SOCCER
Ronaldo to run for CBF
Former Brazil striker Ronaldo is to run for the presidency of the country’s soccer confederation, the 48-year-old said on Monday. Ronaldo, who won the World Cup with Brazil in 1994 and 2002, would run as a candidate in the Confederation of Brazilian Football (CBF) elections to replace current president Ednaldo Rodrigues in 2026. He told Globo Esporte he wanted to recover the “prestige and respect that the Selecao [Brazil’s national team] always had and today nobody else has.” He also said he expects to sell his stake in Spanish top-flight side Real Valladolid so it would not be an obstacle to his candidacy.
CYCLING
MotoGP rider joins Lidl-Trek
Former MotoGP rider Aleix Espargaro is to join cycling outfit Lidl-Trek next year having only retired from motorcycling last month, the team announced on Monday. Spaniard Espargaro clinched three MotoGP race wins during a 15-year career on the motorbike. The 35-year-old begins his Lidl-Trek contract on Jan. 1 and would join the side as an ambassador for unspecified “prestigious” cycling races. “After a back injury forced me to give up running I turned to cycling for recovery and training. Over time, it became more than just preparation — it became my passion,” Espargaro said. His new teammates include former Giro d’Italia winner Tao Geoghegan Hart, Belgian veteran Tim Declercq and 2019 road race world champion Mads Pedersen.
SOCCER
Women’s Euro purse doubled
Prize money for the UEFA Women’s European Championship would more than double compared with the previous edition, with the 16 teams sharing 41 million euros (US$42.98 million), UEFA said on Monday. Each federation would get a minimum of 1.8 million euros for playing at Euro 2025 in Switzerland and is obliged to share at least 30 percent of the money among the players, UEFA’s executive committee decided on Monday. The men’s Euro tournament last year had a total prize fund of 331 million euros, from overall revenue of about 2.4 billion euros.
GOLF
PGA to pay Ryder players
US golfers would be paid to play in the Ryder Cup for the first time after the PGA of America on Monday unveiled a program that would give each team member a US$200,000 stipend and US$300,000 to distribute to charity. The PGA of America said no players had asked to be compensated, but the issue of pay for play in the prestigious event has reportedly been a source of tension within the US team in previous editions.
MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
Covington decries bout call
Colby Covington on Monday decried that his UFC bout against Joaquin Buckley on Saturday in Tampa, Florida, was stopped in the third round due to excessive bleeding from a cut above his right eye. However, UFC legend Chael Sonnen, who was in Covington’s corner during the fight, said on his YouTube channel that Covington was “busted open so bad that the doctor has to look at it three times.” Covington (17-5 MMA) had a different perspective after his first bout in a year. “I was just getting warmed up in that fight,” he said on his YouTube channel. “I think it was tied up 1-1 [in rounds], and I was starting to wear on him.”
BOOT TO FACE: Wilfried Singo said that his actions were not intentional, ‘but I was able to see afterwards that’ the ’keeper had a significant face injury Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday came from behind to extend their unbeaten start to the Ligue 1 season with a 4-2 win away against AS Monaco, but lost goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to a gruesome facial injury. The bloodied Italy international was left requiring 10 staples after sustaining lacerations to the right side of his face when he was caught by the studs of Monaco defender Wilfried Singo. “I don’t know if the referee was badly positioned, but VAR [video assistant referee] needed to intervene, you have to protect the players,” PSG captain Marquinhos said. “To not give a red in a situation like
Cheng Chen Chin-mei on Saturday beamed broadly as she hoisted a 35kg weightlifting bar to her waist, dropped it and waved confidently to the enthusiastic crowd in a competition in Taipei. Cheng Chen, 90, has been pumping iron since last year, encouraged by her granddaughter to take up the sport after she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. She credits the regimen with helping to fix her posture. Three generations of her family were among a couple of hundred people watching Cheng Chen and 44 others aged 70 or older in the weightlifting competition. In the three-round event, Cheng Chen lifted as much as
Zach LaVine on Thursday scored a season-high 36 points to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 117-108 upset victory against defending NBA champions the Boston Celtics, while LeBron James once again made history. LaVine went 11-of-19 from the floor and made six three-pointers while adding six rebounds and four assists for the Bulls, who improved to 13-15 for the season. “We’re a good team,” LaVine said. “We’re competitive and we’re a resilient group.” Ayo Dosunmu contributed 17 points for the Bulls, while Nikola Vucevic had 16 points and 14 rebounds for Chicago. The Bulls outscored Boston 35-22 in the fourth quarter to rally past
Teenage sensation Luke “The Nuke” Littler on Saturday set a tournament record with a 140.91 set average as he secured a second-round win in the PDC World Darts Championship with a 3-1 victory over fellow Englishman Ryan Meikle late. The 17-year-old came close to winning the World Championship in January, but lost in the final to Luke Humphries. Now, he has started the latest edition on a high note. Tournament favorite Littler fired in four maximum 180s, while winning three consecutive legs in 11, 10 and 11 darts, setting a record set average and finishing with an overall average of 100.85. “It was
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