Month: June 2019

Speculation is swirling about star’s PSG deal

It was truly a joyous moment for Chinese soccer fans when homegrown superstar Wang Shuang joined top-flight European club Paris Saint-Germain last year on a two-year contract.

But now rumors that the 24-year-old midfielder and reigning AFC Women’s Player of the Year is poised to pull the plug on that deal have lit up domestic social media.

French media reported on Sunday that Wang has probably left the team and is expected to negotiate official termination of the contract on her return to China after the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Wang on Monday responded through social media, saying she wants to focus on the World Cup and international matches.

“Playing abroad at this time is my choice, and it is strongly supported by the Chinese Football Association, the Chinese national team and the Wuhan Football Association,” said Wang, who is training with the national team in Rennes, France, for Saturday’s opening World Cup group match against Germany.

“Now the season is over, and I’m preparing for the World Cup with the national team. I will make a discreet decision by myself on my future at PSG.

“I just want to focus on the World Cup and national team matches. Thanks to everyone for your concern and support. Please continue to cheer for us, the Chinese women’s soccer team.”

After joining PSG, Wang maintained her momentum, helping the club finish runner-up in the French league and make the quarterfinals in the Champions League before being knocked out by Chelsea.

News of Wang’s contract situation was one of the top trending topics on Chinese social media over the weekend, and related topics had been viewed over 40 million times by Tuesday morning. Most fans expressed a desire for Wang to stay in Europe.

In response to the rumors, the Chinese Football Association released the following statement on Monday: “Recently, there have been media reports about the contract problem of Chinese soccer player Wang, and we are paying high attention to the situation. Regarding Chinese players’ contract issues with clubs, we fully respect the decision of the players.

“The CFA will always encourage Chinese players to grow in foreign countries and support their efforts to shine on the international stage. We hope more Chinese players will become known by soccer fans all over the world.

“Now the Chinese women’s national team is preparing for the women’s World Cup. We hope the team inherits the spirit of the ‘Steel Roses’ by showing the best of the new generation of Team China at the World Cup.”

While the CFA is encouraging more Chinese players to compete on higher international platforms, Wang is the only Chinese woman playing for a top European club.

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On the men’s side, Espanyol striker Wu Lei is the only Chinese male playing in Europe’s top leagues. Earlier this year the 27-year-old became the first Chinese to score in La Liga.

Deals related to manufacturing and agriculture to be inked in Changsha

The first China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, due to be held later this month in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, will spotlight cooperation in manufacturing, agriculture, infrastructure and emerging sectors such as finance and cross-border e-commerce, the Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday.

Qian Keming, vice-minister of commerce, said a number of deals were expected to be signed during the expo related to agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure and the building of trade and economic cooperation zones.

A number of conferences, forums and exhibitions will be held during the expo, which will take place from June 27 to 29. It is a follow-up activity from last year’s Forum on China-Africa Cooperation.

“China has been the top trade partner of Africa for 10 years in a row,” said Qian, pointing out that China-Africa trade has been growing steadily, reaching $204.2 billion in 2018, up 20 percent year-on-year.

He said the structure of China-Africa trade had continued to be optimized in recent years, as electromechanical and high-tech products accounted for more than 56 percent of China’s exports to Africa, while imports of non-natural resource products from Africa had also been increasing.

China’s investment in Africa has also seen strong growth, as the ministry’s data show that more than 3,700 Chinese companies had set up branches in Africa by the end of 2018, bringing over $46 billion to the continent.

“Cooperation in emerging sectors is also starting, as Chinese financial institutions have set up over 10 branches in Africa, and eight African countries such as South Africa have included the renminbi in their foreign exchange reserves,” Qian added.

He Baoxiang, vice-governor of Hunan province, said the expo is expected to yield fruitful results.

“Hunan’s economy used to depend on agriculture … and we have a lot of experience to share with Africa,” he said.

He said in the past, cooperation between China and Africa had mainly been driven by the central government and large State-owned enterprises. As a result of the expo, this cooperation was expected to include more local governments, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises.

“Africa is home to many agricultural products, but it lacks processing industry, which not only needs the participation of big companies but also small and medium-sized ones,” he said. “Food processing is an industry worth more than 1 trillion yuan ($144.7 billion) in Hunan, thus our companies can find many opportunities in Africa.”

Yang Tao, CEO of Kilimall, a Chinese e-commerce company currently operating in Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria, which will showcase its online platform during the expo, said the relative lack of transportation infrastructure had made it difficult to make purchases in Africa.

“But the mobile payment system in African nations is quite advanced, and as the first Chinese e-commerce company operating in Africa, Kilimall has set up its warehouses in Africa and offers sameday and next-day delivery services,” he said. “We aim to cover the entire continent by 2021.”

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PARIS – Roger Federer beat Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka in four sets to face Rafael Nadal in an entertaining men’s singles semifinal, their 39th career head-to-head, at the French Open here on Tuesday.

Despite winning only two of 18 break points, third-seeded Federer overcame Wawrinka 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 in three hours and 35 minutes.

“I’m very happy. Number one, to be back in another semifinals of a Grand Slam. It did not happen last year or so. I had some tough losses in fourth rounds or quarters. From that standpoint, I exceeded my expectations here,” said the 37-year-old Federer after reaching his eighth French Open semifinal.

As for the eye-catching semifinal, Federer said, “Of course I’ll follow my schedule and game plan, what does my game allow me to do and what are the conditions like. But with Rafa’s strengths particularly on clay, you have to be aware of who you’re playing against.”

“Like against any player, there is always a chance,” he added.

Nadal swept No. 7 seed Kei Nishikori 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 for a record-extending 12th French Open semifinal.

“Having Roger in front in the semifinals is an extra thing. We shared the most important moments of our careers together on court facing each other,” commented Nadal, who leads the head-to-head 23-15.

After moving past seventh-seeded Sloane Stephens 6-1, 6-4, Johanna Konta became the first British woman to reach the French Open semifinals since Jo Durie in 1983.

She will next face 19-year-old Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic. Vondrousova continued to refresh her personal best at Grand Slams with a 7-6 (1), 7-5 victory over Petra Martic.

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Duan Yingying and Zheng Saisai got past their fellow Chinese Xu Yifan and Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 to reach women’s doubles semifinals.

But another Chinese player Zhang Shuai underwent a gloomy day, as she lost the women’s doubles quarterfinals with Samantha Stosur of Australia to Kristina Mladenovic and Timea Babos 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (3) in a rematch of the Australian Open final this year.

Then Zhang and another Australian partner John Peers conceded a 1-6, 7-5, 10-8 defeat to Gabriela Dabrowski and Mate Pavic in mixed doubles quarterfinals.

BEIJING – The upcoming Dragon Boat Festival holiday is expected to see an average of 2.05 million inbound and outbound trips made by Chinese and foreign tourists per day, up 7.6 percent year on year, according to the National Immigration Administration (NIA) Wednesday.

This year’s holiday, from June 7 to 9, will witness a major increase in passenger volume at major airports in places such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the NIA said in a report.

It anticipates that the average daily tourist flow at Beijing Capital International Airport, Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport will reach 80,000, 109,000 and 52,000, respectively.

The ports at different ends of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge are expected to see a daily average of 80,000 entry and exit trips during the holiday.

More than 691,000 arrivals and departures will be made on average each day via the three ports of Luohu, Futian and Huanggang, which connect the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, as well as at West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, the NIA predicted.

It expects that the Gongbei Port linking the mainland and Macao will see an average of 433,000 inbound and outbound trips each day.

The NIA has called on border check agencies to release timely information of the passenger flow and ensure safe and orderly trips for tourists.

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Martin Haase of Victoria, Canada, practiced tai chi with his mother from a young age. He said that when he was a child, he was very active and always wanted to go to see the world. It was just at that time that Chinese martial arts films entered Canada, and Bruce Lee and Jet Li’s kung fu movies fascinated him.

Haase learned tai chi with his mother since the age of 17 and has kept this habit for about 18 years. Later he came to Hunan province in Central China and joined the Hunan Provincial Wushu Association.

“Many foreign friends who come to China with an interest in tai chi will come to the association to study with me,” Haase said. “I will introduce them to Hunan culture and Chinese culture. Sometimes I show them around the city of Changsha as a translator and guide.”

In the Wushu Association, Haase met many teachers and friends of tai chi. He believes that practicing kung fu can help you stay fit and gain confidence.

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NEW DELHI – India’s tallest rubbish mountain in New Delhi is on course to rise higher than the Taj Mahal in the next year, becoming a fetid symbol for what the United Nations considers one of the world’s most polluted capitals.

Hawks and other birds of prey hover around the towering Ghazipur landfill on the eastern fringe of New Delhi, stray cows, dogs and rats wander at will over the huge expanse of smoking filth.

Taking up the area of more than 40 soccer pitches, Ghazipur rises by nearly 10 meters a year with no end in sight to its foul-smelling growth.

According to East Delhi’s superintendent engineer Arun Kumar, it is already more than 65 meters high.

At its current rate of growth, it will be taller than the iconic Taj in Agra, about 73 meters high, in 2020.

India’s Supreme Court warned last year that red warning lights will soon have to be put on the dump to alert passing jets.

It was not meant to be that way.

Ghazipur was opened in 1984 and reached its capacity in 2002 when it should have been closed. But the city’s detritus has kept on arriving each day in hundreds of trucks.

“About 2,000 tons of garbage is dumped at Ghazipur each day,” a Delhi municipal official said on condition of anonymity.

In 2018, a section of the hill collapsed in heavy rains killing two people. Dumping was banned after the deaths, but the measure lasted only a few days because authorities could not find an alternative.

Fires, sparked by methane gas coming from the dump, regularly break out and take days to extinguish.

Shambhavi Shukla, senior researcher at the Center for Science and Environment in New Delhi, said methane belching from the garbage can become even more deadly when mixed with atmosphere.

Leachate, a black toxic liquid, oozes from the dump into a local canal.

“It all needs to be stopped as the continuous dumping has severely polluted the air and ground water,” said Chitra Mukherjee, head of Chintan, an environment advocacy group.

Residents said the dump often makes breathing virtually impossible.

“The poisonous smell has made our lives hell. People fall sick all the time,” said 45-year-old local resident Puneet Sharma.

Protests do not work and now many people are leaving the district.

They said a plant that recycles waste into energy next to the dump increases their misery because the smoke it releases by burning trash is also poisonous.

A recent study said the dump was a health risk for people living within five kilometers, including for cancer.

A government survey conducted between 2013 and 2017 reported that Delhi saw 981 deaths from acute respiratory infection while more than 1.7 million residents suffered from infections.

And India’s garbage mountains will only get bigger in coming years.

Indian cities are among the world’s largest garbage producers, generating 62 million tons of waste annually. By 2030, that could rise to 165 million tons, according to government figures.

Agence France – presse

 

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Four teams will fight it out for the right to get their hands on the new trophy for the first time, with games this summer

The 2019 UEFA Nations League has almost reached a conclusion and the identities of the final four teams are now known.

The inaugural edition of the revolutionary European tournament has already seen multiple promotions and relegations confirmed, with a few surprises emerging, but it doesn’t end there.

Things are set to continue in 2019 as the top team in the continent is crowned, with a knock-out round to decide the competition winner.

With the groups at an end, Goal takes a look at who has qualified for the finals, when they will take place and everything you need to know.

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Qualified teams

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Four teams have confirmed their places in the Nations League finals.

England topped Group 4 ahead of Spain and Croatia to advance, while Portugal progressed after coming out on top of Group 3, which also contained Italy and Poland.

Switzerland are the surprise winners of Group 2, with a 5-2 victory over Belgium in their last group match sending them into the final four.

Netherlands completed the finalists after a dramatic late equaliser against Germany saw them leapfrog France in their group – a major revival after the Dutch missing out on the last two major tournaments.

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UEFA Nations League finals: who plays who?

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The draw for the Nations League finals took place on December 3 at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin, Ireland.

There were no seedings for the draw and England were drawn against the Netherlands in one semi-final, while Portugal face Switzerland in the other semi-final.

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When are the UEFA Nations League finals?

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The Nations League finals are scheduled to take place in June 2019, seven months after the draw is made.

The semi-finals will be played on June 5 and June 6, with both the final and third-place play-off set to be contested on June 9.

Nations League Semi-finals

Date	Match	Kick-off time (UK)	Venue
June 5, 2019	Portugal vs Switzerland	7:45pm	Porto
June 6, 2019	Netherlands vs England	7:45pm	Guimaraes

Nations League third-place play-off

Date	Match	Kick-off time (UK)	Venue
June 9, 2019	Portugal/Switzerland vs Netherlands/England	2pm	Guimaraes

Nations League Final

Date	Match	Kick-off time (UK)	Venue
June 9, 2019	Portugal/Switzerland vs Netherlands/England	7:45pm	Porto

*Kick-off times and venues to be confirmed.

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UEFA Nations League finals host

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Portugal will host the inaugural UEFA Nations League finals in 2019 and it was formally confirmed on December 3 – the day of the draw.

The home of the reigning European champions was up against Italy and Poland for the honour of staging the concluding games.

The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) established that Estadio do Dragao in Porto and Estadio D. Alfonso Henriques in Guimaraes would be the venues should they win the right to host.

Estadio do Dragao is the home of Porto and has a capacity of 50,000, while Estadio D. Alfonso Henriques – home of Vitoria – houses 30,000 spectators.

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UEFA Nations League finals ticket prices & how to buy

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Tickets for the Nations League finals went on sale to the general public from January 30 at 1pm GMT (8am ET).

Roughly 160,000 tickets were available overall for the games, with around 75 per cent reserved for fans of the participating teams and the public.

Tickets could be applied for via UEFA’s official website and ticket portal, which required the creation of a UEFA account. Fans were able apply for up to four tickets per person.

How much do UEFA Nations League finals tickets cost?

Ticket type	Semi-finals	Third-place play-off	Final
Category 1	€120	€120	€150
Category 2	€65	€65	€90
Category 3	€25	€25	€40
Accessibility	€25	€25	€40

The application portal was open until 1pm GMT (8am ET) on February 12, with successful applicants informed by February 28 at the latest.

Ticket prices range from €25 to €120 for semi-finals and from €40 to €150 for the final.

You can see the breakdown of ticket prices in the table above.

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UEFA Nations League finals prize money

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The teams who qualify for the finals will already have pocketed €4.5 million (£4m/$5.1m) for reaching that stage.

That figure is arrived at by combining the €2.25m solidarity payment with the €2.25m group winners bonus and they will be further rewarded depending on their performance in the finals.

Final position	Bonus
Winner	€6m
Runner-up	€4.5m
Third	€3.5m
Fourth	€2.5m

The overall winner of the tournament will pocket an extra €6m (£5.3m/$6.8m), meaning they would walk away with a total of €10.5m (£9.3m/$12m) from the Nations League.

In addition to their solidarity and group winners’ payments, runners-up receive €4.5m (£4m/$5.1m), third place gets €3.5m (£3.1m/$4m) and fourth receives a €2.5m (£2.2m/$2.8m) payout.

The Bundesliga champions would be keen on signing the 23-year-old but only if he expresses a desire to leave Pep Guardiola’s side

Bayern Munich will begin concrete negotiations with Manchester City over Leroy Sane if the winger says he wants a move to the Allianz Arena, the club’s CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has confirmed.

Sane has struggled to get regular starts at City and could benefit from a return to the Bundesliga as Bayern look to replace Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery.

The German champions have reportedly made Sane a top target this summer, although Goal revealed last month that City still want to tie the 23-year-old down to a new contract.

And Bayern president Uli Hoeness said this week that a deal was unlikely due the “insane” figures that it would likely take to reach an agreement with City.

But Rummenigge insists a deal could still happen if Sane shows he is keen.

“We have not made an offer for Leroy Sane. It is far from that,” he told Sport Bild.

“First, the player has to decide if he can imagine coming to Bayern. If that’s the case, then we’ll go into concrete negotiations with Manchester City.

“The player is the most important factor. Apparently, Leroy has not yet decided. Hasan Salihamidzic [Bayern’s sporting director] is leading the talks there.

“I think the player is exciting. Both in footballing quality and in terms of the type of player he is.”

Bayern look set for an active summer of transfer activity with midfielder Renato Sanches admitting he could move on.

The Portuguese has endured a torrid spell since leaving Benfica in 2016 and wants to play more regular first-team football.

Speaking to Kicker, the 21-year-old revealed: “I said goodbye to Niko Kovac on Wednesday. Whether it was only for the summer break or forever, I do not know at the moment.

“I want to play more.

“I do not know if it makes sense to try again. I’ve played too little, I’m disappointed about that. 

“Sometimes I asked myself, ‘why is that?’ All the young players like Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry, Kingsley Coman play. Just not me. And I showed in training that I’m a good player. 

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“I think I have had the least chances of the young players.

“I do not want a new loan move. Should I leave, then I want it to be completely.”

The Former Portugal international believes his countryman is still the world’s best player after having a strong first season with Juventus

Cristiano Ronaldo is still the world’s best player despite not reaching his usual heights at Juventus, according to former Portugal team-mate Nani.

Ronaldo helped Juve win Serie A and the Supercoppa Italiana in his first season in Italy, scoring 28 goals in 43 games in all competitions.

However, that was the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s lowest scoring return since 2008-09, when he netted 26 for Manchester United.

But Nani – now playing for MLS side Orlando City – has no doubt Ronaldo is still the best player in the world.

“It was a successful season for him. I think he did great,” he told Omnisport.

“It is not easy to play in Italy because the football there is very tactical, the defenders there defend a lot.

“He scored a lot of goals, continued to be the best in the world. I think he did great.”

While Juve won an eighth successive Serie A title, they again fell short in their bid for a first Champions League crown since 1996, losing to Ajax in the quarter-finals in what proved to be just one of many shocks in the competition.  

To his credit, Ronaldo scored in both legs of the quarter-final loss, earning a 1-1 draw for his side on the road before falling to a 2-1 defeat in Turin.  

Ronaldo will be hoping to bring Portugal another trophy as his leads the side against Switzerland in the Nations League semi-finals  on Wednesday, with the winner taking on either England or the Netherlands in the final on Sunday.  

And the Juve star should have plenty of help, with Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva also expected to play a big part for Portugal.  

“Bernardo is a fantastic player,” Nani said of the midfielder. “He’s a natural player.  

“He’s been doing great. He has a long career in front of him to improve each year.  

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“But this season was fantastic, his best season of his career at Man City. And I think he was one of the most important players who helped to win the title for City.” 

Should Portugal win, they’ll take on either England or the Netherlands in the final on Sunday. 

Club rivalries have tested harmony among Gareth Southgate’s England squad but the forward and full-back have come through intact

Harry Kane has no hard feelings towards England team-mate Fabian Delph after the tackle that wrecked the end of his season.

Tottenham striker Kane suffered his latest ankle injury setback when he and Delph launched themselves into a robust challenge during Spurs’ 1-0 Champions League quarter-final first-leg win over Manchester City at the start of April.

The 25-year-old only returned to action in Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Liverpool in the final of the same competition, appearing understandably off the pace at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Delph exchanged cross words with Kane as the latter remained on the turf at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but it was a different story afterwards, and two of Gareth Southgate’s most experienced performers are looking at the bigger picture as England prepare to take on the Netherlands in the Nations League Finals on Thursday.

“Me and Harry are really close. We’re in the leadership group here together and we’ve got a lot of time for each other,” Delph said.

“I mean, it was heat of the moment type thing, I wasn’t quite sure what had happened.

“I just felt his knee hit my knee and I landed on him. A lot was made about that challenge, whether I’d ‘done’ him or he’d ‘done’ me.

“I just think it’s part and parcel of football. I spoke with Harry straight after the game. I went into the changing room to see him and we had a conversation, wished each other well.”

Delph also faced a shorter time on the sidelines, giving him opportunity to poke fun at his international colleague’s frame.

“I think I was out for two weeks after that tackle… his big knee,” he joked.

“It was just an unfortunate collision where we both came out on the bad side of it.

“We spoke to each other, we’re good mates, and hopefully he’ll come back and be firing.”

England take on Ronald Koeman’s side in Guimaraes on Thursday, with the winner facing the victor of Wednesday’s semi-final between hosts Portugal and Switzerland in Porto in Sunday’s decider at Estadio do Dragao.

Liverpool and Tottenham account for seven members of Southgate’s squad, with Tuesday marking the first time all 23 players trained together as a group.

“Although from the outside it looks like ‘bloody hell, where is everyone?’ we’ve been working diligently,” Delph said, having played a fuller part in the preparations.

“We’ve been watching a lot of clips on Holland, we’ve been working hard in training, we know what we need to know. We know the systems that we might need to play or adapt to.

“Going into the game I think we’ll be totally fine. The guys that are in the Champions League, they’re exceptional players.”

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