The All India Football Federation fears suspension by FIFA if an ad-hoc body is placed in charge during its AGM next month as it seeks to avoid conducting elections due to a lack of Sports Code compliant constitution.

Tottenham Hotspur stalwart Harry Kane has always been prolific and this season is no different. Spurs, however, are on a new high under Jose Mourinho in the virus-ravaged year of 2020. On Sunday, they run into another high-flying club Chelsea in a London derby at Stamford Bridge.

Australia spinner Adam Zampa has admitted that something definitely needs to be done about the slow over-rates in cricket. His remark came after the conclusion of the first ODI between India and Australia.

West Indies fast bowling great Michael Holding feels that despite a star-studded batting line-up, the Indian team is missing the skill and character that the peerless Mahendra Singh Dhoni used to display during big run chases. The Indian team looked completely out of sorts as a unit in the opening ODI against Australia.

The Rohit Sharma injury fiasco points towards a possible lack of communication between the team management and senior players. TimesofIndia.com ran a poll asking cricket fans to vote on questions relating to members not being on the same page and the result shows that the majority of the voters feel there is an apparent lack of communication that is hurting team morale.

2nd ODI: India need their 'A' game to save series against Australia

After England football team captain Harry Kane tweeted a video of his batting skills with a tennis ball in an indoor net and tagged Virat Kohli and RCB, the India skipper responded, Haha good skills mate. Maybe we can get you in as a counter-attacking batsman. Former England batsman Kevin Pietersen also responded asking about the left-arm pacer whose bouncers Kane was evading.

Hardik Pandya is playing currently as a specialist batsman and is not sure when he would be fully fit to bowl in ODI cricket. India lost to Australia by 66 runs in a high-scoring series opener in which the visitors missed a sixth bowling option.

India's battered bowling unit will have little time to regroup and limited resources at its disposal in a desperate bid to perform a redemption act and save the ODI series against a turbo-charged Australia in the second game here on Sunday.

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and ex-UEFA chief Michel Platini are now being probed for fraud and reach of trust in Switzerland, a source with access to the investigation said on Friday.

In the working class Buenos Aires district of La Boca, the death of Diego Maradona has cast a long shadow stretching out from the stadium of Boca Juniors where he played in his youth and returned to in his later years.

With Hardik Pandya not bowling - he is recovering from a back injury - the Indian team didn't have an extra bowling option among its top-six batsmen, namely Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Pandya.

Perseverance finally paid off for Newcastle United's Brazilian forward Joelinton as he shrugged off a night of frustration to help his side to a 2-0 victory at Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Friday.

Al Ahly's Mohamed Magdi scored a stunning goal four minutes from time as they beat bitter Cairo rivals Zamalek 2-1 to claim the 2019-20 CAF Champions League title and extend their record number of wins in Africa's elite club competition to nine.

England's Jonny Bairstow believes he can play a role anywhere amongst their top six batsmen after a magnificent match-winning performance in a five-wicket victory over South Africa in the first Twenty20 International at Newlands on Friday.

No handshakes, no spit shining and no excited screams. But the first international cricket match India played since Covid hit was a sold-out show. About 24,000 fans turned up at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday at a time most had not imagined it would be possible at all.

England's Jonny Bairstow bludgeoned a brilliant unbeaten 86 from 48 balls as the tourists chased down 180 to beat South Africa by five wickets with four balls to spare on a slow wicket in the first Twenty20 International at Newlands on Friday.

Steve Smith's 63-ball century in Australia's victory over India in the first one day international against India on Saturday ranked among the very best in 50-overs cricket, according to Australia skipper Aaron Finch.

The first ODI between India and Australia at the SCG on Friday had a retro feel to it. India's deep blue outfit was similar to the one they wore during the 1992 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, and in South Africa later in the year. Virat Kohli's team did their best to mirror that in all departments as they got outplayed by 66 runs against a power-packed Aus line-up.

With Hardik Pandya not bowling - he is recovering from a back injury - the Indian team didn't have an extra bowling option among its top-six batsmen, namely Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Pandya.

In the Rotundo household in Buenos Aires, the spirit of Diego Maradona has a living tribute: twin nine-year-old girls, Mara and Dona, named after the football legend who died this week.

Australian batsman Steve Smith found his hythm with a cracking hundred against India in the first ODI but admitted that there wasn't much pressure unlike other times.

Fijian striker Roy Krishna continued his prolific goal-scoring form as he helped ATK Mohun Bagan prevail over SC East Bengal 2-0 in the first ever Indian Super League derby here on Friday.

Lewis Hamilton showed no sign of easing up after securing his record-equalling seventh drivers championship when he completed a practice 'double top' for Mercedes in Bahrain on Friday. The 35-year-old Briton, who was fastest in the morning's opening practice for Sunday's Grand Prix, outpaced his rivals to top the times again in the afternoon's twice red-flagged second session.

Prioritise cussedness at the back over flair at the front is Jose Mourinho's blueprint for his clubs he feels lack all-round completeness. A year since taking over at Spurs, he's pierced his claws deep into the team's spine, and moulded them to play his way.

Ind vs Aus: Team lost important wickets at wrong time, says Hardik Pandya

Australia beat India in first ODI

The sixth edition of the Premier Badminton League (PBL) was on Friday postponed to next year, keeping in mind the health and safety of the players amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic. The league, which is one of the highest prize money badminton tournaments in the world, was initially scheduled to take place in the last week of December in Delhi, Mumbai and Pune.

Tokyo Olympics test events will resume in March and a decision on fan attendance will come in the spring, an official said on Friday, as preparations continued for the postponed Games despite ongoing coronavirus fears. The comments from Yasuo Mori, deputy executive director of the Games Operations Bureau, come after International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach last week said he was very confident the Games will have fans.

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho has revealed that Diego Maradona would call him after defeats, paying a warm tribute to the late Argentine great with a ig, big heart. The World Cup winner died from a heart attack on Wednesday aged 60. The Spurs boss said those who had been able to spend time with Maradona had been privileged, drawing a line between the footballer and the man.

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan has said that India's body language was defensive and bowling ordinary while praising Australia for their outstanding performance in the first ODI, being played at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Australia put up an enthralling performance as the hosts set India a mammoth target of 375.

India's only individual Olympic gold medallist shooter Abhinav Bindra on Friday said the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon will set a benchmark for other sports to follow as it is being held amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the world's top runners, including defending champions Andamlak Belihu and Tsehay Gemechu, both of Ethiopia, will take part in the ADHM 2020 on Sunday.

Skipper Aaron Finch on Friday became the second-fastest Australian player to smash 5000 runs in ODIs. Finch achieved the feat against India in the first ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He reached 5000 runs in the 50 overs format in 126th innings, and with this feat, he has surpassed former Australian cricketer late Dean Jones who had reached the mark in his 128th innings.

The Sports Ministry has included eight para athletes, including four who have qualified for the Tokyo Paralympics, in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme.

England's one-day series against the Netherlands scheduled for 2021 has been postponed for a year due to continuing uncertainty over the coronavirus pandemic, it was announced on Friday.

New Zealand greeted international cricket back in the country with a thrilling five-wicket victory in the first Twenty20 against West Indies on Friday. Kieron Pollard's blistering 75 not out powered West Indies to a commanding 180-7 in the Auckland contest which was reduced to 16-overs-a-side following rain interruptions.

Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton set the pace in Friday's opening practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas who completed a one-two for Mercedes.

India skipper Virat Kohli questioned his team's body language after the opening ODI loss to Australia and said Hardik not being fit to bowl is affecting the side's balance as he doesn't have enough all-rounders at his disposal. India made a dismal start to their tour of Australia, losing the first ODI by 66 runs, chasing a mammoth 375-run target after Finch and Smith smashed hundreds for the hosts.

Hardik Pandya's (90 off 76 balls) career-best effort wasn't good enough to compensate for a forgettable bowling effort as India slumped to a 66-run defeat against Australia in the 1st ODI. Virat Kohli's men started exactly on a note they wouldn't have liked, giving away 374 runs in 50 overs. For Australia, Aaron Finch (114 off 124) and Steve Smith (105 off 66) scored contrasting hundreds.

Yuzvendra Chahal on Friday registered an unwanted record as he became the Indian spinner to concede most runs in an ODI. Chahal gave away 89 runs in his 10 overs against Australia in the first ODI here at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Interestingly, the leg-spinner broke his own record of conceding 88 runs in an ODI.

Tennis Australia (TA) has been granted permission by the Victoria state government to allow players to train during their 14-day quarantine ahead of the Australian Open, local media reported on Friday.

Great sacrifices bring great rewards: Boxer Vikas Krishan on travelling to US for training during pandemic

S Sreesanth is all set to take part in the KCA President's Cup T20 tournament, meaning the former India fast bowler will return to action after seven years.

Money can buy you everything. Some say even love. There is a serious debate, though, on whether money can buy you class and professionalism. If one were to look into the functioning of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the answer would definitely be no. For nearly a month now, the buzz in Indian cricket has been about the injury (or non-injury) to Rohit Sharma, their second-best limited-overs player after captain Virat Kohli.

Paying tribute to football legend Diego Maradona, Bhaichung Bhutia said the world will never see another Maradona. Bhutia got the chance to meet Maradona when he came to Kolkata, India, in 2017. Seeing his idol in person was a huge moment for the former India captain.

Ind-Aus series: Sanju Samson has long way to go, says Sreesanth