Fri, Apr 25, 2025 page6

• SPORTS BRIEFS

  • Agencies
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  SOCCER

  Arena criticizes appointment

  Former US manager Bruce Arena in an interview published on Wednesday criticized the appointment of Argentine Mauricio Pochettino as US coach, saying the job should have gone to an American. Foreign-born coaches lack the cultural understanding needed for the job, Arena said. Pochettino has struggled since his appointment in September last year, falling to dismal defeats against Panama and Canada in the CONCACAF Nations League last month, a tournament the US had previously dominated. “If you look at every national team in the world, the coach is usually a domestic coach,” Arena told Unfiltered Soccer. “And I think when you have coaches that don’t know our culture, our players, our environment, it’s hard. And listen, [Pochettino] is a very good coach, [but] coaching international football is completely different than club football.”

  

  Photo: EPA-EFE

  SOCCER

  Real Madrid beat Getafe

  Real Madrid on Wednesday kept pace with La Liga leaders Barcelona with a 1-0 win against Getafe. Arda Guler scored a first-half goal for Madrid, who moved back within four points of Barcelona. Guler scored the winner with a well-placed right-footed shot in the 21st minute at the Coliseum in Getafe. Elsewhere, RC Celta de Vigo routed Villarreal 3-0, Athletic Bilbao won 1-0 against Las Palma and Alaves moved out of the relegation zone by beating Real Sociedad 1-0.

  

  Photo: Reuters

  CRICKET

  NZC to invest in MLC

  New Zealand Cricket (NZC) is to invest in a new franchise that would join Major League Cricket (MLC) in the US from 2027, NZC chief executive officer Scott Weenink said yesterday. NZC would partner with US-based True North Sports Ventures to form the new team, who could be based in Toronto or Atlanta, Weenink said. The partnership is the first of its kind between a full member nation of the International Cricket Council and a franchise in a leading professional cricket league, Weenink said. NZC would provide financial equity, and high-performance and operational support to the new team, including coaching, management and support staff.

  CRICKET

  Kishan walks unnecessarily

  Sunrisers Hyderabad’s playoff hopes in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday suffered another blow, but even more puzzling was their batter Ishan Kishan’s bizarre self-inflicted dismissal in their defeat at home against the Mumbai Indians. Kishan was on 1 when facing Deepak Chahar early in the first innings. The left-handed batter attempted a leg-glance and began to walk off even though neither the bowler nor wicketkeeper Ryan Rickelton appealed. Umpire Vinod Seshan was about to signal for a wide, but changed it to out as Kishan departed. However, Ultra Edge replays showed no spike as proof of any bat-ball contact. Hyderabad eventually posted 143-8, which Mumbai chased down with 4.2 overs to spare. “I think it was one of those brain-fade moments for Ishan Kishan,” former India opener Virender Sehwag told the Cricbuzz Web site. “I can understand if a player walks after he has edged the ball. In this case, you have not nicked it and the umpire has not declared you out either — so why walk? Mumbai rose to third on the table, while Hyderabad fell to ninth ahead of last night’s game.
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