Egypt goalkeeper denies Man of the Match award over alcohol sponsorship
Egypt faced off against Uruguay in their opening game of the FIFA World Cup 2018 on Friday and despite a brave performance, went down fighting to the South Americans as Jose Giminez scored the only goal of the match in the 89th minute. The Pharaohs opted to start without the recently-recovered Mohamed Salah and put in a fine shift in defence as they almost kept a clean sheet till the very end against an attack consisting of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani.
The hero for the Egyptians was none other than goalkeeper Mohamed El-Shenawy, who produced a string of excellent saves to keep the opponents at bay, including a flying one in the second half from a vicious volley by Cavani, which he parried away diving to his left with one hand. The Uruguayans attacked consistently and were only able to find their way through till the very end, with El-Shenawy standing tall and only being beaten through a perfectly-placed header from a set-piece.
For his performances, he received the 'Budweiser Man of the Match' award and in a brilliant gesture, refused to accept it. He did so as the award was sponsored by Budweiser and his religion forbids the consumption of alcohol.
Recently, the Premier League also took the decision of removing alcoholic awards and instead, they hand out mini trophies.
courtesy : timesnownews.com
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KSCA expresses disappointment over missing IPL playoffs, says it was ready to host matches in B’luru
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has issued a clarification stating that it was fully prepared to host the IPL playoffs and final matches in Bengaluru but the fixtures were allotted to other venues.
In a media note, KSCA said it was disappointed with the decision. The association stated that its president, former India cricketer Venkatesh Prasad, had been in touch with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and had formally conveyed the association’s readiness and interest in hosting the matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
KSCA said the IPL matches held in Bengaluru this season were appreciated for smooth conduct, crowd management and overall experience for spectators. It said this reflected its ability to handle high-profile matches.
The association also stated that it had sent a detailed communication to the BCCI explaining its preparedness and the operational arrangements followed during the current IPL season. According to KSCA, these systems have been in place since the start of the Indian Premier League in 2008 and were followed consistently, including during previous playoff matches hosted in Bengaluru.
The clarification added that the communication sent to the BCCI was only meant to provide factual and operational details and to bring clarity on logistical and stakeholder-related requirements involved in hosting such matches.
KSCA said that although it had shown willingness and preparedness, the BCCI has decided to allocate the playoff matches to other venues. It added that the reasons for this decision have not been formally shared with the association, but it respects the authority of the board in taking such decisions.
The association further said it remains ready to host matches of national and international importance and will continue to cooperate with the BCCI, franchises, government authorities and other stakeholders for conducting cricket events.
The statement was issued by KSCA official spokesperson Vinay Mruthyunjaya, who also thanked the media and cricket fans for their continued support.
