Sports

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) said in a statement on Wednesday that the impact of last week's Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decision requiring it to reinstate Russia to international play had been "significantly underestimated."  It added that it "maintains" its disagreement with the decision and that it remained "in dialogue with Member National Associations, organizing committees, host authorities and other key stakeholders to determine the best way forward." Shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the IIHF barred its teams from competing in international ice hockey tournaments, citing security concerns. In last Friday's ruling, the CAS said that the IIHF's concerns were "not supported by sufficient evidence." Wednesday's state...

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) said in a statement on Wednesday that the impact of last week's Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decision requiring it to reinstate Russia to international play had been "significantly underestimated."  It added that it "maintains" its disagreement with the decision and that it remained "in dialogue with Member National Associations, organizing committees, host authorities and other key stakeholders to determine the best way forward." The statement comes after two days of talks by the IIHF Council aimed at charting a way forward following Friday's CAS decision, which appears to have caught most of the international ice hockey community off guard. Two of the organizing committees the statement refers to are those of Canada, which is due ...

Defiance was the word that stood out as Manchester City returned home for the first time since they were found guilty of 114 financial charges by the Premier League in a case that's made headlines around the world. City showed a measure of it on the pitch, even as they lost 4-2 to holders, Qatari-owned Paris Saint-Germain, in the Champions League group stages on Wednesday. Among the home fanbase at the Etihad Stadium, DW found universal support for City's Abu Dhabi owners — headed by Sheikh Mansour, who is also UAE's vice president and deputy prime minister.Players like Erling Haaland may be forced to leave if City's punishment is severImage: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images/REUTERS "I'm all in with the ownership now," said local fan Matt. "If we end up back in League Two [fourth tier], so...

A little over two months before it was set to kick off, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has postponed its flagship international football tournament in the wake of recent deadly attacks on host country, Saudi Arabia. The AFC cited "substantial logistical complexities and travel disruptions" caused by conflicts in the region. Instead of January 7, 2027, the tournament will now kick off on December 23 and end on January 21, 2028. The postponement follows delays and cancellations of a number of sporting events in the region, including a Formula One race, the men's and women's tennis finals, the 2027 Dakar Rally and disruption to Asia's marquee continental club football tournament, the AFC Champions League Elite. Saudi Arabia hosted, and won, the Gulf Cup last month, but there had al...

"Heartbroken with pain, with a lump in our throat and unable to believe this is real." Those were the words with which Spanish second division football club Tenerife confirmed the death of their 30-year-old player, Jesus de Miguel, on Tuesday. De Miguel, 30, was involved in a clash in the middle of the pitch with FC Andorra's  Equatorial Guinea international goalkeeper Jesus Owono, who had raced out of his goal to try and clear the ball with the score 2-2 late in the game. Owono was sent off and the match was abandoned. Spanish media said that De Miguel suffered a cardiac arrest and was resuscitated. The player was taken to hospital and placed in intensive care, with Tenerife later saying that De Miguel's condition had "worsened neurologically", before his death. After confirming the de...

What is CAS? The International Court of Arbitration for Sport is based in the Swiss city of Lausanne. CAS is the abbreviation given to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, in French TAS (Tribunal arbitral du sport). It is an independent court of arbitration that issues judgements on international sports issues — for example, on the legality of doping bans, compliance with competition rules, or in cases of cancellations and contractual issues. The Court of Arbitration for Sport comprises over 400 arbitrators from 87 countries. They were selected because they have expertise in arbitration and sports law. Athletes, clubs, sports associations, organisers of sporting events, television broadcasters and sponsors can all appeal to CAS. Around 300 cases are heard each year. Although CAS judgemen...

The president of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), Franz Reindl, announced shortly after the decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Friday, that he had called a meeting of its main decision-making body for this Monday and Tuesday. The Lausanne-based court had ruled that the IIHF must allow Russian national teams to take part in ice hockey world championships again. They had been barred from doing so since shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. "Our task now is to implement this ruling responsibly," said Germany's Reindl, who was elected IIHF president just last month. "Several championships are only weeks away, and changes to participation affect many people; players, teams, organizing committees and host cities....

Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are to travel to Nairobi, Kenya during the winter break to play a friendly that opens the newly finished Raila Odinga International Stadium in the capital city. The German side will face Ajax Amsterdam as the game acts as part of the country's preparations for the 2027 African Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will be held in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania next summer. "Bayern has millions of fantastic fans in Africa with whom we feel a close connection – it's a continent with a huge passion for football," Rouven Kasper, Bayern board member for marketing and sales, said in a club statement. "We will be making a further contribution to raising the profile of the Bundesliga and are very much looking forward to this special event." Why are global sports rushing...

In a statement published on Friday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport(CAS) said it had overturned International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) decisions, which exclude Russia from events during the 2026-27 season, including the men's and women's world championships. In the statement, the CAS cited a lack of sufficient evidence to support security concerns cited by the IIHF in its decisions to exclude Russian teams from competition. Specifically, it ordered the IIHF to allow Russia to participate in five upcoming tournaments, including the Men's Ice Hockey World Championship in Germany next May and the Women's Ice Hockey World Championship scheduled for November 2027 in Canada. The first tournament affected by the ruling is the Men's World Junior Championship, which opens in Edmonton on D...