European teams have discovered the path they must take to the
FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™ following the UEFA qualifying group stage
draw at the confederation’s headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland.
A record 51 teams have been split into nine sections (six groups of
six teams, three of five), with the qualifying matches set to be played
between September 2021 and September 2022.
The groups are as follows:
Group A: Sweden, Finland, Republic of Ireland, Slovakia, Georgia
Group B: Spain, Scotland, Ukraine, Hungary, Faroe Islands
Group C: Netherlands, Iceland, Czech Republic, Belarus, Cyprus
Group D: England, Austria, Northern Ireland, North Macedonia, Latvia, Luxembourg
Group E: Denmark, Russia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Azerbaijan, Malta, Montenegro
Group F: Norway, Belgium, Poland, Albania, Kosovo, Armenia
Group G: Italy, Switzerland, Romania, Croatia, Moldova, Lithuania
Group H: Germany, Portugal, Serbia, Israel, Turkey, Bulgaria
Group I: France, Wales, Slovenia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Estonia
The winners of the nine qualifying sections will advance directly
to the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand.
The group runners-up will take part in UEFA play-offs in October 2022
for the remaining two direct tickets, which will be awarded to the two
top-performing play-off winners. The third-best play-off winner will be
entered into the inter-confederation play-offs.
A record 10 stadiums across 9 Host Cities in Australia and New Zealand
were recently announced by FIFA to host matches at the first ever
co-hosted FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023, which will also be the first
edition of the tournament to feature 32 teams.
More information on how FIFA is working to accelerate the growth and
development of women’s football can be found at the following links:
The streamer signed international soccer stars for its World Cup qualification coverage
FuboTV, a sports-focused pay-TV provider, is joining a growing chorus of streaming companies vying to win ad dollars that are traditionally spent on linear TV.
The
streamer is participating in the IAB NewFronts this year, where it’s
pitching a slate of original content plus new ad targeting offerings.
FuboTV
is partnering with LiveRamp to bolster its addressable ad offerings.
This allows the streamer and its advertisers to use their first-party
data to create advanced audience segments, like people making over a
$100,000 who are looking to buy a car, and then activate these campaigns
programmatically.
Branded content studio launches
FuboTV
also announced the launch of its branded content studio, where it will
work with advertisers to create custom integrations on its
owned-and-opeated Fubo Sports Network. Diana Horowitz, FuboTV’s svp of
advertising sales, said branded integrations paired with a media buy
across the streamer’s addressable offering can be an effective strategy
for advertisers.
“The ability to create these branded experiences
along with the full suite of premium video and targeting and addressable
that we can provide, that’s generally how these programs come
together,” Horowitz told Adweek prior to the company’s NewFronts
presentation.
In February, FuboTV announced it will support Unified ID 2.0,
an identity solution driven by The Trade Desk. Horowitz said the
streamer is in the beginnings stages of its relationship with The Trade
Desk, and that the integration with UID 2.0 isn’t operational yet.
Two minutes of ad space every hour
As a virtual multichannel video programming distributor
(vMVPD), FuboTV controls about two minutes of ad space every hour
across the channels it distributes. It controls all of the inventory on
its Fubo Sports Network, which is about to get an orginal content boost.
The
vMVPD is bringing on former Argentinian soccer star Pablo Zabaleta and
current Colombian national team player Melissa Ortiz to host coverage of
the Qatar World Cup 2022 qualifying matches. In early April, FuboTV
announced it secured exclusive streaming rights of the South American
Football Confederation, one of six continental World Cup qualifying
tournaments. FuboTV will also stream other qualifying games across the
channels it carries.
FuboTV is also bringing back its show No
Chill with Gilbert Arenas, a former NBA All Star, for a second season.
Plus, the streamer has signed a partnership to produce and distribute a
televised production of the Getcha Popcorn Ready podcast hosted by
former NFL players Terrell Owens and Matthew Hatchette.
By the end of 2020, FuboTV had more
than 547,000 subscribers and generated $29.4 million in ad revenue on
the year. Total revenue eclipsed $217 million.
Black Sox coach Mark Sorenson has named three newcomers in a 31-strong
training squad ahead of the delayed Softball World Cup in Auckland.
While some experienced players are missing, teenage outfielder Te
Kirika Cooper-Nicola, infielder Tane Mumu and catcher Max Earley join
the team as the Black Sox look ahead to the showpiece event that has
been postponed twice due to Covid-19.
The squad named on Tuesday is the result of 18 months of work with the coaching staff.
"We've been tweaking that squad as and when we saw fit and the
opportunity now is there for the young guys to come in," Sorenson said.
"Certainly any time we name a squad it's about ring-fencing those
athletes to highlight that they're in the selected few at the moment,
the opportunity is with them, certainly the spotlight is on them and
we're looking for them to continue with the form that saw the selected
to be a part of this group."
Sorenson said expectations were high.
"We've got a number of guys in the squad that have been to a number
of world champs and the challenge for them is to still maintain as a
minimum standard their world-class performance and hopefully look to
raise it. If we want to get back to the top of the dais next year we're
going to need to be better than we were before."
Sorenson said they were "starting from scratch" to make sure those
selected became a cohesive unit - which he said had been a strength of
previous Black Sox squads.
Whether the younger players would get on the diamond for a home world cup was dependent on what happened between now and then.
"They've put up consistent performances throughout the course of the
year and we're looking to them for the future, but how far that future
extends really depends on their development and the speed of their
development," Sorenson said of the youngsters.
"I look back over history, and I was one of those players that came
in young, so we've always been a sport that has selected players based
on their ability as opposed to their age. Experience is critical when
trying to win world titles but also getting that balance, you need the
young guys to bring that excitement and enthusiasm along but you also
need the senior guys to steady the ship."
The Softball World Cup was originally scheduled to be played in
Auckland in February this year but was moved to 2022 due to travel
restrictions associated with Covid-19.
"Having it pushed back now for a second time, I know it hasn't been
easy for a number of the guys in the squad and I'm sure our sport is not
alone in that," Sorenson said.
"By the time we get out on the diamond again next year it will have
been three years since the Black Sox played together so that's quite a
break in competition in any sport.
"The delays have maybe pushed it to being a bridge too far for some
of the senior guys that were coming close to the end of their career,
but it's also an opportunity for the young guys that had the world cup
been a couple of months ago, as was previously planned, it might have
been too soon for them."
Sorenson said getting into the New Zealand team is now more competitive than when he first took over as coach.
The selectors have kept a close watch on the domestic competition and
are pleased with the talent that will be coming through in the future
for the Black Sox.
"We've continued to grow that talent pool over the last few years and
that being the number of guys that could legitimately compete at a
world cup, if we went back five or six years for us when we first took
over we maybe only had a little bit more than a full squad of 17, but
I'd be confident that we'd have 25 to 30 guys at the moment that could
compete and hold their own."
Players based in New Zealand are now in their off season and Sorenson
said a few had plans to join the circuit in North America for some game
time before the world cup.
Softball New Zealand are in discussions to get games in 2022 against
the Australians and Japan - Covid-19 permitting. Sorenson wanted 12 to
15 games together as a team ahead of the world cup to build
combinations.
Black Sox training squad: Adam Woon, Alfons Oveinikovas, Ben Enoka,
Ben Watts, Bradley Bennett, Callum Bishop, Campbell Enoka, Cole Evans,
Conor Peden, Damon Creasey, Daniel Chapman, Dante Makea-Matakatea, Eru
Drage, Jackson Watt, Jayden Stratford, Joel Evans, Josh Pettett, Kallan
Compain, Liam Twigden, Maddix Rice, Max Earley, Pita Rona, Rhys Evans,
Rsychan Thompson, Seth Gibson, Taine Slaughter, Tane Mumu, Te Kirika
Cooper-Nicola, Thomas Enoka, Zac Boyd and Zane Van Lieshout.
China’s Chen Yiwen and Russia's Ruslan Ternovoi topped semi-final
standings at the International Swimming Federation (FINA) Diving World
Cup in Japanese capital Tokyo.
Chen finished second in the preliminary rounds of the women’s three
metres springboard event behind team mate Yani Chang at the Tokyo
Aquatics Centre.
The semi-final saw Chen emerge as the dominant diver, with the 21-year-old achieving a score of 385.10 points.
The United States' Sarah Bacon finished second in the standings on 344.50, with Canada’s Jennifer Abel placing third on 335.40.
Mexico’s Aranza Vazquez and Japan’s Sayaka Mikami completed the top five.
The top 12 divers qualified for the final, with Chang placing 10th in the semi-finals to advance.
The men's 10m platform semi-finals saw Ternovoi top the standings.
Ternovoi, a triple bronze medallist at the Buenos Aires 2018 Summer Youth Olympic Games, finished with a score of 511.95.
Britain’s
Tom Daley qualified for the final in second place, with the two-time
men’s 10m platform world champion ending on a score of 503.35.
Canada’s Nathan Zsombor-Murray completed the top three on 477.00.
The FINA Diving World Cup is serving as the final Olympic qualifier in diving.
The World Cup will continue until Thursday (May 6).
The event also serves as a test event for Tokyo 2020.
A
series of coronavirus countermeasures have been put in place at the
Tokyo Aquatics Centre by FINA and the Organising Committee.
Both the women’s 3m springboard and men’s 10m platform finals will be held tomorrow.
We're halfway into the 2021 IPL. About four weeks ago, we identified ten Indian players for whom the tournament was going to be particularly important, given the T20 World Cup is slated for October-November this year. It's time to take stock of how these players have fared.
Shikhar Dhawan
The 618 runs Dhawan made in last year's tournament are the most he has ever made in a single IPL season. Little past halfway into the 2021
edition, he has already made 380 and looks set to surpass his previous season's tally comfortably. He opened the season with a bruising 85 in a match-winning innings against the Chennai Super Kings, and then went one better against the Punjab Kings,
hammering a 49-ball 92 in a chase of 196. He has since alternated
between playing aggressor and being second fiddle to the marauding
Prithvi Shaw. This possibly explains his powerplay strike rate of 116.52
so far this season. But don't let that fool you, this is Dhawan 2.0 in
T20s.
Samson began this season with a breathtaking 119 that nearly helped Rajasthan Royals chase down 222.
He turned down a single off the penultimate delivery, backing himself
to hit a six off the final ball to win, which didn't come off.
A small
blip followed but Samson has recovered to come up with three forties,
where he has looked to spend time at the crease instead of striking from
the get-go.
Whether it's captaincy or the quest for consistency that
has made him temper his game - mind you, he still strikes at 145 - only
time will tell. With three wins in seven matches, the Royals are in the
middle of the table, though Samson is on top of his team's run charts
and in the top five for the tournament overall.
Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan
Both players came into the IPL on the back of roaring starts to their
international careers earlier this season, but things haven't quite gone
to plan so far. Yadav struggled to up the tempo on sluggish surfaces in
Chennai, where the Mumbai Indians managed just two wins in five games.
Since his half-
century in his second match this season, he has managed a
best of 33 in his five knocks since, but the move to a more
batting-friendly surface in Delhi has promised signs of change.
Kishan,
the leading six-hitter at the last IPL, has hit just two so far in six
innings. Worryingly, he seems to have lost the No. 4 position in the
line-up to Krunal Pandya, with the team management choosing to play an
extra bowler during the Delhi leg.
R Ashwin
Ashwin has had a tough time on and off the field.
He managed just one wicket in five games - though his economy was an
acceptable 7.73. This lack of strike power didn't particularly hurt the
Capitals, who have had others - Amit Mishra, Lalit Yadav and Axar Patel -
chipping in. Ashwin won't have an opportunity to turn things around,
though, as he has left the IPL bio-bubble to be with his family, of whom
multiple members are affected by Covid-19.
Rahul Chahar and Deepak Chahar
The cousins have made quite a splash in the first half of the
tournament. Two of Mumbai's four wins have been single-handedly
orchestrated by Rahul, the 21-year-old legspinner. The secret has been
his reliance on his stock ball and clever changes of angles and lengths
to batters based on match-ups. A no-fear attitude has complemented this
consistency. Such has been his impact that Rahul has stolen the
limelight from Jasprit Bumrah; he sits atop Mumbai's wicket-takers' chart
currently. With Yuzvendra Chahal seeming to have lost his wicket-taking
bite - he has taken wickets in only three of seven games so far - while
also proving expensive, and Kuldeep Yadav deemed surplus to the Kolkata
Knight Riders' requirements, Rahul will fancy his chances of making it
to the World Cup squad.
Meanwhile, Deepak has continued to be MS
Dhoni's main man in the powerplay, a role he has been performing
admirably for the Chennai Super Kings since 2018. He has swung the ball
both ways and has given the side a fair degree of control upfront. He
has taken wickets in only two games, but both
times he took four apiece,
turning the games around. All this even as Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is a
like-for-like as far as positions in the Indian team go, has struggled
for swing, been down on pace and has been troubled by persistent
niggles.
Navdeep Saini and Rahul Tewatia
Saini has had just one game for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Virat
Kohli has preferred either batting insurance or the all-round abilities
of Shahbaz Ahmed.
Tewatia hasn't made an impact yet in the Rajasthan Royals' lower-middle
order. His legspin hasn't been as effective as it was last year either,
and while he has managed to keep Shreyas Gopal out of the side with his
batting potential, time may be running out for last season's wonder man.
Two who have forced their way into contention
Prithvi Shaw
Shaw has batted with swagger and the supreme confidence that came from
having scored heavily in the build-up to the IPL. He set records on fire
in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and has brought the same intensity to his
batting for the Capitals. Among batters to have made over 100 runs in
the powerplay
this season, Shaw's strike rate of 187.39 is by far the
highest. He has brought a destructive aura to his batting without really
looking to muscle the ball, simply by relying on his timing and
hand-eye coordination. Such has been his impact that his troubles in
Australia seem a thing of the distant past.
Harshal Patel
A smart off-season trade from the Capitals, Patel has been RCB's go-to
death bowler so far and holds the purple cap with 17 wickets at the
halfway mark. The secret to his success has been the use of an excellent
wide yorker and an assortment of slower variations, including a superb
back-of-the-hand
delivery. Two of RCB's losses so far have coincided
with off days for Patel. He also showed glimpses of batting potential in
helping the side narrow their margin of defeat against the Punjab Kings
with 31 runs off 13 balls.
Actor Yomi Fabiyi has called for the arrest of those connected to the
CCTV footage showing Baba Ijesha assaulting a 14-year-old girl.
In the video, Baba Ijesha was seen at different times touching and assaulting the minor.
However, Yomi Fabiyi described the footage as disturbing, adding that
it is criminal to use a minor as bait in order to gather evidence
against Baba Ijesha.
According to him, “If the girl was your child, can you make her go through such trauma again in the name of gathering evidence?”
Fabiyi further called on Nigerians to embark on a peaceful protest in
demand for the arrest of all those connected to the
CCTV
footage and
images, adding that the child should not have been set up that way.
Part of the statement read: “Every Nigerian who honestly feel for the
poor girl should take to the street in a peaceful protest, demand
arrest of all connected to these ugly images, it is a cause worth
risking everything for, do it for humanity and every innocent child.
“However, sentiment should never be an excuse to abuse the rights of
every suspect or persons connected, that is the only way to achieve
peace, fairness, justice and development.
“It is disturbing and unfortunate viewing the images of the released
CCTV
footage of a minor being sexually abused by a senior colleague, Mr
Lanre Omiyinka a.k.a Baba Ijesha. There is no excuse for this act. I
condemn this act, it is embarrassing and disappointing,” he said.
“I have carefully waited for reliable options before jumping to a
conclusion as done in a civilised society, a stance a handful
misconstrued as supporting the suspect, it is a shame a handful in
Nigeria still engage in social media recklessness in the name of social
media age.
NOWHERE HAVE I SUPPORTED OR CONDONE SUCH,
someone just placed
the idea, and many without caution jumped on it. If you are not
enlightened,
SEEK KNOWLEDGE.
“The only person free from arrest and prosecution is the young lady.
Several red lines were crossed, IGNORANCE is never an excuse. The key
question every honest person should be asking is, ‘if the girl was your
child, can you make her go through such trauma again in the name of
gathering evidence?’ Where are the social services and domestic violence
unit in Lagos State? Shelve press release and sentiments swing into
action.
“The law is sacrosanct and we all can agree a lot more needs to be
done
TO PROTECT CHILDREN IN NIGERIA.
I am sad, we have failed many
innocent children and it is time we rise to this challenge,
Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka of the Adoration Ministry, located in Enugu, has
told Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity
to President Muhammadu Buhari to apologise to him.
Mbaka also warned Garba Shehu to trade with caution, adding that the
President’s mouthpiece can also be killed by rampaging bandits.
Father Mbaka made the demand following Shehu’s recent claims that the
clergyman came to Buhari begging for contracts and was disappointed.
Recall that Mbaka had last week asked President Muhammadu Buhari to resign forthwith or be impeached by the House of Representatives.
Angered by the cleric’s outburst, the Presidency, through Mr. Shehu had accused the priest of making the call now because he was denied a contract by Buhari.
Mbaka has now described Shehu’s claims as laughable, saying, “Garba
Shehu that is talking, the bandits can kill him too. No amount of
security can save them if things get worse.
“They have shown they don’t have reward mechanism. Shehu should be apologising to me.
“They are busy branding communities and states terrorists. If Kaduna,
Benue, and other places are branded terrorist states, will Nigeria not
be branded a terrorist country?”
