Atletico face FC Goa
Margao: Atletico de Kolkata is all set to consolidate their position at the top of the table when they take on hosts FC Goa in their fourth Hero Indian Super league encounter at the Fatorda Stadium, here on Thursday. It will be an ideal Diwali gift for the growing number of Atletico fans, who would want their team to again display attacking brand of football against Robert Pires and co. Atletico has seven points from three games courtesy their twin victories against Mumbai City FC and NorthEast United FC and a draw against Delhi Dynamos. It will be their second away match in the cash-rich league and the team will miss their inspiration skipper luis Garcia. In all likelihood, it will be his compatriot Jofre Mateu Gonzalez, who will be in the starting XI. Coach Antonio Habas is also planning to start with East Bengal medio Cavin lobo in place of Rakesh Masih, who got the marching orders during the last match for his stud show while trying to tackle Alessandro del Piero.
Myneni, YUki into QF, Somdev out
PUNE: Somdev Devvarman suffered yet another early defeat but Saketh Myneni continued his impressive run by storming into the quarter-finals of the ATP Pune Challenger tournament. Third seed Somdev, who is enduring a tough season, lost 3-6, 6-7(3) to Czech Adam Pavlasek in one hour and 35 minutes for his second successive second-round defeat in the home Challenger events. 27-year-old Myneni, winner of last week’s Indore Open, knocked out fifth seed and higher-ranked seed Japanese Hiroki Moriya 6-1, 6-2. In a repeat of last week’s final, Myneni will now fight it out with top seed Kazak Aleksandr Nedovysov. Also advancing to the quarterfinals was Yuki Bhambri, who fought past Belgium’s Germain Gigounon 7-5, 6-4 in one hour and 29 minutes. Yuki is now up against Japanese fourth seed Yuichi Sugita. However it was end of road for Sanam Singh, Vishnu Vardhan and Vijay Sundar Prashanth. Sanam was outplayed 1-6, 2-6 by Adrian Menendez-Maceiras while Vardhan went down fighting 2-6, 6-3, 3-6 against Kimmer Coppejans.
‘lee chong wei failed drug test’
KUAlA lUMPUR: Badminton world number one lee Chong Wei recently failed a drug test, Malaysian media reported, in a claim that sent shockwaves around the nation. Malaysia’s Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said on Tuesday that an athlete from the country had tested positive for a banned substance. He declined to name the person because further tests were ongoing. But The Star newspaper reported on its website that it was lee and that he had failed a random test at the World Badminton Championships in Copenhagen in late August. The Badminton World Federation declined to comment, saying its anti-doping regulations required confidentiality, while the Badminton Association of Malaysia and other sports officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
bhutia IN afc HAll OF FAME
NEW DElHI: Former India captain Bhaichung Bhutia has been inducted into the AFC’s Hall of Fame, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said on Wednesday. The AIFF said it got a letter from Dato Alex Soosay, General Secretary, Asian Football Confederation, confirming about the development. “The AFC is celebrating its 60th anniversary in Philippines on November 30 this year where a joint event will take place to celebrate the anniversary as well as reward Asia’s finest at the AFC Annual Awards,” the letter read. “It is my pleasure to announce that India’s legendary player Bhaichung Bhutia has been selected to be honoured as an inductee to the AFC’s Hall of Fame,” Dato Alex Soosay further wrote. Besides Bhaichung, nine other legendary players from Asia would also be honoured. The awards are being instituted for the first time and Bhaichung is the sole Indian in the glittering list. Agencies