Not since 1986 have Belgium made it this far at the World Cup, losing to a Maradona-inspired Argentina in Mexico Saint Petersburg KEY FACTS Eden Hazard and a brilliant Belgian generation stand between France and a place in the World Cup final as the countries bring their historic rivalry to today s first semi-final in Saint Petersburg. Not since 1986 have Belgium made it this far at the World Cup, losing to a Diego Maradona-inspired Argentina in Mexico and then going down 4-2 to France in the third-place play-off, the last competitive meeting of the nations. In the years since, France have won one World Cup and one European Championship, and lost the 2006 World Cup final. Now, with Kylian Mbappe their new standard-bearer, they are dreaming of getting there again. Belgium disappeared from the forefront of the international scene for years before emerging once more with their current gifted crop. With Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne, they lost in the 2014 World Cup quarterfinals and at the same stage at Euro 2016, but under Roberto Martinez in Russia they have already taken an extra step after stunning Brazil in the last eight in Kazan. They are a great team with a very good generation of players who have been playing together for several years, admitted France striker Olivier Giroud, who plays with Hazard and Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois at Chelsea. We don t want to have them taking the mickey out of us. There is a big rivalry between France and Belgium, it s like a derby match. Beyond the geographical and linguistic ties, many of these players also know each other intimately from the Premier League. Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku were already close friends before becoming colleagues at France s coach Didier Deschamps (rear C) looks on as Olivier Giroud, Presnel Kimpembe and Florian Thauvin take part in a training session yesterday. Manchester United. But Hazard sums up better than anyone the close links between the nations. Born in the French-speaking part of Belgium, he came through as a player across the border at Lille, and was the outstanding player in the team that won the French league and cup double in 2011 before eventually moving on to Chelsea. Now he is the talisman in a Belgium team who have won all five games in Russia so far and are undefeated in 24 matches, although as a boy he idolised Zinedine Zidane. The French will remember well what happened when the teams last met, with Belgium tearing them apart in a 4-3 friendly win in Paris in June And the presence of French World Cup winner Thierry Henry on the Belgian coaching staff as one of Martinez s assistants adds extra spice to the occasion. Of course I would prefer it if he were with us and he were France say Henry in wrong camp for World Cup semi Istra, Russia When France line up for their World Cup semi-final French great Thierry Henry will stare back at them from the Belgium bench and Les Bleus can t stop talking about it Henry, who was part of the France squad that won the 1998 World Cup on home soil, has been assistant manager to Belgium boss Roberto Martinez since 2016 and has helped guide the Red Devils to the last four of a World Cup for just the second time. The irony that a player who scored 51 goals in 123 international appearances and helped France become world and European champions is now plotting to stop them reaching the final in Russia is not lost on the current French team. It will be bizarre to have him up against us, forward Olivier Giroud said. He is a living legend of French football. He has given so much to the France team and we have got a lot of respect for what he has done. But of course I would be proud to show Titi that he has chosen the wrong camp, Giroud added, using Henry s French nickname. After spending most of his career at Premier League club Arsenal and putting down roots in England, 40-year-old Henry has had little involvement in French football despite being one of the most popular players that France has ever produced. French Football Federation president Noel Le Graet told pointedly that we ve rather lost sight of him and he has little contact with the federation. Life can be like that sometimes. He has been in England a long time and personally I have very little contact with him, Le Graet said. He said Henry had made Belgium into a team that likes to attack. The strikers go to him, they respect him, he said. giving me his advice, but we mustn t be jealous, said Giroud. Henry s old international colleague Didier Deschamps has not won over everybody in his time as France coach, as he continues to favour a cautious approach despite being able to call on some of the finest attacking talents in world football. Mbappe, still just 19, has already moved clubs for 180mn euros ($212mn) and the Paris Saint-Germain forward announced himself on the World Cup stage with his brilliant performance in France s 4-3 win over Argentina in the last 16. Deschamps side were less thrilling, but equally efficient, as they saw off Uruguay in the quarter-finals. They will need to be at their very best defensively against the Belgians, and look to Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann to get the better of the opposition defence. To do what (Mbappe) is doing at his age, I have never seen that, apart from Messi, said Belgium s Nacer Chadli, scorer of their winning goal against Japan in the last 16. We came through the Japan game, then we broke down a barrier by beating Brazil. When you beat Brazil you don t fear anyone. Chadli could play as a right wing-back for Belgium in the absence of the suspended Thomas Meunier, with Thomas Vermaelen possibly starting. France welcome back midfielder Blaise Matuidi after suspension. It will be only the second semi-final appearance for Belgium, but for France it is a sixth: BELGIUM Belgium s only previous semifinal appearance came at the 1986 finals, where Diego Maradona turned on the second half magic and ensured for Argentina a place in the final with both goals in a 2-0 victory. In that tournament, Belgium squeezed through the first round in third place in their group after losing to hosts Mexico, before needing extra time to beat the Soviet Union in the last 16 and penalties to overcome Spain in the quarter-finals. Defender Eric Gerets rated the class of 2018 as more talented footballers than his 1986 teammates but said he did not believe they had the same fighting spirit until he saw their 2-1 win over Brazil in Friday s quarter-final. After losing in the 1986 semifinal, Belgium faced France in Puebla for the bronze medal in the third place playoff and were beaten 4-2 after extra time despite taking an early lead. Belgium made it to the last eight at the last World Cup in Brazil but their hopes of a semi-final spot were snuffed out by one early Gonzalo Higuain goal for Argentina. There are 15 players from the 2014 Belgian squad who have returned for the tournament in Russia, having picked up considerable experience in the meantime. FRANCE Just Fontaine s record of 13 goals in a single tournament from the 1958 finals still stands as he helped propel the French to their first-ever semi-final, where they lost 5-2 to Brazil in Stockholm, with teenager Pele scoring a hat-trick. France lost on post-match penalties to West Germany in Seville in the 1982 semi-final, best remembered for an unpunished kung-fu style challenge by goalkeeper Harold Schumacher on France s Patrick Battison that saw the Frenchman stretchered off 10 minutes after coming on as a substitute with a cracked vertebra and damaged teeth. Four years later in Mexico, France were again semi-finalists but once more thwarted by the Germans, losing 2-0 in Guadalajara. France won the World Cup when they hosted the 1998 finals, beating Croatia in the semi-final 2-1 with both goals from defender Lilian Thuram, but they had big defender Laurent Blanc sent off, meaning he missed the final win over Brazil. Current coach Didier Deschamps captained France that year as they lifted the trophy for the first time. He is now seeking to return to the final as he chases the double of winning the World Cup as both a player and a coach. France s fifth semi-final appearance came in 2006, when Zinedine Zidane s penalty was enough to beat Portugal 1-0. HEAD-TO-HEAD Belgium Draw France

2 Defender Jan Vertonghen is the only Belgian player with 100 international caps. 2 SPOTLIGHT France v Belgium: three key battles After disappointing shows at the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016, Lukaku has defied his critics to spearhead Belgium s challenge FOCUS France ready for Belgium s tactical surprises, says coach Deschamps St Petersburg France coach Didier Deschamps is confident he has prepared his players for any tactical surprises his opposite number Roberto Martinez might spring when they face Belgium in the World Cup semi-finals in St Petersburg today. Belgium are the tournament s top scorers, and Martinez sprang a surprise by changing his system in the quarter-final against Brazil, moving target man Romelu Lukaku out wide so Kevin de Bruyne could operate as a false nine. The tweaks worked a treat as Belgium neutralised Brazil s midfield while allowing Lukaku and Eden Hazard to get beyond their full backs. De Bruyne profited from spaces opening up in the middle as Brazil s centre backs were forced to deal with the threat out wide, and he scored his first goal of the tournament in the 2-1 victory. With Thomas Meunier suspended for the semi-final, Martinez is sure to make at least one change. Belgium didn t arrive here by chance. They played a great game against Brazil with a specific game plan, the 49-year-old Deschamps told a news conference yesterday. Will they do something similar for us? Probably. Their team is geared forward. They keep that particular quality, but against Brazil, Martinez intensified the midfield... and the Brazilians couldn t use those corridors. They attack very fast. So I ve made sure that my players are prepared for any scenarios from the beginning of the match and during the match as well if it changes. Deschamps added that Martinez had benefited from the strong foundation he inherited from Marc Wilmots, who was sacked after Belgium lost to Wales in the Euro 2016 quarterfinals. I don t want to offend Martinez but he, of course, benefited from Wilmots work, despite the fact that Wales eliminate the team, Deschamps said. He changed things a bit, put his own stamp on the team, but he had great potential with this group of players. I don t know if he s going to do it, but I congratulate him on being in a semi-final even though he s going to face us. Forward Kylian Mbappe, one of France s best players in Russia, was not at the first 15 minutes of training open to the media, but Deschamps said he had a full squad to choose from. Nobody is out, even though we rested four players today. That was a precautionary measure, the coach added. The teams have met 73 times before with Belgium winning on 30 occasions, France 24, and 19 matches drawn. They last met in a friendly in 2015 and a number of Belgian and French players are teammates at club level. Hazard and keeper Thibaut Courtois line up opposite Chelsea teammates Ngolo Kante and Olivier Giroud while Paul Pogba faces Manchester United colleagues Marouane Fellaini and Lukaku. We know them and they know us, Deschamps said. It s peculiar because there are many players on my team who will be facing their own club teammates. It s an advantage on both sides, but we will seize every opportunity to reach the final. FROM LEFT: Belgium s Michy Batshuayi, Marouane Fellaini, Eden Hazard and Thorgan Hazard share a laugh during a training session at the Guchkovo Stadium in Dedovsk, outside Moscow, yesterday, on the eve of their World Cup semi-final match against France. () Saint Petersburg France meet neighbours Belgium in the semifinals of the World Cup today as they attempt to reach a third final in 20 years. Belgium, after eliminating title favourites Brazil, are hoping to reach the final for the first time and fulfil the potential of their much-lauded golden generation. Here is a look at three key battles in Saint Petersburg that could decide which team moves on to the July 15 final in Moscow. KYLIAN MBAPPE VS JAN VERTONGHEN French teenage sensation Kylian Mbappe announced himself on the global stage with a brilliant two-goal display in a last-16 defeat of Lionel Messi s Argentina. He is his country s joint-leading scorer in Russia with three goals, alongside Antoine Griezmann, although the 19-year-old was given far fewer opportunities against a solid Uruguay defence in the quarter-final. His lightning speed down the right and game-changing ability will put an experienced Belgium defence to the test as coach Roberto Martinez ponders a slight reshuffle. Jan Vertonghen will be one of those primarily responsible for nullifying Mbappe, although the Tottenham defender could push forward into a wingback role with Thomas Vermaelen slotting into the left of a back three due to the suspension of Thomas Meunier. Vertonghen is the only Belgian player with 100 international caps, and the 31-year-old s looping header sparked a dramatic fightback in the 3-2 victory over Japan in the last 16. ROMELU LUKAKU VS SAMUEL UMTITI After disappointing campaigns at the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016, Romelu Lukaku has defied his critics to spearhead Belgium s title challenge. The Manchester United striker has scored four goals in four matches, but it was his barnstorming run at the Brazil defence to set up Kevin De Bruyne s goal that will be remembered from their 2-1 quarter-final victory. Samuel Umtiti has been a mainstay in the France backline ever since he was parachuted in during the team s run to the Euro 2016 final. However, the Barcelona centre-back s fitness is an ongoing concern for Didier Deschamps. The 24-year-old missed the final few games of the season with a knee problem and was spotted grimacing towards the end of the 2-0 victory over Uruguay. Umtiti has worn a brace on his right knee since the start of the competition, and it will need to hold up if he is to cope with a Belgium attack that is lethal on the counter. PAUL POGBA VS MAROUANE FELLAINI There may be few similarities in style between the two Manchester United midfielders, but the pair will see plenty of each as Marouane Fellaini prepares to frustrate the creative talents of Paul Pogba. Often unfairly ridiculed for his ungainly approach, Fellaini s impact cannot be understated in Belgium s run to the last four. He started just once in the group stage, but came off the bench to net the equaliser as Belgium recovered from two goals down to overcome Japan to reach the quarter-finals. Fellaini saved his best for Brazil, shutting down the likes of Neymar and Philippe Coutinho repeatedly and adding grit to an explosive attacking outfit. On the other side, N Golo Kante s omnipresence has allowed Pogba more freedom to roam and the latter was excellent in the win over Argentina. He was solid, if not spectacular, against Uruguay, and France will bank on another influential display with the final firmly in their sights. France s Antoine Griezmann (right) and Thomas Lemar control the ball during a training session at the Saint Petersburg Stadium yesterday. () BOTTOMLINE Belgium out to stop Mbappe: De Bruyne DPA St Petersburg Kevin De Bruyne says Kylian Mbappe has become a star, and Belgium will be out to shut down the French striker in the World Cup semi-final. Paris Saint-Germain s Mbappe, who has been a key figure in France s run to the final four in Russia, did not train as a precaution yesterday ahead of the clash in St Petersburg today, in which he is expected to start. He s become a star in France. When I played against him with Monaco he had only played about 10 matches, I didn t know him at the time to tell the truth, said De Bruyne, whose Manchester City side were knocked out of the Champions League by Mbappe s Monaco in March De Bruyne says the 19-year-old has matured since his move to the French capital, with Mbappe drawing plaudits as PSG won Ligue 1, and he struck twice for France in their 4-3 skewering of Argentina. He s a different player now, he s a star, he s had a fantastic year, added De Bruyne. I think he can be dangerous to us, we re going to try to stop him from playing tomorrow. As well as Mbappe, Benjamin Pavard and N Golo Kante did not participate in training, but France coach Didier Deschamps said it was also a precaution and all his players would be fit for the clash. Belgium coach Roberto Martinez will have to make at least one change as right-back Thomas Meunier is suspended. Martinez highlighted his team s willingness to accept tactical adjustments and work hard as a group, rather than allowing egos to flourish, despite possessing worldclass stars like De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku. We re very strong as a group, there is not too much responsibility on individuals, that s been the key to our World Cup campaign, said the Spaniard. However the coach did reserve special praise for De Bruyne. Apart from goalkeeper, he could play in any position at the highest level, explained Martinez. For us he is the modern playmaker, he moves even quicker than you can see. De Bruyne responded by praising the coach for fostering a winning mentality in the Belgian national team. He s brought us tighter together, with more belief of winning it, said the midfielder. Maybe some players didn t have the belief of winning at all. We have more trust in each other to perform better than ever. France are aiming for a second successive tournament final after losing to Portugal on home soil at Euro The 1998 winners are hoping to be back at a first World Cup final since losing on penalties to Italy in Captain and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris said Les Bleus have the opportunity to make a mark in the history of French football. After beating Argentina in a thrilling last 16 clash and then dispatching Uruguay with minimal fuss, France are one step away from the Moscow final on July 15. We are closer to our goal, said Lloris. Tomorrow it s another step, and it is going to be an important step for all of our careers. Belgium s midfielder Kevin De Bruyne. () OPINION Process pay dividends for Belgium: Marinez St Petersburg It was a two-year process for Roberto Martinez to harness the individual talents of Belgium s golden generation and bring them to the brink of the World Cup final, he said yesterday. Belgium meet France in the semis in St Petersburg today with the Red Devils tantalisingly close now to fulfilling their potential after previously underachieving with a talent-laden squad. It s been two years to try and understand these footballers, the human beings behind the footballers, and to try and get a group that shared the same ambition, not just to use the national team to improve their brand, Martinez said. We ve strived to be as good as we could be at international level and it s taken us two years to get there. But there haven t been one or two secrets to make it work, it s been common sense. It s a group of people who share a vision of making Belgian football proud and achieving something important and these players have done that. Martinez, previously manager of English clubs Swansea City, Wigan Athletic and Everton, took over after a disappointing Euro 2016 when Belgium were beaten 3-1 by Wales in the quarterfinals. Working in the Premier League you are well aware of the Belgian talent. It s not something you need to travel to Belgium to realise, he said. It was intriguing to want to be part of this team, of this group, of this generation. I think the Belgian footballer is quite unique technically-gifted player with an incredible footballing brain. Now a lot of questions have been answered in terms of saying this is a team, not a group of individuals. They ve almost made a commitment of trying to help each other to become a high performance squad. Martinez shot down suggestions Belgium might have played their best game in beating Brazil in the last eight and would find it hard to lift their game again for the challenge of France. No, no, I think when you are in the semi-final of the World Cup it s a unique moment in anyone s career and I don t think you switch off. It is an opportunity, almost to try and improve on what we did against Brazil, he said.

3 Nearly 20mn viewers in England tuned in to watch their team s win over Sweden in the quarter-finals 3 SPOTLIGHT Croatian midfield threat poses dilemma for England Croatia have arguably the strongest central midfield pairing in Rakitic and Modric, while England have been playing with just one orthodox central defensive midfielder, Jordan Henderson Repino, Russia Manager Gareth Southgate has largely stuck to his guns in terms of England s tactical approach at this tournament but the challenge of a World Cup semi-final against Croatia in Moscow tomorrow poses him a tricky dilemma. Croatia have arguably the strongest central midfield pairing of the tournament in Barcelona s Ivan Rakitic and Real Madrid playmaker Luka Modric, while England have been playing with just one orthodox central defensive midfielder, Jordan Henderson. Southgate s system is built to probe for weaknesses via a trio of attacking players operating behind and around striker Harry Kane, with all three expected to contribute to the defensive work when the team does not have possession. That means Jesse Lingard, Dele Alli and Raheem Sterling none of whom are noted for the defensive side of their game must put in the hard graft of closing down space and harrying their opponents. So far it has worked pretty well. Taking on both massive responsibility and a huge workload, Henderson has been excellent and the attacking trio have helped him enough to ensure he has not been swamped. But with Rakitic and Modric operating centrally and Andrej Kramaric inclined to drop off behind lone striker Mario Mandzukic, the danger of Croatia dominating the central areas is a very real one for England. The obvious option for Southgate Croatia players take part in a training session at the Luzhniki training field in Moscow yesterday, ahead of their semi-final match against England. () would be to strengthen that area by bringing in Eric Dier to help Henderson and shore up the middle of the park. That would mean sacrificing one of the attacking midfield trio, however, which risks upsetting the balance of the formation and reducing England s effectiveness with the ball. The impression so far is that Southgate trusts his system and his players, and does not want to let the opposition dictate his approach. But after two knockout games in which they were favourites against Colombia and Sweden, England now face a high-quality, highly tactical opponent and Southgate must decide if his trusted formation is really suited for such a task. Another matter of concern for England will be the wide areas, where Kieran Trippier has been outstanding in his attacking wing back role on the right and Ashley Young has done an effective job on the left. Croatia have attacking quality out wide in Ivan Perisic on the left and Ante Rebic on the opposite flank, both of whom will give England s full backs plenty of defensive work to do. Both Perisic and Rebic can cut inside to support Mandzukic from inside left and inside right roles, meaning even more strain on Henderson if he is left unaccompanied. If Southgate were to bring in Dier, it will be a very difficult decision to decide which of his attacking trio he should sacrifice. Jesse Lingard has been excellent and is surely a certain starter, leaving the issue as a straight choice between Dele Alli, who scored in the 2-0 win over Sweden but is carrying a knock and was otherwise quiet, and Raheem Sterling. Sterling caused Sweden plenty of problems, stretching them with his movement on Saturday, but missed a glorious chance and the fact he has not scored for England since October 2015 is a major concern for the most advanced of the trio. Southgate is loyal to his players and would be reluctant to leave out the Manchester City forward. Nor will he be keen to disrupt a formation which has carried his team to the last four. But Croatia are, unlike Colombia and Sweden, a team that can dominate possession for long stretches as they seek to exploit defensive gaps. Plenty then for both Southgate and his opposite number Zlatko Dalic to ponder ahead of their meeting in Moscow. FOCUS Southgate tells England stars: Be bigger than 1966 heroes Repino, Russia England manager Gareth Southgate says winning the World Cup would make his players even bigger heroes than the 1966 generation because of the impact of social media and the globalisation of football. Southgate s men meet Croatia in the semi-finals tomorrow after ending a 28-year wait just to reach the last four by cruising past Sweden in the quarter-finals. I ve met quite a few of those players and we know exactly how they re held and perhaps, in the modern era, that would be even crazier, Southgate told Britain s daily newspapers. Social media and everything else, the global thing is so much bigger. While the England players are tucked away in a sleepy training base in the remote town of Repino, 45 kilometres (28 miles) northwest of Saint Petersburg, football fever is sweeping the nation back home. Nearly 20mn viewers tuned in for the win over Sweden and social media is awash with videos of excited fans watching on big screens in bars and parks, fanatically celebrating every England goal. Southgate admitted he had used the high esteem in which the 1966 team featuring Bobby Charlton and Bobby Moore are still held as an inspiration for his players. We ve talked, touched briefly, certainly, on the team which won. How they re still held and revered, he added. At the beginning we were working together with the lads and trying to sell them the vision of what s possible, what we re looking to achieve in the long term. BOTTOMLINE Insults, lower leagues prepared keeper Pickford for World Cup By Martha Kelner The Guardian In many ways, Alfreton Town seems a world away from Russia for Jordan Pickford but the abuse he faced from crowds while on a whirlwind tour of football s lower echelons is helping him thrive at the World Cup. Against Sweden, Pickford became the youngest English goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet at a World Cup, making three vital saves in the process. At a smidgen over 6ft he is relatively short for the position, a truth seized upon by the Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. But Pickford responded with man-of-the-match performances against Sweden, denying Marcus Berg twice and Viktor Claesson, and in the previous round against Colombia. Before this tournament Pickford had only three caps and had played only two full seasons at the top level. Before that he was on loan at a shopping list of non-league and lower league clubs including Darlington, Alfreton, Burton, Carlisle and Bradford before spending the season at Preston, in the Championship. But the fact he does not have the top-flight experience as Courtois and France s Hugo Lloris does not equal inexperience in the mind of the supremely confident 24-year-old. A lot of people think I am only young and it is only my second season in the Premier League but I do not feel as if I am far away from guys like that, he said. I got a lot of games under my belt in the lower leagues and I don t feel the Premier League or England is that much different. In some ways non-league and League Two is the hard challenge. Pickford faced an intimidating atmosphere in the last-16 game at Moscow s Before the World Cup, Jordan Pickford had only three caps for England and had played only two full seasons at the top level. () Spartak Stadium which was dominated by 30,000 boisterous Colombia fans. He played the pivotal role in England winning a World Cup penalty shootout for the first time with his save of Carlos Bacca s effort. But Pickford insists even the most partisan crowds in Russia could not compare to the vicious insults he was subjected to early in his career. Places like Wrexham and Southport away when there are not that many people there, you are a young lad and you re having abuse hurled at you, he said. That is what teaches you and that s what you laugh about now. And when you get that stick, that s when you become better. When there are just 500 fans inside a ground, you can hear everything they say, every little word that is getting said. So that is what turns you from a kid into a man. Pickford recently recalled a game for Alfreton at Southport in April 2013 at Haig Avenue where he was targeted by fans. After receiving his man-of-the-match trophy on Saturday night, Pickford exited the room humming the supporters tune We re going all the way. He had not been born the last time England reached a World Cup semi-final, at Italia 90, but believes this team can go at least one step further. I m a fan myself, he said, so I was singing on the pitch at the end of the match. I m passionate and the fans are going mental at home. If we keep performing the fans are going to carry on enjoying it. ROUND-UP Croatia sack assistant coach Vukojevic over Ukraine video Zagreb Croatia s Football Federation (HNS) sacked Ognjen Vukojevic, a member of the national team s coaching staff, over a glory to Ukraine video posted after Croatia beat Russia in the World Cup quarter-finals, HNS said in a statement yesterday. Vukojevic and Croatia defender Domagoj Vida published the video on social media after the match on Saturday in a move which was criticised by Russian politicians and led to a warning from FIFA s disciplinary committee. Relations between Ukraine and World Cup hosts Russia remain fraught after the latter s 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula and its backing for a pro-russian uprising in the east of the country. HNS said it had revoked Vukojevic s accreditation at the World Cup and relieved him of his duties as an observer for the Croatia squad. HNS hereby apologises to the Russian public for the actions of a member of the Croatian delegation, it said. HNS said Vukojevic and Vida apologised for their statements, saying they were not intended to be political messages but unfortunately left room for such interpretations. Both Vukojevic and the 29-year-old Vida previously played for Ukrainian Croatia s Andrej Kramaric (right) and Mario Mandzukic during the press conference in Moscow yesterday. () club Dynamo Kiev. Croatia face England in the World Cup semifinals in Moscow tomorrow. FIFA later handed Vukojevic a fine of $15,000 and a warning for unsporting behaviour. KRAMARIC WANTS TO TALK ABOUT CROATIA S WORLD CUP FOR YEARS Croatia forward Andrej Kramaric hopes he will be able to talk about their World Cup campaign for years to come, he said yesterday as his side prepared for their semi-final against England. Kramaric said the pressure on his team had been lifted after they passed the round of 16, and they were now simply enjoying their World Cup adventure which has taken them to the semi-finals for the first time since The biggest pressure for us was in the game against Denmark in the round of 16...now we are enjoying what is happening, he said. When the game starts, there will be a bit of pressure but we are enjoying the fact that we are here in the World Cup semi-finals. It would be a fantastic achievement for Croatia to play the World Cup final, it s our dream and we will do the best to fulfil it, he added. Kramaric, who plays for Bundesliga side Hoffenheim, spent one year in England at Leicester City in their title-winning season but could not break into the team. My stay in England is a great story for me, my first time outside of Croatia, everything was really new. I didn t play that much, it was difficult to get into the team because the team was doing really well, he said.

4 4 SPORT SPOTLIGHT Former Barca coach Enrique tasked with reviving Spain A team with a history of success, a talented squad and a distinctive style of playing, had just failed to win a trophy for the first time in six years Madrid Former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique was appointed Spain s new coach yesterday after previous incumbent Julen Lopetegui was sacked on the eve of the World Cup in what turned out to be a disappointing campaign. Luis Enrique s appointment as coach for the next two years was approved unanimously, Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish football federation, told reporters. The 48-year-old faces a similar challenge to the one that he had when he took over at Barcelona in A team with a history of success, a talented squad and a distinctive style of playing, had just failed to win a trophy for the first time in six years. With Spain, Enrique must revive a side that won three consecutive major tournaments between 2008 and 2012 but are deflated after three failures, the latest their World Cup loss to hosts Russia ranked 70th in the world on penalties in the last 16. Before that, Spain were humiliated at the hands of the Netherlands in 2014 and beaten by Italy at Euro 2016 their winning streak but a distant memory. Enrique will be taking over from Lopetegui, who was fired by Rubiales when the coach announced he had signed to take over at Real Madrid. Spain s then sporting director Fernando Hierro stepped in hastily to replace him and led the team to the last 16, before stepping down after the tournament. Changing the coach two days before Spain s opening game probably did not benefit the side s chances. With Hierro in place, there were positive signs against Portugal, when Cristiano Ronaldo s free-kick overshadowed an assured Spain performance in a thrilling 3-3 draw. But defensive errors and tactical rigidity soon came to the fore as poor displays followed against Iran, Morocco and Russia. Enrique will also be taking over a team shorn of captain Andres Iniesta, who has retired from international football. The new manager faces the same two-pronged brief that Lopetegui was tasked with two years ago: to restore confidence and get fresh blood from the younger generation. Of the starting XI against Russia, only Marco Asensio will be under 30 when the next World Cup comes around. Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, David Silva, Diego Costa and Sergio Busquets Luis Enrique will be taking over from Julen Lopetegui, who was fired by Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish football federation, when the coach announced he had signed to take over at Real Madrid after the World Cup. () will all be 33 or older. The survivors from the triple triumph of Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 will either be gone or nearing retirement, which paves the way for an evolution of personnel and maybe style. Enrique played for both the warring powers of Spanish club football. A bustling forward or midfielder, he made 157 appearances for Real Madrid over five seasons scoring 15 goals and then played 207 games, scoring 73 times, for Barcelona over eight seasons. He also made 62 appearances for Spain between 1991 and 2002, scoring 12 goals. After retiring in 2004, Enrique was groomed as a coach by Barcelona and led the club s B team to promotion to the Spanish second division and then took them to a third-place finish. His first head coaching job was at Roma in 2011 but after a mediocre season he returned to Spain and led Celta Vigo to ninth, an improvement of eight places, and masterminded a 2-0 home victory over Real Madrid that ensured Atletico Madrid won the title. That summer he joined Barcelona for a glorious three-year reign. His first season started shakily while he searched for a settled lineup but ended in a treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League, beating Juventus in the final. Barcelona then won the World Club Cup and at the end of the season added another Spanish double. Enrique announced that he planned to stand down in March The season ended with an unprecedented third straight Copa del Rey, but Barcelona finished three points behind Real in the league and were eliminated by Juventus in the last eight of the Champions League. Before Enrique s last match as coach, Pique, a Barcelona mainstay, said: He is one of the best coaches in history, we have won everything and these three years have been magnificent. With Spain, Enrique will be aided by Jose Francisco Molina, 47, a former goalkeeper at Atletico Madrid and Deportivo La Coruna who played nine times for Spain and was named as sporting director. FOCUS Buffon says no PSG promise of starting slot Agencies Paris Gianluigi Buffon, Paris Saint-Germain s veteran goalkeeper, said yesterday he was not a guaranteed starter as he embarks on a new challenge following his move from Juventus. Nobody ever told me I would be a starter, said Buffon, 40, as the Italian was presented to the media. I was always first choice at Parma, Juve and the national side, but nobody ever told me I d be an automatic first choice at PSG, he explained. I have always been a player who has earned his starting place on the field, added Buffon, who will seek to dislodge Alphonse Areola, who pushed German Kevin Trapp down to number two last season. Of course I am 40 years old but I am in excellent physical form. I know that when there is a need to have major goals (at a club) then you need all hands on deck. We shall all get game time during the season and I shall do all I can to put the others in the best possible conditions. I want to show I am a great keeper and I am sure I shall do that, Buffon said as he looks to stake a claim at the French champions, who have five keepers on their books. Buffon is still ambitious at 40 years of age but denied winning the Champions League is his sole focus. I felt that I still had something to give deep within me, Buffon told a news conference after signing a one-year deal, with a further season option, with the Ligue 1 champions. This new adventure can make me progress as a man and a player. There will be an ambition to obtain results. The Champions League is not an obsession. Buffon left Italian champions Juventus after 17 years following the past season. He is recognised as one of the greatest keepers of his generation and is a former World Cup winner, having lifted the trophy with Italy in However, despite his abundance of Serie A titles, the Champions League crown has eluded him having lost three finals with Juventus. Gianluigi Buffon is a massive goalkeeper with lots of experience, Club president Nasser al-khelaïfi said. Gigi chose Paris to win more trophies, he added. Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon poses with PSG s Qatari president Nasser al-khelaifi (left) after signing for the French Club at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, yesterday. () PREMIER LEAGUE Wilshere feels special bond with new club West Ham England midfielder Jack Wilshere said it felt special to be joining West Ham on a free transfer yesterday as it is the club he and his family supported. The 26-year-old whose lack of form towards the end of the season with Arsenal led to his being omitted from the World Cup squad signed a three year contract with the Hammers. Wilshere scorer of 14 goals in his 197 appearances for the Gunners and who won two FA Cup winners medals in 2014 and 2015 said it was well known the strong emotional ties he had with West Ham. It feels good, it feels special, said Wilshere on the West Ham website. Many people know that I ve had a special bond with this club growing up. People will have seen the picture of me in a West Ham shirt and I ve got good memories of my childhood supporting West Ham, watching them at Upton Park. It feels good and of course my family and a few of my friends are West Ham fans so everyone s buzzing. Wilshere whose contract ran out at the end of June decided to look for a new club when new Gunners manager Unai Emery told him he would not be a first choice next season. Emery s Jack Wilshere has signed a three year contract with West Ham. predecessor Arsene Wenger had recommended that the club offer Wilshere a new contract after a series of impressive performances last season. Wilshere s career has been hobbled by injuries and he was willing to take a pay cut to stay at a club he had been with for 17 years but Wenger s departure left his fate in Emery s hands. Wilshere who won the last of his 34 England caps in the humiliating Euro defeat to Iceland said he did not have to think twice when he learned of West Ham s interest in securing his services adding that he is a great admirer of manager Manuel Pellegrini. I think it was a number of things, he said. The manager being one and the way he wants to play and where he sees me playing. Mario Husillos, director of football at West Ham, said he and Pellegrini had made Wilshere s signing a priority once they knew he would be available. Wilshere may not be the last new face brought in to a club that has struggled in recent seasons. Pellegrini, who has already signed another former Arsenal goakeeper Lukasz Fabianski and young French defender Issa Diop, is on the brink of bringing in Ukrainian international forward Andriy Yarmolenko, who will cost a club record fee of about 20m euros from German side Borussia Dortmund. ROUND-UP Paulinho returns to China s Guangzhou Brazil midfielder Paulinho is leaving Barcelona after one season to rejoin Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande, the Spanish champions said yesterday. FC Barcelona and Guangzhou have reached an agreement for the loan transfer of Paulinho Bezerra for one season, with a mandatory purchase option for the Chinese club, Barca said in a statement on their website. Paulinho, 29, scored nine goals in 49 appearances for the Catalans after signing for 40mn euros ($47mn) last August, helping them win the La Liga and King s Cup double. He was part of Brazil s World Cup squad, scoring in their 2-0 group-stage win over Serbia. SPANISH SUPER CUP TO BE HELD OVER ONE GAME The Spanish Super Cup game between Barcelona and Sevilla will be contested over one match at a neutral venue on Aug. 12 rather than the traditional two-leg home and away format, Spain s football federation (RFEF) said. Federation president Luis Rubiales said he hopes the game will take place in the Moroccan city of Tangier, subject to approval from football s world governing body FIFA. Rubiales said it was impossible to organise a two-legged contest due to Sevilla s participation in the Europa League qualifying rounds before the Liga season kicks off on Aug. 18. He also revealed both clubs would be given financial compensation to account for revenue losses over not playing at their home stadium. Playing in Tangier fits with the requirements on health because the temperature there is ideal. There was the option of playing in Valencia or Madrid but they do not meet our requirements due to the weather conditions, Rubiales said. From a financial point of view, the clubs will be given greater compensation than they asked for, over 900,000 euros ($1.1mn). The move is likely to anger Sevilla, however, who released a statement on their official Twitter account on Sunday declaring their opposition to playing the competition in one game. Barcelona were not immediately available for comment. RANGNICK RETURNS AS RB LEIPZIG COACH FOR NEXT SEASON Former coach Ralf Rangnick will take charge of RB Leipzig again this season on a oneyear deal, the Bundesliga club announced yesterday. Leipzig parted ways with Ralph Hasenhuettl after a disappointing 2017/18 season which saw them finishing sixth in the German top flight and miss out on Champions League qualification. The 60-year-old Rangnick was previously coach of the club as they made their way through the divisions between 2012 and 2016, before retiring and becoming sporting director. But with Julian Nagelsmann due to join in July 2019, from Hoffenheim, Rangnick has stepped in as a stop-gap. Rangnick said that Leipzig who finished second to Bayern Munich two seasons ago in their debut Bundesliga campaign were hoping to bring Everton forward Ademola Lookman to Germany permanently after a successful loan spell. We re still in talks over Ademola Lookman we want him back and he wants to come, he said. KENYA WILL NOT APPEAL REFEREE S LIFE BAN The Football Kenya Federation will not appeal against a life ban on its top national football referee Aden Marwa by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for accepting bribes. Marwa, 41, who had been shortlisted as one of 63 assistant referees for the World Cup in Russia, was on Saturday banned for life by CAF for accepting a 600,000 shilling ($600) bribe during the 2018 African Nations Championships (CHAN) in Morocco in January. He was subsequently dropped from officiating in the World Cup. Football Kenya Federation (FKF) chief Nick Mwendwa said it was not in their best interests to appeal against the unprecedented decision.

5 SPORT 5 MLB Red Sox complete sweep of Royals with 7-4 victory I felt like I had plenty of strength left. I felt like I could get those guys out Kansas City, USA Rick Porcello struck out nine over seven innings of three-run ball, Xander Bogaerts, Mitch Moreland and Eduardo Nunez each had two RBIs, and the visiting Boston Red Sox capped a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals with a 7-4 win Sunday. Porcello struck out Jorge Bonifacio and Mike Moustakas on seven pitches. Then Lucas Duda popped up to end the inning. I felt like I had plenty of strength left, Porcello said. I felt like I could get those guys out. I tried to make my best case for staying in the game and he gave me the ball. I tried not to screw it up... It was my mess to clean up. Steve Pearce added an RBI for the Red Sox, who have won six consecutive games. Porcello (11-3) allowed nine hits and walked one as Boston maintained its two-game lead over the New York Yankees atop the AL East. Jorge Bonifacio had two RBIs, and Adalberto Mondesi and Whit Merrifield (5-for-5) each drove in another for Kansas City, which matched its longest losing streak this year at nine games. It s the third time the Royalshave lost nine in a row this season. Royals right-hander Heath Fillmyer (0-1) allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits and three walks over 4 1/3 innings in his first major league start. Fillmyer made a surprise spot start in place of Jakob Junis, who landed on the disabled list due to lower back inflammation. Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez did not play after fouling pitches off his left calf and right foot Saturday in Boston s 15-4 win. Kansas City gave shortstop Alcides Escobar a day off Sunday, ending his major-league-leading active streak of 421 consecutive games played. Pearce s sacrifice fly in the third inning put Boston on the board. Kansas City answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame on Bonifacio s tworun double. Nunez tied the game with an RBI single in the fourth. Mondesi restored the Royals lead at 3-2 with his fourthinning RBI single. Moreland worked a bases-loaded walk to tie it in the fifth, and Boston went ahead for good at 4-3 on Bogaerts sacrifice fly later in the inning. Moreland added an Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Rick Porcello delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. PICTURE: USA TODAY Sports RBI single in the seventh before Bogaerts hit an RBI double and Nunez had RBI single. Merrifield s RBI single with one out in the ninth forced the Red Sox to turn to closer Craig Kimbrel, who recorded the final two outs for his 27th save. Red Sox lefty Eduardo Rodriguez (10-3, 3.84 ERA) starts Monday s opener of a threegame series against the visiting Texas Rangers. Royals southpaw Danny Duffy (4-8, 5.19) pitches Monday to start a three-game set with the Twins in Minnesota. Myers strikes again: Homer in 16th downs D-backs Wil Myers, who tied a Padres record with three homers Saturday night, homered off Arizona catcher Jeff Mathis with two outs in the top of the 16th inning Sunday to give San Diego a 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks at Phoenix. Mathis, who caught the first 15 innings, was called upon to pitch after the Diamondbacks ran out of pitchers. Mathis was Arizona s 10th pitcher, starting with Zack Greinke. The Diamondbacks used all seven members of their bullpen plus their Friday starter, Zack Godley, who pitched the 15th. Mathis retired the first two hitters he faced in the 16th before Myers drove a full-count fastball into the seats in right center. Left-handed closer Brad Hand (2-4), the ninth pitcher deployed by the Padres, got the win to give San Diego a split of the fourgame series. Hand pitched the final two innings, stranding the tying run at third in the 16th. The game seesawed through the first six innings then was scoreless over the next nine. The Padres took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Carlos Asuaje singled with one out and scored on a two-out double to leftcenter by Eric Hosmer, who had gone hitless in five straight starts for the first time in his career. Arizona scored twice in the bottom of the third to take a 2-1 lead. Greinke reached on a forceout and was at third with two outs when Padres starter Clayton Richard hit Jon Jay with a pitch and walked Paul Goldschmidt. A.J. Pollock followed with a two-run single. The Padres tied the game in the top of the fourth on three straight, two-out singles by Freddy Galvis, Manuel Margot and Austin Hedges. But Richard walked Ketel Marte to open the bottom of the fourth, and the second baseman scored from first on Mathis double. The Padres tied the game in the top of the sixth. Margot doubled with one out against reliever Randall Delgado and scored on a two-out single by pinch hitter Jose Pirela. Neither starter was around as long as anticipated. Richard failed to complete six innings for the first time in 11 starts since May 2. He gave up three runs on five hits, four walks and two hit batters (Jay both times) with two strikeouts over five innings. RESULTS San Diego 4 Diamondbacks 3 Rays 9 Mets 0 Rangers 3 Tigers 0 Red Sox 7 Royals 4 Yankees 2 Blue Jays 1 (10 innings) Angels 4 Dodgers 3 A s 6 Indians 0 Astros 2 White Sox 1 Brewers 10 Braves 3 Cubs 6 Reds 5 (10 innings) Pirates 4 Phillies 1 Marlins 10 Nationals 2 Twins 10 Orioles 1 Giants 13 Cardinals 8 Mariners 6 Rockies 4 BASEBALL Houston Astros Altuve tops voting for All-Star Game Washington Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve received a pace-setting 4.84 million votes in fan balloting totals unveiled Sunday that decided starters for the 89th Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The 28-year-old Venezuelan, who helped the Astros win their first World Series title last year, will join the American League squad that faces elite National League rivals on July 17 at Washington. It feels really good. I want to thank everybody who made this dream come true, said six-time All-Star Altuve, whose.338 batting average ranks second in the major leagues. It s one of the most important things in baseball for me, having a good relationship with the fans. The annual mid-season classic rivalry is deadlocked at with two drawn. The American League is 17-3 with one drawn since A total of 25 first-time All- Stars were selected by fans, players and officials for the rosters, which feature at least one player from all 30 clubs. All-Star Game managers will be those who contested last year s World Series, A.J. Hinch of the Astros for the American League and Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the National. I m excited to be around the game s best. That midsummer classic is going to be great, Roberts said. These guys are the best competitors in the world. Roberts plans a bet for French red wine with Hinch, who will have five of his Houston players on the AL roster. I m pretty blown away, just the talent alone, Hinch said. It ll be nice just to have everybody in one room. It ll be eye-opening for me to have the volume of stars. The four top major league home run sluggers are American League starters designated hitter J.D. Martinez of Boston with 27, outfielders Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels and Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees with 25 each and Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez with 24. Trout is a seven-time All- Star and two-time All-Star Game Most Valuable Player while Martinez leads the major leagues by having batted in 74 runs. Boston s Mookie Betts, who leads the major leagues with a.342 batting average, is also an AL outfielder starter. Other AL starters include Tampa Bay catcher Wilson Ramos, Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu and Baltimore shortstop Manny Machado, seen as a likely trade prospect to a title contender with the Orioles a major leaguesworst Among potential starting pitchers for the American League are the winningest hurlers in the major leagues, the Yankees Luis Severino (14-2) and Cleveland s Corey Kluber (12-4), plus Yankees ace closer Aroldis Chapman. National League starters include outfielders Matt Kemp of the Dodgers, Washington s Bryce Harper and Atlanta s Nick Markakis, making his first All-Star appearance in his 13th major league season. Atlanta first baseman Freddie Freeman topped National Leaguers in fan support with more than 4 million votes. Home start for Scherzer? Other NL starters include catcher Willson Contreras and second baseman Javier Baez of the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford and Colorado third baseman Nolan Arenado. Washington right-handed pitcher Max Scherzer, who leads the major leagues with 177 strikeouts, could start the All-Star Game in his team s home park. That would be an unbelievable experience no matter when I pitch, just to pitch in front of the home crowd, Scherzer said. It s an opportunity to go out and pitch against the best hitters in the game. It s grip it, rip it and let s see what happens. Roberts said Scherzer was definitely on my radar but wouldn t reveal his planned starter even though he added, you can t go wrong with Max taking the baseball at any point. Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve swings and hits a home run against the Chicago White Sox during the second inning at Minute Maid Park. PICTURE: USA TODAY Sports NBA Durant inks new deal with Golden State Warriors San Francisco Two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant has signed a new contract to remain with the Golden State Warriors, who seek a fourth title in five campaigns next season. While the team did not disclose details of the new deal, the San Jose Mercury News, New York Times and ESPN reported the deal would pay Durant about $30 million next season and a player option for the season at around $31 million. The Warriors made a deal with free agent center DeMarcus Cousins that will make them the first team in 40 years to boast an all-all-star starting lineup alongside Durant, forward Draymond Green and guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. After winning the 2015 NBA crown but losing to Cleveland in a 2016 finals rematch, the Warriors landed Durant and have beaten the Cavaliers in the past two finals, going a combined 8-1. Durant, 29, averaged 28.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 2.0 blocked shots as the Warriors swept Cleveland to capture the title last month in his 11th career NBA season. The only other players with back-to-back NBA Finals MVP awards are LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O Neal, Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon. Durant averaged 26.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists and a career-high 1.75 blocks a game in the campaign. Two-time NBA finals MVP Kevin Durant. Spurs decline to match Grizzlies bid for Anderson Forward Kyle Anderson officially became a member of the Memphis Grizzlies at 12:01am ET on Monday when the San Antonio Spurs refused to match his offer sheet, multiple media outlets reported. The 24-year-old restricted free agent signed a four-year, $37.2 million deal with the Grizzlies last week. The Spurs had until midnight Saturday night to match the offer and retain him, but they reportedly decided against doing so. A defensive specialist, Anderson is expected to move right from San Antonio s starting lineup to Memphis starting five. Last season, Anderson averaged career highs in all major statistical categories: 7.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 0.8 blocks in 74 games (67 starts). He had started a total of just 33 games in his previous three NBA seasons. The Spurs selected him 30th overall in the 2014 draft after he played two seasons at UCLA. Former NBA player Rozier dead at 45 after heart attack Former NBA center Clifford Rozier has died at age 45 after suffering a heart attack earlier in the week, his brother said. Rozier died Friday in his hometown of Bradenton, Fla., where he starred in high school before playing collegiately at North Carolina and Louisville. The Golden State Warriors selected him in the first round (No. 16 overall) of the 1994 NBA Draft. Injuries and inconsistency limited Rozier s NBA career to four seasons. The 6-foot- 11, 245-pounder averaged 4.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 173 games (64 starts) with the Warriors, Toronto Raptors and Minnesota Timberwolves from 1994 to Kobie Rozier, Clifford s brother, announced the death in a Facebook post. For the last few days my brother big Cliff been fighting for his life after having a heart attack, Kobie Rozier wrote. Today he lost his fight. Rest easy big bro and I ll see you again one day. At Louisville, Rozier led the team to back-to-back appearances in the Sweet 16. He was named as a consensus first-team All-American in along with Jason Kidd (Cal), Grant Hill (Duke), Donyell Marshall (Connecticut) and Glenn Robinson (Purdue). Celtics legend Ramsey dies at 86 Frank Ramsey, who won seven NBA championships as a member of the Boston Celtics, died Sunday at age 86. The University of Kentucky, where he was part of an NCAA title team in 1951 and was a three-time All-American, announced his death of natural causes. The Celtics issued a statement that read, As a seven-time NBA Champion and the original Sixth Man, Frank Ramsey helped create a legacy of excellence and selflessness that carried through generations, and remains part of the Boston Celtics ethos to this day. A true gentleman known for his elegance and thoughtfulness, he remained a loyal and active member of the Celtics family throughout his days. We join those celebrating his life and mourning his passing. A shooting guard and small forward, the 6-foot-3 Ramsey was selected by the Celtics with the fifth overall pick in the 1953 draft, and he played 64 games as a rookie in before missing a season due to military service. Returning to Boston in , he helped the Celtics capture league titles in seven of the next eight years. In 623 games over nine NBA seasons, Ramsey averaged 13.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists. He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982, and the Celtics retired his No. 23 jersey. Celtics legend Bill Russell tweeted Sunday, I am in shock & deeply saddened to hear of my long time friend & teammate #FrankRamsey passing I had the great pleasure to speak with him often. He won & title & was the 1st true 6th man. He was a great man & father. I will miss him! Another former teammate, Bob Cousy, told ESPN on Sunday, He was instant activity. He could score, play excellent defense and was a good rebounder for his size. He was truly an all-purpose player.

6 6 SPORT MOTORSPORT Hamilton backtracks while Ferrari boss attacks Mercedes Kimi said sorry and I accept it and we move on. It was a racing incident and nothing more Silverstone, United Kingdom While Lewis Hamilton backtracked on his criticism of Ferrari s Kimi Raikkonen yesterday, the Italian team s chief Maurizio Arrivabene launched a scathing attack on the Mercedes team. Hamilton said he had accepted the Finn s apology for driving into him in Sunday s British Grand Prix and learned from his own dumb reaction to the incident. As Arrivabene raged at Mercedes ungentlemanly behaviour and post-race suggestions of deliberate underhand tactics, Hamilton said Sunday s collision was a racing incident and nothing more. The collision on the opening lap was the second in three races in which a Ferrari had hit a Mercedes, which led to several at Mercedes to question the Italian team s tactics. Kimi said sorry and I accept it and we move on, Hamilton wrote on Instagram. It was a racing incident and nothing more. Sometimes we say dumb shit and we learn from it. Hamilton started the race from pole position, but after a bad start and the collision with Raikkonen fell to 19th, and last, before recovering to finish second behind title rival Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari. In France, two weeks earlier, Vettel drove into Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes on the opening lap. In both cases, the stewards penalised the Ferrari drivers for the incidents. On Sunday, Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff said: In James Allison s words do you think it is deliberate or incompetence? so this leaves us with a judgement. Arrivabene was livid as he responded yesterday. I came here to clarify, if he actually said something like that, said Arrivabene, speaking to Sky Italia about Allison, who left Ferrari in mid-2016 and joined Mercedes in I mean, he should be ashamed of himself, because he worked many years in Maranello, he took quite a bit of money from Maranello, as well... Today, he s doing his job. You have to be elegant and know how to lose. We are here in England. Sometimes, they want to teach us how to be gentlemen. He should start first. Bad start Really, this annoyed me so much. Also incompetent...who? Kimi? Who s he to judge what a driver is doing in the car? I can accept it from Jacques [Villeneuve, Sky Italia pundit] because he s been a driver, but that person? No. Arrivabene suggested Allison should not blame others for his team s disappointment in front of a raucous 140,000 crowd. First of all, he should look at the telemetry and understand that his driver, unfortunately for himself, had a bad start... So, having a bad start, he immediately lost two positions. Kimi had a good start. We have the telemetry data, so he found himself immediately on top of Hamilton... And I want to remind everyone that, in China, we had a situation between Vettel and Verstappen and nobody said anything. All fine! But, I mean... I want to give them a message it s been a beautiful battle, a battle that I think the audience appreciated. There will be other battles, where most likely Mercedes will win, but this is a lesson for us to stay classy a thing that they haven t done today. Meanwhile, Hamilton who missed a chance of a sixth straight victory in his home race sent a message to his fans. Thank you for loving me for being me with all my flaws. I know I m not perfect, he wrote. RUGBY Pivac to coach Wales after Gatland era Wayne Pivac will coach Wales when fellow New Zealander Warren Gatland s 12-year reign comes to an end following the 2019 Rugby World Cup, the Wales Rugby Union announced yesterday. Pivac s successful tenure at Welsh region Scarlets last season he guided them to their first European Cup semi-final in a decade had placed him as favourite to fill the vacancy. Pivac, who also coached Scarlets to a thumping victory over Irish powerhouses Munster to land the 2017 Celtic League title, saw off two fellow New Zealanders two-time Super Rugby winning coach Dave Rennie, who is presently in charge of Glasgow Warriors, and Scott Robinson. The current Scarlets boss will take over from Warren Gatland, Second-placed Mercedes British driver Lewis Hamilton (left), Head of Customer Teams Ferrari Claudio Albertini (second left), winner Ferrari s German driver Sebastian Vettel (second right) and third-placed Ferrari s Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen (right) celebrate on the podium after the British Formula One Grand Prix at the Silverstone motor racing circuit in Silverstone, central England. () Formula One bosses want Silverstone s owners to do their negotiating in private as both sides try to keep the British Grand Prix circuit on the calendar beyond next year. Some 140,500 fans turned up for world champion Lewis Hamilton s home race on Sunday, a crowd unlikely to be beaten anywhere else this season. However, the threat of 2019 being a farewell to the former World War Two airfield that hosted the first world championship race in 1950, and is a home grand prix for most teams, remains real. Silverstone activated a break clause in 2017 for their hosting deal to end next year unless better terms can be negotiated. I m sure we re going to find a solution with Silverstone Formula 1 wants Silverstone silence on contract talks because we cannot leave this behind, Formula One s managing director for motorsport Ross Brawn told Sky Sports television on Sunday. The frustration is the negotiations are taking place in public, he added. Every circuit we deal with, we do it quietly and get on with it, but for some reason Silverstone chooses to make everything public, which causes more difficulties. But we ll find a solution. Silverstone is owned by the British Drivers Club (BRDC), whose original deal was agreed with former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone. The promoter s fee for hosting the race increases by five percent annually, which means it grew from 11.5 million pounds Wayne Pivac. who is scheduled to step down after the 2019 Rugby World Cup when he will have served more than 12 years at the helm, read the WRU statement posted on their website. Martyn Phillips, chief executive of the WRU, said that there should be no complaints after a rigorous selection process which took two years to complete. We have secured the best man for the job and we have done so rigorously and decisively to the collective benefit of all involved in Welsh rugby, said Phillips. Both Wayne and Warren and their coaching teams, our international players, supporters and everyone at the Scarlets now have clarity and there is no underestimating the positive benefit to be gained from having the time to plan properly for the future. We have avoided the feeding frenzy that can come at the end of a World Cup year and we have been meticulous in ensuring we have someone of the talent, experience, charisma and rugby acumen to do the very best possible job for Welsh rugby. Pivac like All Blacks head coach Steve Hansen a former policeman will continue as Scarlets boss until the end of the season and will not officially come under WRU employment until July 2019, with Gatland leading Wales into the World Cup. ($15.31 million) in 2010 to 16.2 million pounds in By 2026, it would have risen to 25 million pounds. BRDC chairman John Grant told a news conference last year, after the circuit racked up multimillion pound losses in 2015 and 2016 despite huge crowds, that the current contract was not financially viable. The way in which the break clause was announced and subsequent briefings did not go down well with Formula One s new owners Liberty Media, who have taken a very different approach to Ecclestone s. The US-owned company, with Chase Carey leading their Formula One management, have a policy of keeping out of the spotlight when it comes to Huge honour Pivac, 55, who will be the 23rd Wales national coach since David Nash was appointed head coach in 1967, said he would do as much as possible to protect the legacy of Gatland. It s both a huge honour and a privilege to have been asked to be the next Wales coach, said Pivac, whose previous experience at national level is with Fiji from contracts and talks with possible new venues. Silverstone is not the only circuit seeking revised terms since Ecclestone s departure, with Germany s Hockenheim wanting to remove the financial risk from its contract and Azerbaijan keen to pay less. Silverstone, which has good traffic access, is seen as the home of British motorsport but a Grand Prix has also been mooted periodically. There is a desire within Liberty to see a street race in and in an ideal world we would be fortunate enough to have both, Red Bull boss Christian Horner told reporters last week. But competition on the calendar is extreme and it is difficult to see two British Grands Prix I know I m following in the footsteps of someone who is held in extremely high regard, not only by the Welsh public, but also by the players who have played under him and I will be doing my best to protect the legacy which Warren Gatland, with the help of those players, will inevitably leave behind. Gatland is a two-time British and Irish Lions head coach, winning one series in Australia and tying with the All Blacks last year. He coached Wales to three Six Nations titles during his reign, including two Grand Slams, though they have now gone five years without winning the championship. The 54-year-old s best showing at a World Cup was in an unlucky 9-8 loss to France in the 2011 semi-finals, having played most of the match with 14 players after captain Sam Warburton was sent off in the 19th minute. GOLF South Korean-born American Na wins Greenbrier title Washington South Korean-born American Kevin Na captured his first US PGA title in seven years on Sunday, firing a six-under par 64 to win the Greenbrier Classic by five strokes. The 34-year-old, who emigrated to the United States from Seoul with his family at age eight, finished 72 holes at the mountain resort course in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, on 19-under 261. Big confidence boost, Na said. It s nice to get that second trophy. It s a beautiful trophy. I thought about how good it would look at home. Na, who choked up when thanking fans in Korean on television after his triumph, had made 158 starts since his only prior PGA victory at the 2011 Shriners Hospitals Open. It feels amazing, Na said. I see the records on TV, most starts since winning. I m always up there. I failed so many times. It took me eight years to win my first title. I told friends it s not going to take eight years to win the second one. It has taken seven. Kelly Kraft was second on 266 with Jason Kokrak and Brandt Snedeker sharing third on 267 and Chile s Joaquin Niemann, the only non-us player in the top 10, in a fifthplace pack on 268 with Austin Cook, Sam Saunders, Joel Dahmen and Harold Varner. Na broke open a shootout with 12 players within four strokes of the lead by making birdies on six of seven holes starting at the fourth, making two runs of three in a row to seize command. He sank a five-foot birdie putt at the fourth and one twice as long at the fifth before dropping a 32-footer at the sixth. Na found a fairway bunker at seven and settled for par but resumed his birdie binge with a 43-foot putt at the par- 3 eighth, a tap-in birdie after putting his approach at nine LEADING SCORES Kevin Na Kelly Kraft Brandt Snedeker , Jason Kokrak Joaquin Niemann (CHI) , Austin Cook , Joel Dahmen , Sam Saunders , Harold Varner Russell Henley Robert Streb , David Lingmerth (SWE) Alex Cejka (GER) , John Peterson , Scott Stallings , Mackenzie Hughes , JJ Spaun , Keegan Bradley , Ryan Moore , Bubba Watson JJ Henry , Talor Gooch , Tony Finau , Ryan Armour , Xander Schauffele Lanto Griffin , Wesley Bryan , Ollie Schniederjans , Jamie Lovemark inches from the cup and sinking a 23-foot birdie putt to start the back nine. Today I kept within myself, Na said. I never got ahead of myself. I kept it right in front of me. Na s lone bogey came at 11, where he missed a 10-foot par putt, but he pulled back a stroke at 16 with a nine-foot birdie putt, then sank a 16- foot par putt at the par-5 17th and parred 18 to close out the victory. Saunders, grandson of golf legend Arnold Palmer, used an old putter that belonged to his grandfather, who died in 2016 at age 87. Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson, seeking his fourth title of the year, fired a 72 to share 13th on 271. Kevin Na with the trophy after winning A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier at The Old White TPC. PICTURE: USA TODAY Sports Kim Sei-young wins Thornberry crown in historic style South Korean Kim Sei-young smashed the LPGA 72-hole scoring record Sunday, winning the Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic with a stunning 31-under par total. Kim, 24-under to start the day, fired a final-round seven-under par 65 on the par-72 Thornberry course in Oneida, Wisconsin. Her 31-under total of 257 broke the LPGA s 72-hole scoring record in relation to par of 27-under, first set by Swedish great Annika Sorenstam in 2001 and matched by Kim herself at the 2016 Founders Cup in Phoenix. She also broke the record for fewest strokes over 72 holes of 258, achieved by Karen Stupples in 2004 and matched by Angela Stanford and Park Hee-Young in I really feel, like, unreal, Kim said. I never thought about shooting, like, 31-under. I really feel incredible. But the 25-year-old knew setting out on Sunday that she was within striking distance of the record, giving herself a goal of playing the final round without a bogey. I was feeling a little bit of different than the third round because a little bit of pressure, Kim admitted. I thought about how do you handle nerves today. Then I set my goals, just kept relaxed except the last three holes I couldn t control the nerves because it was almost done, but I finished really good. Leading final-round scores Kim Sei-young (KOR) Carlota Ciganda (ESP) Emma Talley , Anna Nordqvist (SWE) , Amy Yang (KOR) Bronte Law (ENG) Chien Peiyun (TPE) , Maria Torres (PUR) , Georgia Hall (ENG) , Dani Holmqvist (SWE) , Ko Jin-young (KOR) , Chella Choi (KOR) , Jodi Ewart Shadoff (ENG) , Brittany Marchand (CAN)

7 SPORT Tuesday, June 10, CYCLING/TOUR DE FRANCE Froome booed as BMC edge Sky in team time-trial It s a great feeling and very good for the team. I have my chances to win tomorrow SPOTLIGHT Artistic Gymnastics World Championships tickets on sale now By Sports Reporter Doha Tickets are now on sale for fans to witness the incredible talents of the world s most gifted gymnasts as they compete in the 48th edition of the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships at the Aspire Academy Dome, Qatar, between October 25 November 3, Olympic champions and world champions from leading nations will gather to renew rivalries over ten days of breathtaking action for a championship which is being staged in the Middle East for the first time in the event s history. Available online at Virgin Megastore, affordable tickets will offer all fans and families the chance of a lifetime as over 700 male and female gymnasts from over 80 countries, including three Team Qatar gymnasts, competing in Doha s iconic Aspire Dome with all welcome. Beyond the stunning showcase of gymnastics, an on-site family fanzone, free to all ticket-holders will give all those inspired by the action a chance to take first steps in the sport test their skills amongst a host of fun activities on offer. Considered as one of the most intense, impressive and enjoyable sports to experience live, large crowds are expected to sample all the drama, emotion and excitement of gymnastics pinnacle event as global superstars go head to head in a bid to be crowned the best in the world. There is something very unique at gymnastics which has to be seen to be believed, especially at this standard with so many Olympic and world stars descending into Doha, said CEO of the Local Organising Committee, Ali al-hitmi. It is no surprise that events of this calibre are generally a sell-out as the gymnasts as known to put on such a memorable show for all the family by bringing together the perfect combination of elegance, power, precision, balance and brilliance. It s modern day theatre with gymnasts pushing themselves to the limits as they strive for glory. In coming weeks we will start to confirm the names of the competitors including some of the greatest Olympians who have ever graced the sport, but already there is genuine feeling of excitement amongst the local community here. We have a flourishing gymnastics scene here in Qatar and this is a lifechanging event for any youngster who wants to see their hero compete. But even for a family day out, there will be a special atmosphere to enjoy and share. We d encourage anyone with a son or daughter who has an interest in gymnastics, dance, ballet or just physical fitness to join us. USA s BMC Racing cycling team riders celebrate on the podium after winning the third stage of the 105th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, a 35.5km team time-trial around Cholet, western France, yesterday. () Cholet, France Chris Froome was booed by a section of the public on the starting ramp but otherwise enjoyed a great day in the Tour de France team time-trial yesterday where Sky were edged by four seconds by winners BMC. Belgian team Quick Step came third at seven seconds but because Fernando Gaviria was dropped along the route he failed to reclaim the race leader s yellow jersey, which was instead claimed by BMC s Olympic road race champion Greg van Avermaet. It s a great feeling and very good for the team. I have my chances to win tomorrow too and also at the Roubaix, said Van Avermaet. The Belgian fans were quick to point out that one of their riders would be wearing the Tour de France yellow jersey on the day their team play France in football s World Cup semi-finals. It was also a very satisfying day for Froome, the Kenyanborn Briton ignoring some booing at the start line and making up some of the valuable time he lost on Saturday s first stage. Defending champion Froome Stage 1. BMC 38min 46sec 2. Sky at 04sec 3. Quick-Step Mitchelton Sunweb EF-Drapac Bora Astana Katusha Movistar 53 Points 1. Peter Sagan (SVK/BOR) 104 pts 2. Fernando Gaviria (COL/QST) lost four seconds to Richie Porte, but took five seconds off British rival Adam Yates, eight seconds off world champion Tom Dumoulin of Sunweb, 50 seconds off Colombia s Nairo Quintana and was a less-than-expected 1min 11sec quicker than French hope Romain Bardet. Porte s BMC team had been expected to make up for their disappointing first day when their Australian leader fell. There was way too much wind for me, said the slightlybuilt Porte. So taking four seconds off Chris (Froome of Sky) is good and it looks like a minute off Romain Bardet at least, said the RESULTS AFTER THIRD STAGE Alexander Kristoff (NOR/EAU) Arnaud Démare (FRA/FDJ) André Greipel (GER/LOT) Sonny Colbrelli (ITA/BAH) Marcel Kittel (GER/KAT) Sylvain Chavanel (FRA/DEN) Jérôme Cousin (FRA/DEN) Timothy Dupont (BEL/AJW) King of Mountains: 1. Dion Smith (NZL/AJW) 1 pt 2. Kévin Ledanois (FRA/FST) 1 BMC leader. We were favourites and it was good to deliver. I still regret throwing away those 51 seconds on the first day, but there s a long way to go to Paris. There was no surprises for Movistar s Quintana, who lost another chunk of time to Froome, to whom he came second on the Tour twice. It s about what I expected, we thought we d lose a bit to Froome and we lost a bit to Froome, said the dry-witted Quintana. Bardet cut a happier figure after his AG2R team did better than expected after dropping four of his riders and losing 1min 15sec to BMC, less than expected. Team overall 1. Etixx 26hr 09min 20sec. 2. Giant at 4sec. 3. Bora BMC Astana Katusha Bahrain EF Drapac 1: LottoNL 1: RadioShack 1:09. Best young riders (overall) 1. Soren Kragh Andersen (DEN/ SUN) 9hr 09min 06sec. Bardet waited at the finish line to greet each one of the teammates he d dropped and hug them. Our team is our strength, said Bardet. Froome put in an imperial performance on Monday showing the kind of power in the saddle that has led him to four previous Tour de France victories where he dominates the time trials and defends his lead in the mountains. It was a huge challenge for the team, it s been incredible for us, said the 33-year-old Briton who was jeered when his name was announced on the starting ramp. 2. Egan Bernal (COL/SKY) at 1: Magnus Nielsen (DEN/AST) 1: Thomas Boudat (FRA/DEN) 1: Tiesj Benoot (BEL/LOT) 1: Antwan Tolhoek (NED/LNL) 1: Gregor Mühlberger (AUT/BOR) 2: Dion Smith (NZL/WGG) 2: Amund Grondahl Jansen (NOR/LNL) 2: Stefan Kung (SUI/BMC) 2:39. Our aim was to take the maximum time out of all our rivals, he insisted. But believe me, this was not an easy day. His team principal Dave Brailsford was also looking cheerful and relaxed. In this kind of situation you have to focus on the process and not the result. Make sure all the guys are right, forget the race and live the moment, he said of how they tackled the challenge. Asked if the Froome whistling was dying down, he said yes. It looks like people have just come out for a fun day, he said. Thankfully, because there are families here. SHOOTING Qatar s al-marri claims double trap gold medal QNA Doha Hamad al-marri of Qatar won the double trap gold at the International Shooting Championship in Todi, Italy. He shot 78 out of 80 to beat UAE s Khalid al-kaabi in the final. Veteran Russian Vasily Qatar s Hamad al-marri with his gold medal. Mosin came third. Qatar shooting team is holding a training camp in Todi, for the upcoming world championships in Changwon, South Korea and Asian Games. Qatar has also hired Italian coach Mirko Genji for the camp. It was a tough competition right from the qualifying round, al-marri said. Qatar s Masoud al-adba came sixth. CRICKET Root can learn from Morgan, says Farbrace Bristol, United Kingdom England assistant coach Paul Farbrace said Test captain Joe Root will get better at his job by learning from his one-day counterpart Eoin Morgan. Root has been in charge of England s Test team for a year, since the 2017 series against South Africa, but the white-ball sides are captained by Morgan. Morgan has led the limited-overs team since 2015 and recently took them to a 5-0 one-day international series whitewash over Australia. And Farbrace, who was in charge of England during the T20 series against India which ended on Sunday when Root was left out of the team, says the Yorkshireman s five-day leadership would have been enhanced by Morgan. Any experience he has had over the last few days will definitely help him, Farbrace said in Bristol after the deciding-match loss to India. I am sure he will be watching the way Eoin talks to the team, the way he goes about things and the decisions that he makes. I am sure those two will have lots of conversations about the role of being England cricket captain whether it is a red or a white ball. Towards the end of the New Zealand series this year we started to see Joe really getting to grips with the Test match team as a captain. England lost the T20 series 2-1 to India after going down by seven wickets at the County Ground on Sunday. Root was dropped from the decider, played on a England Test captain Joe Root. ground with small boundaries which favoured big hitters, as Ben Stokes returned from the side, and watched from the sidelines as India chased down England s But Farbrace insists the 27-year-old still has a future in the shortest format of the game and will have a point to prove when the three-match 50-over series against India starts on Thursday in Nottingham. He added: He is our best player. He is a fantastic player in all forms of the game. In T20 you need players who can manipulate the strike and can keep you in the entire game and that is a skill that Joe has. He has the ability to hit boundaries. He might not have the power of a Ben Stokes or a Jonny Bairstow but strong cricket shots in T20 cricket will get you where you want. I am sure he was bitterly disappointed to be left out because he wants to show he is a quality player in all forms of the game. He will be spurred on by that and he will do everything he can to make sure he is ready for Thursday s game at Trent Bridge. England play India in ODIs at Nottingham, Lord s and Leeds before Root takes over the captaincy for the five-test series starting at Edgbaston in Birmingham on August 1. Australia sweat over injury to Marsh Depleted Australia have concerns over another possible injury to one of their test players with long-serving batsman Shaun Marsh sustaining a shoulder problem while playing in a Twenty20 match for Glamorgan in Cardiff on Sunday. The 35-year-old was helped off the field after landing awkwardly while trying to stop a boundary in the Welsh county s defeat to Sussex in the Vitality Blast encounter. Cricket Australia (CA) said they would wait until they received a report from Glamorgan to decide on a course of action for Marsh s recovery. Shaun s a tough guy, so it s certainly not a bruise the way he walked off holding his shoulder, Glamorgan coach Robert Croft said. We ll have to wait and see. We hope the scan will be favourable. Marsh scored two centuries for Australia in their Ashes victory over England and another two in a one-day international series defeat against the same opponents earlier this year. Australia will be hoping Marsh can recover in time for the Test tour against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, expected to take place in October, especially in the absence of banned batting trio Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft. Frontline pacemen Pat Cummins (back), Josh Hazlewood (back) and Mitchell Starc (leg) are also racing against time to be fit for the Pakistan series.

8 GULF TIMES SPORT WIMBLEDON Federer, Nadal close in on dream WOMEN S ROUND-UP Serena powers into quarters, last top 10 seed falls Wimbledon final Top seed Federer, 36, has now won 32 consecutive sets at Wimbledon, just two behind his record set from the third round in 2005 to his title triumph in 2006 BOTTOMLINE Wimbledon won t budge on World Cup final clash Wimbledon chiefs insisted again that the men s final will start at its traditional time despite it clashing with a potential England World Cup triumph. The All England Club has come under increasing pressure to rethink its 2pm (1300GMT) start time for Sunday s men s singles final with the football showpiece in Moscow kicking off at 4pm in the UK (1500GMT). Should England defeat Croatia in tomorrow s semi-final then the national team will feature in a World Cup final for the first time since lifting the trophy in It is purely our decision to stay at 2pm. RESULTS CHECK Men (4th rd) Roger Federer (SUI x1) bt Adrian Mannarino (FRA x22) 6-0, 7-5, 6-4 Kevin Anderson (RSA x8) bt Gael Monfils (FRA) 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/2), 5-7, 7-6 (7/4) Milos Raonic (CAN x13) bt Mackenzie Mc- Donald (USA) 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 John Isner (USA x9) bt Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE x31) 6-4, 7-6 (10/8), 7-6 (7/4) Novak Djokovic (SRB x12) bt Karen Khachanov (RUS) 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 Kei Nishikori (JPN x24) bt Ernests Gulbis (LAT) 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (12/10), 6-1 Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Jirí Veselý (CZE) 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 Suspended due to darkness: Juan Martin del Potro (ARG x5) leads Gilles Simon (FRA) 7-6 (7/1), 7-6 (7.5), 5-7 It will stay this year, it will stay next year, said All England Club chief executive Richard Lewis. Defending champion Roger Federer, who is more than likely to be playing in Sunday s final, even joked that maybe the World Cup final should move to accommodate the Wimbledon title match. I m more concerned the World Cup final will have issues because the Wimbledon final is going on, said the eight-time champion after seeing off France s Adrian Mannarino in straight sets yesterday. They ll hear every point, Wow, Love- 15, The players (at the World Cup) are going to look up in the crowd and not understand what s going on at Wimbledon! That s how important Wimbledon is to me and to us over here. Lewis added that there were no plans Spain s Rafael Nadal celebrates winning his fourth round match against Czech Republic s Jiri Vesely. Women (4th rd) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) bt Hsieh Su-Wei (TPE) 6-4, 6-1 Jelena Ostapenko (LAT x12) bt Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 7-6 (7/4), 6-0 Daria Kasatkina (RUS x14) bt Alison Van Uytvanck (BEL) 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 6-2 Angelique Kerber (GER x11) bt Belinda Bencic (SUI) 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) Kiki Bertens (NED x20) bt Karolína Pliskova (CZE x7) 6-3, 7-6 (7/1) Julia Goerges (GER x13) bt Donna Vekic (CRO) 6-3, 6-2 Serena Williams (USA x25) bt Evgeniya Rodina (RUS) 6-2, 6-2 Camila Giorgi (ITA) bt Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 6-3, 6-4 Defending champion Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal closed in on a dream Wimbledon final as the sport s two greatest players swept into the last-eight yesterday. Eight-time champion Federer needed just 16 minutes to win the opening set on his way to a 6-0, 7-5, 6-4 defeat of France s Adrian Mannarino to reach his 16th All England Club quarter-final. World number one Nadal, the twotime champion, reached his first quarterfinal at Wimbledon since 2011 when he went on to finish runner-up with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 win over Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic. Federer will be playing in his 53rd Grand Slam last-eight when he tackles Kevin Anderson, the eighth-seeded South African. Top seed Federer, 36, has now won 32 consecutive sets at Wimbledon, just two behind his record set from the third round in 2005 to his title triumph in He has also held serve for 81 successive games at the tournament, a run stretching back the first set of his semi-final win against Tomas Berdych in It was crucial for him to stay in the match at the beginning of the second set and then it got tougher, said 20-time major winner Federer. You always tend to play better against better players and I m happy to be back in the second week of Wimbledon. Federer boasts a 4-0 career record against 2017 US Open runner-up Anderson, who reached the quarter-finals for the first time with a 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/2), 5-7, 7-6 (7/4) win over France s Gael Monfils. Anderson is the first South African man in the Wimbledon last-eight since Wayne Ferreira in Nadal, like Federer yet to drop a set, routed world number 93 Vesely on the eve of the Czech player s 25th birthday. Yesterday s win took Nadal, 32, into a 35th Grand Slam quarter-final. It was an important victory as since 2011 I have not been in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon. So it s an important moment, said Nadal, the 17-time Grand Slam champion who has made four successive quarter-finals at the majors for the first time in six years. He started to play better from the base line, I made a couple of mistakes in the service game I lost (at 3-4 in the third set) but I feel I came back straight away. That was key. Next up for Nadal is either Juan Martin del Potro, the fifth seeded Argentine or the unseeded Gilles Simon of France. The match between del Potro and Simon yesterday was suspended due to darkness in the fourth set after the former had won the first two sets. Three-time champion Novak Djokovic, seeded a lowly 12 this year, made his 10th Wimbledon quarter-final after defeating unseeded Karen Khachanov, the world number 40 from Russia, in straight sets. Djokovic will take on Kei Nishikori, who overcame a right arm injury to reach his first Wimbledon quarter-final with a gritty 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (12/10), 6-1 win over Latvian qualifier Ernests Gulbis. It s always like big war for me when I play Novak. I always enjoy playing against him. It s always a big challenge, said Nishikori, who has beaten the Serb just twice in 15 meetings. The 28-year-old Nishikori is the first Japanese man to reach the quarter-finals at Wimbledon since Shuzo Matsuoka in Nishikori needed lengthy treatment and a medical timeout on his arm injury in the first set and had to save two set points in the third. Gulbis, ranked 130 and who came through qualifying, had shocked fourth seeded German Alexander Zverev in the third round. But having played three successive fiveset matches in the main draw to get this far, he ran out of steam. American ninth seed John Isner also reached his first Wimbledon quarter-final with a 6-4, 7-6 (10/8), 7-6 (7/4) win over Greek teenager Stefanos Tsitsipas. Isner, 33, will be playing in his first quarter-final at the majors since the 2011 US Open when he faces former Wimbledon finalist Milos Raonic. to show either tomorrow s semi-final or Sunday s final at the World Cup on Wimbledon s giant TV screen attached to one of the sides of Court One. Last Saturday, England made the semifinals with victory over Sweden as action at Wimbledon took place. Saturday was one of the most special days I can remember at the championships. The tennis was very good and there as an historic football match going on, added Lewis. People followed the football on their devices thanks to modern technology without disturbing other spectators. You can tell when England scored and it was wonderful but we didn t receive any complaints that the enjoyment of tennis had been spoiled. I am sure the same again will happen on Wednesday and hopefully on Sunday. He added: People get Wimbledon and we get the balance right. Lewis has become exasperated by stories that the All England Club has been indifferent to the national wave of affection which has engulfed Gareth Southgate s football team. We have a very strong public Wi-Fi signal and it worked brilliantly on Saturday, he said. That indicates that we are supportive of the World Cup and that we are not turning down the signal strength! We are a tennis tournament but we are aware that there is something special going on elsewhere. I have met Gareth Southgate, he s a great guy. Jeremy Dier (the father of England star Eric Dier) is a member of the club. I have known Eric since he was a teenager. Serena Williams of the US in action during her fourth round match against Russia s Evgeniya Rodina at Wimbledon yesterday. Serena Williams underlined her status as the Wimbledon title favourite with a 62-minute demolition of Russian qualifier Evgeniya Rodina, while Karolina Pliskova became the last top 10 seed to crash out yesterday. Williams raced into her 13th Wimbledon quarter-final as the seven-time champion thrashed Rodina 6-2, 6-2 in a Centre Court masterclass. Williams, who won the Wimbledon title on her last two visits in 2015 and 2016, is now on an 18-match winning streak at the All England Club. Having missed Wimbledon last year while she prepared to have her first child in September, Serena is in pole position to win her first Grand Slam crown since becoming a mother. Today, the 36-year-old faces Italian world number 52 Camila Giorgi, who beat Russia s Ekaterina Makarova 6-3, 6-4 to reach her first Grand Slam quarter-final. Asked if it was a flawless display, Serena admitted she is never satisfied. I m a perfectionist. I always find something wrong, she said. It was a good win but it was tougher than the scoreline to be honest. Giorgi, 26, had failed to get past the third round of a major since the 2013 US Open. But the 26-year-old underdog isn t ruling out an epic upset against Williams. I don t follow tennis, women s tennis, but I think it will be a good match, Giorgi said without a hint of a smile. Serena s 90th Wimbledon win of her career is the most among active female players. Williams had made a tentative return to action following complications during daughter Olympia s birth, struggling in her few appearances before pulling out midway through the recent French Open with a pectoral injury. But the 23-time major winner s blistering form and a series of shock results have paved the way for another Williams coronation at Wimbledon. Garbine Muguruza, Maria Sharapova, Simona Halep, Petra Kvitova, Venus Williams, Caroline Wozniacki and Sloane Stephens have all been eliminated already. Kiki Bertens took care of the last of the top 10 with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/1) victory over Czech seventh seed Pliskova. It is the first time in Wimbledon history not one of the top 10 women s seeds have reached the quarter-finals. Bertens, who was contemplating retirement last year after losing her enthusiasm for the sport, is the first Dutch woman to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals since Michaella Krajicek in The 26-year-old faces German 13th seed Julia Goerges, who beat Croatian world number 55 Donna Vekic 6-3, 6-2 to seal her first Grand Slam quarter-final berth at the 42nd attempt. Elsewhere in fourth round action, Dominika Cibulkova launched a scathing attack on Wimbledon s officials after a line call controversy marred her 6-4, 6-1 win against Taiwan s Hsieh Su-Wei. Cibulkova was furious when Hsieh successfully persuaded the umpire to replay a point that was initially called in the Slovakian s favour and would have given her three set points in the opening set. Hsieh s protests to the umpire prompted the match referee to come on court to intervene as the argument lasted over seven minutes before the point was finally replayed, much to Cibulkova s disgust. It was ridiculous what happened there. It never happened to me in my career, Cibulkova fumed. After she was complaining, they were talking in Chinese, whatever language. Sometimes I m also complaining because I think it was a wrong call. But it never happened to me that the umpire changed the decision. In her third Wimbledon quarter-final, Cibulkova faces former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko. Latvian 12th seed Ostapenko enjoyed a 7-6 (7/4), 6-0 win against Belarusian world number 50 Aliaksandra Sasnovich. Former Wimbledon finalist Angelique Kerber stepped up her bid to return to the title match with a 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) win against Switzerland s Belinda Bencic. Kerber, who won the Australian and US Open titles in 2016, is seeded 11th making her the highest ranked woman left in the draw. Beaten by Serena in the 2016 final, Kerber takes on Russian 14th seed Daria Kasatkina, a 6-7 (6/8), 6-3, 6-2 winner against Belgian world number 47 Alison Van Uytvanck.