The Fiji Times

Belgium beat Germany 3-2 to pile pressure on Euro 2024 hosts

COLOGNE, Germany (Reuters) -Visitors Belgium battled to a 3-2 win over Germany in a friendly on Tuesday to make it two wins from two matches in the past four days while piling pressure on the embattled Euro 2024 hosts. With both teams eager to bounce back from their shock group stage World Cup exits in...

Andreescu waiting for test results on painful ankle injury

(Reuters) – Former U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu on Tuesday thanked her fans for their support and said she is still awaiting test results on the left ankle injury that forced her to leave the Miami Open Grandstand court in a wheelchair on Monday. Andreescu went down while moving across the baseline in the second...

eqUIP targets youth

The Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) participated recently in a week-long eqUIP Oceania Workshop organised by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF). eqUIP Oceania is a CGF initiative to develop youth leaders through internship and employment opportunities, empowering them to make a positive contribution to communities through sport. FASANOC was represented by...

Male to ring in changes

Rooster Chicken Fijiana Drua head coach Inoke Male says a few changes will be made to his matchday team to take on the Rebels in round two of the Super W competition at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva on Saturday. After a training session at the Bidesi Ground in Suva yesterday, Male said his...

Ex-Bati coach joins Tigers

Former Fiji Bati coach Joe Dakuitoga has taken up a new coaching role in Australia with the Griffith Waratah Tigers Football Club. Dakuitoga, who is one of the pioneers of rugby league in Fiji, will be the club’s director of coaching and will guide teams from the under-16 to the first grade. “Introducing our Director...

Tinai looks to improve on her game

With three more days to go before the Rooster Chicken Fijiana Drua takes on the Melbourne Rebels at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva, fullback Lavenia Tinai says she is ready to put her life on the line for her side. After a close encounter with the ACT Brumbies last weekend at Prince Charles Park...

Rasolea, Naikore rejoin Fijiana

The Rooster Chicken Fijiana Drua will be looking to pick themselves up after surviving a close scare last weekend from the ACT Brumbies at Nadi’s Prince Charles Park. Head coach Inoke Male said his side needed to treat every game as the final, as teams in the competition would be out to rip them off...

U20 coach dismissed

The Fiji Football Association has terminated the services of under-20 football coach Rodolfo Zapata following a review of the team’s losses during their tour to Indonesia last month. Argentinian Zapata was appointed to the position in January to help guide the Digicel Junior Bula Boys to the FIFA Under-20 World Cup, also in Indonesia in...

Strongest touring squad, says Fuli

Fiji Airways Fijiana 7s have been boosted with the return of tough forward Rejieli Daveua and sprinter Younis Bese for the Hong Kong 7s this weekend. Daveua was out for more than a month after sustaining a head injury at the Hamilton 7s while Bese injured her knee in Sydney. Coach Saiasi Fuli believes it’s...

Fijian Drua cool down

It is only going to be upwards for the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua team, says Seventh Heaven Fiji director Eddy Rotteveel. The Drua team was yesterday hosted at Seventh Heaven Fiji, a five-star floating pontoon located in the Mamanuca Group. “This is an epic team. A winning team,” Rotteveel said. He said it was important...

Physical battle – Jackson: We need to play 80-minute rugby

Expect the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua team to be physical for the full 80 minutes against the Melbourne Rebels this Saturday in round six of the 2023 Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific season. This was highlighted by Drua assistant coach Glen Jackson during an interview at the Seventh Heaven pontoon in the Mamanuca Group...

FIFA to pay clubs $355 million for sending players to 2026 and 2030 World Cups

(Reuters) – FIFA’s compensation paid to clubs that release players for the men’s World Cup has been increased by nearly 70% to $355 million for the 2026 and 2030 tournaments, the global soccer governing body and the European Club Association (ECA) said on Monday. The Club Benefits Programme affords clubs a share of national team...

Ireland’s Sexton likely out of rest of club season

DUBLIN (Reuters) – Ireland’s Grand Slam winning captain Johnny Sexton will likely miss the rest of the club season with a groin injury, his province Leinster said on Monday. The 37-year-old flyhalf picked up the injury in Ireland’s final Six Nations game against England. “Johnny Sexton will see a specialist on Tuesday and have a...

IBA says IOC misused information about its officials

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -The International Boxing Association (IBA) on Monday upped the ante in its battle for control of Olympic boxing by accusing the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of misuse of information about its officials. In an open letter to IOC chief Thomas Bach and executive board members before their meeting in Lausanne on Tuesday,...

Messi statue to stand next to Maradona, Pele at CONMEBOL museum

(Reuters) – Lionel Messi stepped out of Diego Maradona’s shadow by leading Argentina to World Cup victory last year and a statue of the diminutive forward will stand alongside those of his predecessor and Brazil great Pele at the South American federation’s museum. Messi, holding a replica of the World Cup trophy, stood beside the...

Fava rates defending champion

ACT Brumbies women’s head coach Scott Fava said Rooster Chicken Fijiana Drua was the team to beat this season despite losing a majority of the players from their inaugural Buildcorp Super Rugby W after winning last year. He made this comment during a postmatch interview on Saturday after his side lost to the Fijiana Drua...

Fijiana Drua to lift game

Rooster Chicken Fijiana Drua captain Bitila Tawake admitted that the team has to improve on its defence and set-piece play before they face Melbourne Rebels on Saturday at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva. The Fijiana Drua lost a few scoring opportunities last Saturday against the ACT Brumbies, marred by handling errors, not capitalising from...

Silktails thrash Bulldogs

Poised to be a thrilling NSW Ron Massey Cup round between the Kaiviti Silktails and the Bankstown Bulldogs, the match ended in a one-sided affair as the hosts side claimed a thumping 44-10 victory at Churchill Park Lautoka on Saturday. The Wes Naiqamacoached side dominated the game under a sweltering condition in a display of...

Naden hails fans, venue

“One of the best places to play rugby.’ ACT Brumbies women’s vice-captain Tania Naden said this as she described the rugby atmosphere in Fiji, following their 7-12 narrow loss to the Rooster Chicken Fijiana Drua outfit in the 2023 Buildcorp Super Rugby W clash at Nadi’s Prince Charles Park on Saturday. “We were so excited...

Botia shows power

Flying Fijians and La Rochelle utility player Levani Botia showed his power with a close-range touchdown early in the second half as his side recorded a 36-6 win over Bordeaux over the weekend. Medias reports said the Fijian flanker picked up the ball close to the line after Gregory Alldritt’s charge from the back of...

Fans’ support – Male, Tawake call for 16th player’s presence

Head coach Inoke Male has called on its 16th player during the Rooster Chicken Fijiana Drua side’s round two of the Super W clash against the Melbourne Rebels this Saturday. The side will play first before the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua takes on the Rebels men’s side in round six of the Shop N Save...

Underfunding means Australia face failure in Brisbane – AOC

SYDNEY (Reuters) – The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has called on the government to make up an A$2 billion ($1.33 billion) shortfall in sports funding over the next 10 years or risk failure at the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane. In a speech to the National Press Club in Canberra on Monday, AOC Chief Executive Matt...

Kane on target again as England ease past Ukraine

LONDON (Reuters) -Harry Kane underlined his status as England’s greatest international goalscorer and Bukayo Saka dazzled again in a comfortable 2-0 win over Ukraine to put Gareth Southgate’s team in control of Euro 2024 qualifying Group C on Sunday. Fresh from scoring his 54th goal in the 2-1 victory over Italy on Thursday, Kane made...

Tottenham end unhappy relationship with Conte

LONDON (Reuters) – Antonio Conte’s increasingly fractious relationship with Tottenham Hotspur came to an end with the Premier League club announcing they had parted ways with the Italian on Sunday. The writing had been on the wall since last weekend after Conte’s furious reaction to a 3-3 draw with Southampton in the Premier League —...

Italy back on track with 2-0 win over Malta

MALTA (Reuters) -Goals by forward Mateo Retegui and midfielder Matteo Pessina steered Italy to a 2-0 win over Malta in their Euro 2024 qualification Group C clash at Sunday. Defending champions Italy were looking to get back on track after starting the campaign with a 2-1 loss against England on Thursday. “These are games where...

Latham returns to T20s to captain NZ against Sri Lanka, Pakistan

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Tom Latham will captain an inexperienced New Zealand team in next month’s home Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka and the five-match series in Pakistan that follows, returning to the shortest format for the first time in nearly two years.With Kane Williamson and Tim Southee playing in the Indian Premier League and unavailable,...

South Africa chase down record T20 target to beat Windies

PRETORIA (Reuters) – South Africa pulled off the highest successful run chase in Twenty20 international cricket on Sunday to beat the West Indies by six wickets at Centurion on an afternoon of blistering assault on the ball as well as the record books. Opener Quinton de Kock hit a first T20 century as South Africa...

Mumbai Indians win inaugural WPL title after Sciver-Brunt fifty

MUMBAI (Reuters) – Mumbai Indians were crowned champions at the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL) after Nat Sciver-Brunt’s unbeaten 60 secured their seven-wicket victory against Delhi Capitals in the final at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. Delhi captain Meg Lanning elected to bat after winning the toss and the Australia skipper top-scored for her side...

Ronaldo leads the way as Portugal hit six of the best

LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) – Cristiano Ronaldo continued his record-breaking form for Portugal as he grabbed two more goals in his country’s 6-0 thrashing of Luxembourg in a Euro 2024 qualifier on Sunday, giving them a second win in four days. The 38-year-old grabbed a double against Liechtenstein on Thursday and scored twice more in Luxembourg to...

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McTominay double gives Scotland famous win over Spain