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Over the years, there have been a plethora of players who have made the trip to India with many having etched their names into Indian footballing history. Such has been their impact that players like Iain Hume and David James have more or less become household names. However, with the ambitions of the franchises becoming larger each year, the transfers of players who have made their mark overseas has also increased....

Taking time off to add extra muscle before moving up in weight is a common phenomenon in mixed martial arts. Unlike boxing, there is a significant difference in weight limits of consecutive weight divisions in MMA. Having size discrepancy can have devastating results, especially in grappling exchanges with bigger opponents. Israel Adesanya comes from a kickboxing background and his fighting style primarily revolves around feinting, effective movement, counter striking and speed....

New Delhi - India’s star tennis player Leander Paes has advised his rookie teammates to stay relaxed against South Korea in the Group 1 Asia/Oceania Davis Cup tie starting here Friday. Paes Thursday asked the players to keep more than one game-plan so that they can quickly switch over to a more profitable approach. “It is all about staying relaxed and holding your nerves. Have more than one game-plan – A, B or C....

Kaepernick on Monday posted a photo to his Instagram and Twitter accounts featuring a black-and-white close-up of his face overlaid with an inspirational message: “Believe in Something. Even if it means sacrificing everything”. The Nike logo and “Just Do It” slogan are below. Reports from Yahoo and CBS Sports said Nike is expected to release a new line of Kaepernick-related apparel soon, but the image posted to social media was enough to prompt some to call for a boycott of the company....

The match against FC Goa was delayed by nearly three hours due to the hurdles faced by the visiting side to reach the city. FC Goa headed straight from airport to kick off the match at 10.45pm last night. “We do realise it’s 1’o clock in the morning. We are not just the only crazy ones. Thanks for staying,” Sheringham said after the drawn game. “It’s the first time I’m finishing a game at 1am and still sitting here....

Dhoni managed 29 off 37 balls in India’s below-par 126 for 7 on a track where the ball was not coming onto the bat. To be fair to Dhoni, a clutch of wickets fell and he also had to stem the rot with Yuzvendra Chahal at the other end. “It (the slow strike rate) was probably fair enough. With the way the wicket was behaving, it was difficult to score for any batter, let alone a guy who is not known for his power-hitting in Chahal,” Maxwell said in Dhoni’s defence as his analogy of Chahal’s pyrotechnics invited a few chuckles....

The team is yet to confirm their drivers for next season but there are rumors making the round that both Di Resta and his teammate Adrian Sutil will be replaced with Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez being the favorites to come in. “They know what I’m capable of here; they know what I can deliver. I feel like I’m an asset to the team. But I can’t make the decision for them, and I have to respect their decision....

Gli Azzurri are not favourites by any means, but the presence of Antonio Conte at the helm, coupled with a formidable defence make Italy dark horses in these Euros. The Italian side is also a versatile and experienced one, able to switch formations and systems with aplomb. Here is the 23 man squad named by Antonio Conte: Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Federico Marchetti (Lazio), Salvatore Sirigu (Paris St-Germain). Defenders: Andrea Barzagli (Juventus), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Angelo Ogbonna (West Ham), Federico Bernardeschi (Fiorentina), Matteo Darmian (Manchester United)...

Bengaluru FC became the first team to qualify for the playoffs after FC Pune City obliterated Jamshedpur FC 4-1 on 16th February. FC Goa followed the suit on 18th February after beating Kerala Blasters 3-0 two days later. In a match to determine who would end as the table toppers, Bengaluru FC thrashed the Gaurs 3-0 despite playing the majority of the match with a man down. Consequently, FC Goa finished second in the league standings with 34 points....

The blunders, however, weren’t restricted to the Bengaluru defence after the assistant referee incorrectly ruled out a finish from Sunil Chhetri that would have levelled scores in the first half. Replays showed the Bengaluru skipper to be clearly onside, only for the assistant to shockingly raise the flag. Cuadrat named an unchanged eleven from the side that beat Jamshedpur a week ago, but had a new face on the bench in Jamaican striker Deshorn Brown who arrived in the country on Tuesday....

Bengaluru, on the other hand, come into this game full of confidence, with two straight home wins to kick off the new year, against FC Goa and Jamshedpur FC. Sunil Chhetri is the joint-top-scorer in the ISL this season, and the likes of Dimas Delgado and Ashique Kuruniyan are just finding form at the right time, from Carles Cuadrat’s perspective. For Mumbai City and Jorge Costa, this game is an opportunity to bounce back, against a side that Costa has never lost to....

NorthEast United FC who has a new coach this season also roped in six new overseas players. The Highlanders have signed Dylan Fox the Irish-born, Australian defender from the A-League. The 26-year-old central defender has the experience of playing for teams like Wellington Phoenix and Central Coast Mariners. The fans of NorthEast United will hope for a rock-solid display from the young defender as they expect their team to live up to their expectations in Indian Super League 2020-21...

Bagan have won their opening two games of the season. A 1-0 triumph against Kerala Blasters in the opening game was followed by a 2-0 victory in the Kolkata Derby last Friday. Having retained the bulk of last year’s title-winning ATK squad, Habas’s side have stuck to their philosophy from last season. They haven’t conceded a single goal yet while allowing Roy Krishna to do what he does best upfront....

With FC Goa struggling to score and Jamshedpur FC yet to concede in their four away matches, there is a high possibility of a 0-0 draw. Goalkeepers Subrata Paul: The man with the highest clean sheets in ISL has already kept five of them. He has also got the benefit of a well-drilled defence in front of him. Whenever his defence has been breached, “The Spiderman” has proved to be a reliable last line of defence....

Chennaiyin had come away with three points when Dhanpal Ganesh scored an 88th-minute winner from a set-piece to make it 2-1. And the coach was adamant that his side were not afraid of anybody. “The fact that we’ve come here and won - similar to the first leg of the semi-final where we won in Goa and returned to the same stage; obviously, we were confident as we’d played in that stadium and knew what to expect from the home fans....

The Spanish coach, who helped the club win the title in the inaugural season of the ISL, has been offered from the club management, sources said. The news could be made official within the next few days. ATK have officially parted ways with Steve Coppell. The British coach, who was largely unimpressive in his first season with the club, could only help the club finish in the sixth position on the table....

Gurung has been part of Jamshedpur since the club’s inception two years ago, signing from NorthEast United after the 2016 season. Featuring as a right-back, the 26-year-old Gurung made 13 appearances for JFC, making 36 tackles, 22 interceptions, 60 clearances and 22 blocks this season. Jamshedpur, however, could only manage a fifth-place finish and failed progress beyond the Round of 16 in the Super Cup. For NorthEast, Gurung had 11 caps in the inaugural 2014 season but only played 5 matches the subsequent season....

A tribe in the village of Yaohnanen on the island of Tanna in the nation of Vanuatu believe Prince Philip to be a god. It is estimated that 700 people ascribe to the so-called Prince Philip Movement out of the island’s total population of 29,000. The village is in a tropical rainforest with limited communications with the outside world but because of their idolization of the prince, the locals have frequently featured in media reports....

The two countries also spoke of increasing tourism, creating jobs, sharing technology, making diverse economies and addressing the issues of water scarcity. The UAE and Israel first started formalizing their relationship in September. Since then, tens of thousands of Israeli tourists have come to the UAE, Dubai and Abu Dhabi being the hot spots for tourism. For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below. There was extremely little mention of the Palestinians or the fact that barely two weeks ago, Israel was a country still at war....

Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet gave a green light to the cease-fire after accepting an Egyptian proposal. An anonymous Security Cabinet official said the end to violence would occur at 2 a.m., the Associated Press reported. “The political leaders emphasized that the reality on the ground will be that which determines the future of the campaign,” the statement from Netanyahu’s office said. Israeli senior defense officials asserted “great accomplishments” were achieved in their military operation against Hamas before recommending to accept the Egyptian proposal....