German football resumes as the Bundesliga becomes the first of Europe’s top leagues to swing back into action since the coronavirus lockdown. The German Football League (DFL) convinced Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country’s regional leaders to allow play to resume by agreeing to submit to an extraordinary set of guidelines to prevent infection.
Former world champion Amir Khan has said he won’t fight behind closed doors if boxing resumes during the coronavirus outbreak. British officials are looking at July as a possible return date for bouts, without spectators in venue. Amir added that even though there is big money but he won’t be able to do so as he needs fan base.
England captain Eoin Morgan voiced his support for the inclusion of T10 cricket in the Olympics. He said that the one thing that makes it so appealing to an Olympic games is the fact that you can play a whole T10 tournament in 10 days. He added that the fans also get to see their favourite players perform in the tournament.
Germany’s minister for the interior and sport said that he supports the resumption of the country’s football season this month despite the pandemic. The German Football League (DFL) backs a resumption of matches without spectators around mid-May. This would make it the first major European championship to make such a move.
Pakistani batsman Umar Akmal was banned Monday from all forms of cricket for three years after failing to report match-fixing approaches, the country’s cricket board announced. The 30-year-old batsman, withdrew last month from challenging the charges. Umar’s ban is effective from February 20, when he was provisionally suspended by the board under its anti-corruption code.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that it has donated over Rs10 million to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s coronavirus relief fund. According to PCB press release it deposited PKR10,536 in the relief fund. PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani thanked all the employees for their generous contributions to the fund. He added that cricket has once again demonstrated that it values, respects and cares for its supporters and will continue to do so.
Former first-class cricketer Zafar Sarfraz passed away at the age of 50 after being tested positive for coronavirus. The left-handed batsman scored 616 runs from 15 first-class fixtures after making his debut in 1988. He also had 96 runs from six one-day games. Sirfaraz was being treated at a private hospital in Peshawar for the past three days.
Former Pakistani batting legend Javed Miandad suggested death penalty for match fixers. He said that players involved in spot-fixing should be hanged because it is similar to killing someone, and so the punishment should also be on the same lines. Miandad who scored Pakistan’s second highest Test runs with 8832 beleives that an example should be set so that no player even thinks about doing something like this.
All international football matches scheduled for June were postponed on Friday following the first FIFA coronavirus working group’s meeting. The decision to postpone all planned women’s international in June was also taken during the meeting. Discussions will be held with confederations to draw up a revised schedule for 2022 World Cup qualifiers which have been shelved.
Asia Cup 2020 is the latest sporting event expected to be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. A Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) official mentioned that it can be assumed that Asia Cup is not a possibility for now as the extent of the COVID-19 is unknown. Similarly, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is also not optimistic on the fate of the regional cricketing tournament.