Mbappe rejects mediation offer in $60m financial dispute with PSG

Mbappe rejects mediation offer in $60m financial dispute with PSG
France's forward #10 Kylian Mbappe (R) acknowledges the supporters at the end of the UEFA Nations League, League A - Group 2 first leg football match between France and Belgium at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais in Lyon on Sept. 9, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 12 September 2024
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Mbappe rejects mediation offer in $60m financial dispute with PSG

Mbappe rejects mediation offer in $60m financial dispute with PSG
  • Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid this summer on a free transfer, says PSG owes him €55 million ($60 million)
  • PSG has argued that it does not owe money to the World Cup winner under an agreement when Mbappe was sidelined ahead of the 2023-24 season

PARIS: Kylian Mbappe is not ready to compromise with Paris Saint-Germain.

The France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the French soccer league’s legal commission on Wednesday in his dispute with his former club over wages and bonuses.

PSG officials and Mbappe’s representatives met in Paris after Mbappe asked the commission to get involved. Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid this summer on a free transfer, says PSG owes him €55 million ($60 million).

In a statement to The Associated Press, Mbappe’s representatives said the player asked the commission to take note of the non-payment of three months’ salary and the last third of a loyalty bonus.

“The eventuality of a mediation was mentioned this morning,” the statement read. “This possibility was rejected during the meeting by the player’s representative. A mediation would be useless to record a lack of payment that would be seen from a simple analysis of the player’s payslip.”

PSG, which said it was pleased with the two-hour hearing at the commission on Wednesday, said in a statement it recalled that Mbappe had formerly made “clear, repeated public and private commitments that must be respected, having been afforded unprecedented benefits by the club over seven fantastic years in Paris.”

PSG has argued that it does not owe money to the World Cup winner under an agreement when Mbappe was sidelined ahead of the 2023-24 season — following his decision not to prolong his contract with the club — with the player allegedly stipulating that he would relinquish bonuses over his reintegration into the team.

“To avoid its payment obligation, the club seeks to demonstrate the existence of a secret agreement that would justify it. But the club fails to demonstrate the existence of such an agreement,” Mbappe’s representatives said.

PSG said that the league’s legal commission recommended “mediation between the parties,” which the club said it had been seeking for months.

The French league did not respond to a request for comments from the AP.

The player’s representatives did not say what action they will now take. In light of the current deadlock, it’s likely the case will ultimately be settled by an employment court.

Mbappe’s relationship with PSG ended amid deep tensions during his final season at the club.

PSG felt let down by Mbappe after offering him the most lucrative contract in the club’s history when he signed a new contract in 2022. But Mbappe was frustrated because he felt promises to sign key players were not kept.

When he signed the new deal, he was paraded in front of fans holding up a jersey with 2025 on it. Mbappe was reportedly annoyed about this because the contract was until 2024 with the option for an extra year.

Mbappe stunned PSG in June last year by informing the club he would not take the option for an extra year. With his contract effectively into its final year, it put PSG in the position of needing to sell Mbappe to avoid losing him for free when the contract expired.

His PSG career could have ended in the summer of 2023 amid a tense transfer standoff. After telling the club he would not extend his contract for an extra year, Mbappe was left off a preseason tour to Japan and South Korea and forced to train with fringe players. PSG said it would rather sell him than let the player leave for free in 2024, but he rejected a €300 million move to Saudi team Al-Hilal.

PSG left Mbappe out of the team’s opening league game of that season as the standoff continued but eventually let him return to the lineup after “constructive and positive talks” between the two parties, PSG said at the time.


England captain Stokes in line for second Pakistan Test return

England captain Stokes in line for second Pakistan Test return
Updated 6 sec ago
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England captain Stokes in line for second Pakistan Test return

England captain Stokes in line for second Pakistan Test return
  • The 33-year-old had missed the first Test which England won under stand-in skipper Ollie Pope by an innings and 47 runs
  • England spokesman says Stokes practiced with the team on Sunday and if declared fit, he will likely replace Chris Woakes

MULTAN: England captain Ben Stokes looks on course to return for the second Test against Pakistan, starting in Multan on Tuesday.
The 33-year-old had missed the first Test which England won under stand-in skipper Ollie Pope by an innings and 47 runs on Friday.
An England team spokesman said Stokes practiced with the team on Sunday. If Stokes is declared fit, he is likely to replace Chris Woakes.
“Ben bowled about four overs at full pace today. He has done some high intensity running and had about a 45-minute batting session in the nets,” said the spokesman.
“He will be assessed after today and a decision will be made on his availability over the course of the next 24 hours.”
England normally name their team two days before the start of a Test, but will wait until a final verdict on Stokes’s fitness on Monday before announcing their side.
Stokes tore his left hamstring while batting during the Hundred domestic competition in August which forced him to sit out of England’s 2-1 home series win over Sri Lanka last month, also led by Pope.
The third and final Test will be played in Rawalpindi from October 24.


Bowlers’ graveyards: Pakistan’s placid pitches under fresh fire

Bowlers’ graveyards: Pakistan’s placid pitches under fresh fire
Updated 13 October 2024
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Bowlers’ graveyards: Pakistan’s placid pitches under fresh fire

Bowlers’ graveyards: Pakistan’s placid pitches under fresh fire
  • England piled up 823-7 last week in Multan on wicket described as a “road” by ex-cricketer Michael Vaughan 
  • Pakistani pitches have become more docile in past 2 years, each Test wicket now costing an average of 42.13 runs

MULTAN: Australia pace legend Dennis Lillee denounced a pitch in Pakistan as a “graveyard for bowlers” in 1980, but more than 40 years later little has changed.
Lillee vented his anger after toiling for 21 wicketless overs in Faisalabad in a turgid draw.
All 11 Australian players, even wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, had a turn bowling in Pakistan’s second innings of 382-2 in reply to Australia’s 617 all out as the game petered out into near farce.
Last week, on a wicket described as “a road” by former captain Michael Vaughan, England rewrote the record books as they piled up 823-7 declared in reply to Pakistan’s 556 in the first Test in Multan.
The total was the fourth highest single innings in Test history.
Harry Brook plundered 317 at almost a run a ball and Joe Root became England’s highest Test run scorer during his career-best 262.
Their stand of 454 for the fourth wicket was an England record, the fourth highest in history and the most by any pair playing overseas.
Despite the lifeless pitch, England’s bowlers pulled off an innings and 47 run victory after Pakistan crumbled to 220 all out in their second innings.
It gave Pakistan an unwanted record — the first team to score 500 or more and lose a Test by an innings.
England batting great Kevin Pietersen said on X that the lack of help for bowlers in Multan, where the second Test begins on Tuesday, was “helping destroy Test cricket.”
It is a “perennial problem,” former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram told AFP. “For years it has been the same old story. Very rarely we used to get green and lively pitches in the 1990s and had to bowl long spell for wickets.”
Rashid Latif, a former Pakistan captain who has studied pitch preparation, said there was no need for the pitches to be curated so overwhelmingly in the batsmen’s favor.
“We can prepare good pitches but our mindset is negative,” Latif told AFP.
“There was good grass on the Multan pitch but it was shaved off, I don’t know on whose wishes.”
Former spinner and ex-selector Tauseef Ahmed, a member of Pakistan team who played in the infamous 1980 Faisalabad Test, said: “Our batters want a flat pitch to score runs.
“Even in domestic matches we have such pitches so that players score big and get prominence.”
The last two years has seen Pakistan pitches get even more docile. Each Test wicket there now costs an average of 42.13 runs, the highest anywhere in the world.
Pitch preparation is a science, with experts saying the ideal soil mix is around 60 percent clay with less sand, such as that found in Australia.
It produces firm and bouncy tracks which begin to take more spin over five days, providing a balance between ball and bat.
One local groundsman said pitches were a big problem in Pakistan.
“There are multiple factors from weather to interference from the team management who want it to suit them,” said the curator, who did not want to be named.
“That makes the process complex. A good pitch needs sun to bake it but in some weather we do not get that,” he said.
“A Test pitch needed to be cared for six months or a year but our pitches are over-used so they become flat.”
Latif said serious work was needed to lift the standard of pitches.
“There should be a research department under a good geologist to ascertain how a good pitch can be prepared,” said Latif.
He also wanted to see Australian Kookaburra balls used in Pakistan ditched for those with a more prominent seam to help bowlers.
“We need to have Grays, Duke or SG balls for our type of clay, which are hand-stitched,” said Latif.
Two years ago, Pakistan and Australia scored 1,187 runs with just 14 wickets taken in a soporific draw in Rawalpindi.
The then Pakistan cricket chief Ramiz Raja blasted the playing surface: “We live in the dark ages of pitches in Pakistan. This is not a good advert for Test cricket.”
With the second Test starting in Multan Tuesday and the third in Rawalpindi next week, it seems unlikely the bowlers will get any respite soon.


MOD UAE fighters continue to dominate on day 2 of Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship

MOD UAE fighters continue to dominate on day 2 of Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship
Updated 13 October 2024
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MOD UAE fighters continue to dominate on day 2 of Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship

MOD UAE fighters continue to dominate on day 2 of Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship
  • Round 4 of national competition concludes on Sunday at Zayed Sports City Complex in Fujairah

FUJAIRAH: The fighters of MOD UAE continued their impressive performances on the second day of the Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship — Round 4 (Gi), taking first place at the Zayed Sports Complex in Fujairah and maintaining their lead for a second straight day.

Al-Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club secured second place, while Baniyas Jiu-Jitsu Club finished third.

With competitions across the youth and children’s categories, the event drew about 850 male and female competitors from clubs and academies throughout the UAE on Saturday. The competitions for the boys U-14 and U-16 will be held on Sunday.

Sheikha Al-Kaabi, a member of the Federal National Council, expressed her pleasure at attending the championship and participating in crowning the champions.

“Jiu-jitsu has become a part of every household in the UAE, and is increasingly popular among children and families. We are confident that the future holds even greater success for Emirati jiu-jitsu athletes,” she said.

Ibrahim Al-Hosani, technical director of jiu-jitsu at Sharjah Self-Defense Sports Club, said: “Our club had a strong presence today, with 135 male and female athletes from our team, all of whom performed exceptionally.

“The level of talent displayed by these young athletes at such an early age is remarkable. Their precision, skill, and execution are outstanding, reflecting the efforts of our clubs and academies. They have not only promoted the sport but have also developed a new generation of champions,” he said.


Princess Dilayl crowns Saudi Games triathlon winners

Princess Dilayl crowns Saudi Games triathlon winners
Updated 13 October 2024
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Princess Dilayl crowns Saudi Games triathlon winners

Princess Dilayl crowns Saudi Games triathlon winners
  • Jessica Arnzen won gold in the women’s competition

RIYADH: The 2024 Saudi Games’ CEO Princess Dilayl bint Nahar on Saturday crowned the male and female winners of the triathlon competition held at the Prince Faisal bin Fahd Olympic Complex.

Ali Maqbool, president of the Saudi Triathlon Federation attended the competition.

Jessica Arnzen won gold in the women’s competition with a time of 58 minutes and 41 seconds, while Sarah Kennedy bagged silver in 61:19. The bronze medal went to Kerma Al-Jaroudi with a time of 64:33.

In the men’s competition, Oscar Rodriguez won the gold medal in 49:37, ahead of Ryan Al-Khuwaitir with a time of 50:43 and Ibrahim Al-Zaidi who clocked 51:59.


Guardians crush Tigers 7-3 to advance in Major League Baseball playoffs

Guardians crush Tigers 7-3 to advance in Major League Baseball playoffs
Updated 13 October 2024
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Guardians crush Tigers 7-3 to advance in Major League Baseball playoffs

Guardians crush Tigers 7-3 to advance in Major League Baseball playoffs
  • The AL champion will face the National League champion, the New York Mets or Los Angeles Dodgers, in the World Series

WASHINGTON: Lane Thomas smashed a grand slam and the Cleveland Guardians beat Detroit 7-3 on Saturday to advance in the Major League Baseball playoffs.

Cleveland captured the winner-take-all showdown to seal the American League division series 3-2 and reach a best-of-seven AL Championship Series (ALCS) matchup with the New York Yankees that starts on Monday in New York.

The AL champion will face the National League champion, the New York Mets or Los Angeles Dodgers, in the World Series.

Cleveland, into the ALCS for the first time since 2016, have not captured the MLB crown since 1948 and have not reached the World Series since 2016.

Thomas blasted his bases-loaded home run in the fifth inning and drove in another run in the seventh to power the Guardians.

“It’s incredible,” Thomas said. “You just love coming through for your teammates in that situation. Our bullpen has been grinding this whole series and to make all those innings worth it, it feels awesome.”

Cleveland used eight pitchers to frustrate Detroit batters, combining to strike out 16 while scattering seven hits and six walks as closer Emmanuel Clase retired the last six Tiger batters over the final two innings.

“Watching him all year has been incredible,” Thomas said of Clase. “It was cool to see him get those last outs.”

Detroit’s left-handed pitcher Tarik Skubal — the Game 2 winner who led the AL this year with 18 wins, 228 strikeouts and a 2.39 earned-run average — struck out six over six innings but surrendered the pivotal grand slam to Thomas.

“He threw me a good pitch to hit,” Thomas said of the grand slam offering. “He threw one pitch over the middle and I happened to put a good swing on it, simple as that.

“It was good to come through.”

The Tigers escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third inning when Thomas popped out to first base.

The game was scoreless until the fifth, when Detroit’s Trey Sweeney walked and scored on Kerry Carpenter’s single off the right-field wall.

The Guardians loaded the bases again in their half of the fifth on singles by Andres Gimenez, Steven Kwan and David Fry and then Skubal hit Jose Ramirez in the left forearm to force in the tying run.

It was the first run allowed by Skubal after 28 2/3 scoreless innings since Sept. 18.

Thomas then followed with his bases-clearing grand slam to give Cleveland a 5-1 advantage.

“I don’t know how many scoreless innings he threw,” Thomas said. “But it only takes one (pitch).”

Detroit answered in the sixth when Spencer Torkelson doubled, took third on a wild pitch by Tim Herrin and scored on a Jake Rogers single, but the Tigers left the bases loaded when Carpenter struck out.

The Tigers, who last won the World Series in 1984, pulled within 5-3 in the seventh when Riley Greene singled and scored on a double by Colt Keith.

Cleveland responded in the seventh when Kwan singled, took third on a Ramirez single and scored when Thomas singled for a 6-3 advantage.

The Guardians added another insurance run in the eighth when Gimenez doubled and scored on Brayan Rocchio’s single.

Clase entered for the Guardians in the eighth and the 26-year-old Dominican right-hander sent down the Tigers’ final batters in order for the victory.