Bits and Pieces

Balotelli strikes to give Monaco big helping hand

PARIS: Mario Balotelli hit his 14th league goal of the season and Ricardo Pereira scored a cracker as Nice blew a big hole in Paris Saint Germain’s title defence with a 3-1 win on Sunday.

PSG are chasing a third consecutive sweep of domestic honours but finished the weekend three points behind Ligue 1 leaders Monaco, who also have a game in hand, and played the last moments in Nice with only nine men after they had two men sent off in quick succession.

Nice, still unbeaten at home this season, stay third but are now just three points behind PSG and both have only three games left to play.

Wayward Italian striker Balotelli, restored to Nice’s starting line-up after a typically sticky spell of injury and suspension, prodded over from close range on 20 minutes after PSG’s offside trap failed.

He should have done better and six minutes later he did, shrugging off a weak challenge before unleashing an unstoppable strike from the edge of the box that whistled into the bottom corner. Unai Emery’s PSG, who came into the top-of-the-table encounter on an excellent unbeaten run since their Champions League collapse at Barcelona early last month, enjoyed plenty of the ball in the first half but did little with it.

If Balotelli’s strike was good, Pereira’s just minutes after half time was even better, as the Portuguese winger curled the ball beautifully into the top corner.

The reigning champions appeared down and out and the game turned increasingly ugly, with several skirmishes breaking out.

Qatar win Asian ICC World Cricket League Qualifier

DUBAI: It was a historic day for Qatari cricket as their national team defeated previously unbeaten Saudi Arabia by five wickets at the David Buck Oval in Chiang Mai to win the Asian ICC World Cricket League Qualifier and claim a place in cricket’s main global structure for the first time.

Saudi Arabia had won their first five matches while Qatar were two points behind after losing to Bahrain. The Saudis also had a considerable advantage on net run-rate.

Qatar were able to bowl Saudi Arabia out for 94 and despite losing their first four wickets with only 24 on the board, they scored the runs needed in just 18.1 overs to win the match by five wickets and seal the tournament on net run-rate.

Saudi Arabia finished in second place, level with Qatar, on 10 points. Bahrain finished third on eight points after defeating Bhutan by 55 runs at the Royals.

Kuwait finished fourth in the table on six points just ahead of hosts Thailand who also won three out of six matches. Bhutan finished sixth and China seventh in a tournament that provided plenty of competitive cricket to the seven Asian teams.

Atletico’s Hernandez extends contract to 2022

MADRID: Atletico Madrid extended the contract of 21-year-old centre-back Lucas Hernandez to 2022 on Monday, hoping to ward off interest from a host of Europe’s top clubs.

“I am very happy to renew with the club I have spent my whole life with,” said the French under-21 international who has made 20 appearances this season.

“It is great news for all Atletico fans, he is a player with enormous potential with a spectacular future to come,” said Atletico’s sporting director Jose Luis Caminero.

Hernandez looks set to start Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final, first leg at Real Madrid with Atletico missing Jose Maria Gimenez, Sime Vrsaljko and Juanfran through injury.

His brother Theo Hernandez is also in high demand after a stellar season on loan at Alaves from Atletico with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City among those willing to pay his 24 million euros ($26 million) release clause. The pair’s father Jean-Francois Hernandez also played for Atletico between 2000 and 2001.

Police, fans injured in Tunis derby clashes

TUNIS, Tunisia: Police and fans were injured in clashes during the Tunis derby between arch-rivals Club Africain and Esperance Sportive de Tunis on Sunday, the interior ministry said.

Police used tear gas following confrontations with Club Africain supporters at the Rades Olympic stadium, in the suburbs of Tunis.

“More than 10 police and security agents were injured,” the interior ministry said in a statement. “A group of people believed to have been involved in the violence have been arrested.”

CA president Slim Riahi blamed “provocation” by security staff towards supporters during the match which Esperance won 2-0. “It’s a scandal,” he told local radio.

Interior Ministry spokesman Yasser Mesbah insisted security officials “had been targeted” by violent fans, with his office publishing photos of ripped up seats and bottles strewn across the pitch.

“We have a problem of morals and mentality,” said Sports Minister Majdouline Cherni, referring to violent episodes during football matches in recent months in Tunisia.

Pak U12 team to appear in ITF event in Nepal

By our correspondent

KARACHI: Pakistan’s under-12 tennis team is participating for the first time in the ITF Asian 12 & Under Team Competitions, scheduled from May 15-19 in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Pakistan is in South Asia Regional Qualifying Zone. The three-member team will leave on May 12 to participate in this event in which seven Asian countries are taking part, said Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) secretary Khalid Rehmani.

He added that this activity has been started for the first time by ITF and Pakistan made it part of its junior development programme though this is a “very expensive” tour.

The secretary stated that Inam-ul Haq will accompany the team as manager and coach. A camp will be set up for the team in Islamabad from May 4, he added.

He added that PTF held trials at S Dilawar Abbas PTF Tennis Complex, Islamabad, from April 5-10 to select the team. “As many as 12 players from across Pakistan participated in the trials. The selected players are Hameed Israr, Kashan Umer, and Bilal Asim,” said Khalid, adding that Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are participating in the event.

Europe calls for new record ratification laws

PARIS: European Athletics called on Monday for new record ratification rules to maintain the integrity of the sport which could impact heavily on existing marks.

The organisation wants higher technical standards and increased doping control measures, with recognition for previous race records not satisfying new rules to be transferred to performances that meet the criteria.

European Athletics will forward a report to the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) which will study it at its Council meeting in August.

The report proposes that world and European records should only be recognised if the performance is achieved at an approved event where high standards of officiating and technical equipment can be guaranteed.

It also calls for an agreed number of doping control tests in the months before the performance and the doping sample after the record to be stored and made available for re-testing for 10 years.

USA Cricket Association faces expulsion from ICC

LONDON: The United States Cricket Association (USACA) faces expulsion from the International Cricket Council (ICC), the sport´s global governing body said on Monday.

The ICC Board said the ICC Full Council should “consider the expulsion” of USACA at its meeting in June, because the organisation has failed to co-operate with efforts to unify cricket in the United States.

USACA had already been temporarily suspended from ICC membership in 2015, the third time in the last 12 years.

“The decision to pass this resolution was not taken lightly by the ICC Board,” ICC chief executive David Richardson said in a statement.

“Our focus throughout this two year process has been on the unification of the USA cricket community behind USACA to grow and develop the sport,” he said.

“But it has become clear that this is just not possible and, having invested so much time and resources into helping USACA and with little in the way of cooperation from USACA.”