World Sports News in Brief

Juventus agree deal with Chelsea for Sarri: reports

Juventus have reached an agreement in principle with Chelsea over a deal for manager Maurizio Sarri to join the Italian champions, Sky Italia and the BBC reported on Thursday.

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri during the Europa League final against Arsenal at Baku Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan, May 29, 2019. (Photo: Reuters)
Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri during the Europa League final against Arsenal at Baku Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan, May 29, 2019. (Photo: Reuters)

There has been no official confirmation of the agreement from either club but Sarri, who won the Europa League with Chelsea, is expected to sign a three-year contract, Sky reported. Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri left the Turin club at the end of the season but Premier League Chelsea wanted compensation for releasing Sarri to cover the final year of his contract.

* Formula One has decided to defer until the end of October its final presentation of the sporting regulations for 2021 after a meeting in Paris on Thursday that was also attended by world champion Lewis Hamilton. The rules were due to have been put forward for approval this month but some teams pushed to extend the deadline because they felt there was still work to do on the technical and sporting side.

* Mainz have completed the transfer of Ronael Pierre-Gabriel from French top-flight club Monaco, the Bundesliga team announced in an official statement on Thursday. The 21-year-old right back and Mainz agreed on a five-year deal, which will bind Ronael Pierre-Gabriel to the Bundesliga club until summer 2024.

* Hertha Berlin have signed Germany's U-21 midfielder Eduard Lowen from relegated side Nuremberg, and both sides confirmed on Thursday.

* Head coach of the Belarusian national football team Igor Kriushenko left his post, the press service of the Belarusian Football Federation said on Thursday. Kriushenko took the rein of the national team in March 2017. Under his leadership, Belarus played 25 matches, taking 8 wins, 4 draws and 13 defeats.

* Malaysian badminton legend Lee Chong Wei announced his retirement from badminton citing health reasons on Thursday, ending a near 20-year professional career since making his professional debut in 2000.

* Australia beat Brazil 3-2 at the Women's World Cup on Thursday. Brazil now sit temporarily on top of Group C with three points with better goal differences ahead of Italy, who have a match in hand and will take on Jamaica on Friday.

* Australia and Qatar will be the invited guests at next year’s Copa America, the South American Football Confederation said on Thursday. The two teams from the Asian confederation will join the 10 South American nations in the 2020 tournament, which for the first time will be held jointly in two countries, Colombia and Argentina.

* World junior record holder Sydney McLaughlin upstaged Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad to win her first senior women's 400 metres hurdles race at the Bislett Games on Thursday. The 19-year-old burst past three other runners including world champion Kori Carter to win in 54.16 seconds, ahead of fellow American Muhammad in 54.35.

* Two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka was climbing towards the top of US Open first round leaderboard while Tiger Woods struggled to keep pace on Thursday, as the major renowned as the toughest test in golf turned into a birdie-fest. Koepka stormed through his outward nine in three-under to sit two behind co-leaders Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele and South African Louis Oosthuizen in the clubhouse on five-under 66.

* Serbia coach Mladen Krstajic and the Balkan nation's football association parted company by mutual consent after a patchy start to their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign, the soccer governing body said on Thursday. Krstajic came under fire after Serbia made a group-stage exit in the 2018 World Cup and despite winning their pool in the Nations League Group C, pressure intensified after they suffered a 5-0 mauling by Ukraine in Euro 2020 qualifying on Friday.

* Aston Villa have agreed a deal to sign Brazilian striker Wesley from Belgian side Club Brugge, the promoted Premier League club said on Thursday. Wesley, 22, will become Villa's third signing of the close season after Spanish winger Jota and Netherlands international Anwar El Ghazi, following their Championship playoff final win over Derby County last month.

* Swansea City have appointed England's World Cup winning under-17 coach Steve Cooper as their new head coach on a three-year deal, the Championship side said on Thursday. Cooper, 39, will take up his first senior role in management and replaces Graham Potter who left the second-tier club to join Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion as manager last month.

* Greek world number six Stefanos Tsitsipas' Wimbledon preparations suffered a blow on Thursday when he crashed to a 6-4 3-6 6-4 defeat against Chilean Nicolas Jarry in the second round of the Libema Open in Rosmalen. Top seed Tsitsipas, who received a bye in the opening round, landed just 59 percent of his first serves and was broken twice in a sluggish display to hand the 60th-ranked Jarry victory in two hours.

* Spain's Juan Jose Cobo has been found guilty of an anti-doping rule violation based on "abnormalities" in his biological passport between 2009 and 2011, the International Cycling Union said on Thursday. Cycling's world governing body has imposed a three-year suspension on the now retired 38-year-old, with Spanish media reporting that he could also be stripped of his 2011 Vuelta a Espana title.

* West Bromwich Albion have appointed former Croatia and West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic as their new head coach on a two-year deal, the Championship side said on Thursday. Bilic, 50, returns to England after a five-month spell with Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad, which followed his dismissal by Premier League side West Ham in November 2017.

* Southampton have signed Mali international Moussa Djenepo on a four-year deal from Standard Liege, the Premier League club said on Thursday. The 20-year-old winger becomes manager Ralph Hasenhuttl's first signing since arriving at the club last December.

* European football's governing body UEFA said on Thursday it is launching an Internet-based streaming service that will give people access to a 'gold mine' of archive footage. UEFA said it was launching an Over The Top (OTT) platform dubbed UEFA.tv, which would also allow it to show live coverage of UEFA youth, women's and futsal competitions.

* Champions Manchester City will kick off their 2019-20 Premier League season with an away trip to West Ham United while Liverpool get the ball rolling with a Friday evening home clash against promoted Norwich City. The fixtures, released on Thursday, also included a meaty first weekend clash with Manchester United hosting Chelsea.

* Olympique Lyonnais' shares rose on Thursday after the French soccer club sold left-back Ferland Mendy to Real Madrid for some 48 million euros. Olympique Lyon shares were up by around 1% cent in early session trading.

Reuters, Xinhua