Soccer-Germany’s interim coach Voeller rules out succeeding Flick

DORTMUND, Germany (Reuters) -Germany's national team director Rudi Voeller said on Monday he will not be a candidate to succeed sacked coach Hansi Flick despite taking over for Tuesday's friendly against France. Voeller, Germany's former World Cup-winning player who also coached the national team from 2000-2004, said he had stepped in for one match to help...

Soccer-England’s Southgate rules out experimenting against Scotland

GLASGOW, Scotland (Reuters) - England will not use Tuesday's 150th anniversary friendly against Scotland as a chance to experiment, manager Gareth Southgate said ahead of the Hampden Park clash. Southgate's side were held to a 1-1 draw by Ukraine in Poland on Saturday, the first time they have dropped points in their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. A...

Soccer-Spain’s men’s coach sticks to football amid kiss furore

GRANADA, Spain (Reuters) - Spain's men's coach Luis de la Fuente said he and his team would "just stick to football" as he was bombarded with questions on Monday about the resignation of football federation (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales, announced a few hours earlier. De la Fuente was visibly uncomfortable as he tried to avoid talking...

Soccer-Juve’s Pogba provisionally suspended after testing positive for testosterone

(Reuters) -Juventus's France midfielder Paul Pogba has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned substance, Italy's national anti-doping (NADO Italia) tribunal said on Monday. The test, performed after Juve's 3-0 Serie A season-opening victory at Udinese on Aug. 20, detected testosterone, a hormone that increases athletes' endurance. "In acceptance of the instance proposed by the...

Independent shuttler Zii Jia and Co return to ABM as attire issue resolved

PETALING JAYA: Professional singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia will return to Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) for Asian Games centralised training as his apparel issue has been settled. Zii Jia and several other independent shuttlers will begin their sessions with Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) players from Sept 19-23 at the academy in Bukit Kiara in preparation...

Aaron-Wooi Yik reach China Open semis

PETALING JAYA: Shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik have booked a spot in the men's doubles semi-finals in the China Open. The duo eked out a hard-fought 19-21, 21-19, 21-11 win over compatriots Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in Changzhou on Friday (Sept 8). World No. 6 Aaron-Wooi Yik stayed composed in...

Mixed cheers in Changzhou

PETALING JAYA: Shuttlers Tan Kian Meng-Lai Pei Jing and Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei have been on contrasting trajectories this year. While Kian Meng-Pei Jing went through a horror run of form that saw them drop out of the top 10 to No. 23 in the mixed doubles world rankings, Tang Jie-Ee Wei progressed steadily to...

Soccer-Brazil thrash Bolivia 5-1 in Neymar’s record-breaking appearance

BELEM, Brazil (Reuters) -Brazil lived up to expectations by smashing Bolivia 5-1 at home in their 2026 World Cup qualifiers opener on Friday, with Neymar surpassing the late great Pele as the country's top scorer. The 31-year-old Neymar, who recently joined Saudi side Al-Hilal, bounced back after missing a penalty in the first half, scoring two...

Aaron-Wooi Yik show they can deliver by beating Yew Sin-Ee Yi

PETALING JAYA: Shuttlers Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik proved that they know how to dig deep and win when it matters. Aaron-Wooi Yik were pushed hard by fellow countrymen Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi but showed great tenacity to prevail 19-21, 21-19, 21-11 in a pulsating men’s doubles quarter-final match at the Olympic Sports Centre Gymnasium in...