Barcelona have ratified January 24 as the date for their presidential elections despite calls for it to be postponed amid rising cases of coronavirus.
The region of Catalonia has recently imposed new restrictions in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19 infections, with certain rules tightened for 10 days as of January 7.
While that does not interfere with the previously agreed date for the election, there had been increasing calls for it to be postponed due to fears certain members would not be able to vote as a result.
Former Barca vice-president Jordi Cardoner was among those in favour of issuing a delay, suggesting in an interview with Sport that to not postpone the election would be to show "a lack of respect and an attack on the health of our members".
But Barca confirmed on Thursday that the date of January 24 and "all procedures" have been accepted by the local authorities.
As part of a statement, Barca confirmed: "The board has also ratified January 24 as the date for the elections and that all procedures have been accepted by the Generalitat de Catalunya, in liaison with the Ministries for Health, the Interior, Sport and Procedure.
"All efforts have been made to ensure that the pre-candidates can collect support slips under the best possible conditions and with as much time as available."
Roger Federer decided to miss the Australian Open because wife Mirka opposed having to spend a full fortnight in quarantine, a leading official has claimed.
It was widely assumed Federer's reason for skipping the upcoming grand slam related to the knee surgery he underwent last season.
He had hinted as much, and agent Tony Godsick referred to the knee rehabilitation when announcing in December that the Swiss great would not travel to Melbourne.
But Andre Sa, the head of player liaison at Tennis Australia, says Federer pulled out when it became apparent his wife and children would be holed up in their hotel accommodation for two weeks.
The players travelling to Australia must all quarantine to avoid any possible spread of COVID-19, but they are allocated five hours per day in which they can leave their rooms to train and practise with specified hitting partners.
Sa, a former top-20 doubles player, told Band Sports in his native Brazil that he discussed with father-of-four Federer the practicalities before the 20-time grand slam winner reached his decision.
"The main reason was the quarantine," said Sa. "I talked to him a month ago and he had two options. He could come with the whole family and do the quarantine.
"The problem is that Mirka and her children couldn't leave the room. They would have to stay 14 days in the room. The exception is only for players.
"He could go out, train and come back, but the family couldn't. Mirka did not approve the idea.
"The other option would be for him to come alone. Only there would be at least five weeks away from family and children. And then he said, 'Dude, 39, four kids, 20 grand slams. I'm no longer at the stage to be away from my family for five weeks.'"
Former world number one Federer has not played a tournament since losing to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Australian Open last year.
This year's edition of the grand slam has been delayed by three weeks to a February 8 start, due to factors tied into the pandemic.
Russell Westbrook, Doc Rivers and Billie Jean King reacted with revulsion to the assault on the US Capitol by supporters of outgoing president Donald Trump, united in the view there would have been a deadlier outcome had the rioters been black people.
On a dark day for the United States, thousands of Trump backers descended on Washington for a protest rally, refusing to accept the result of November's election that saw Joe Biden sweep to power.
Two weeks out from Biden's inauguration, many violent protesters breached security and accessed the Capitol, causing carnage and destruction as they appeared to go largely unchallenged.
There were a number of casualties, with four dead including a woman who was shot, while reports said a number of explosive devices were discovered.
Washington Wizards star Westbrook said: "It's very unfortunate to see. If those roles were reversed, if those were African-Americans, black people, it would be totally different."
He said the chaos was "just crazy, almost like a movie", and team-mate Bradley Beal agreed it was hard to stomach the scenes, given his view that police took a far less lenient approach to protesters during last year's Black Lives Matter demonstrations.
"It's very disheartening in a lot of ways - a lack of sense of urgency to respond to what was going on, versus protesters at Black Lives Matter over the summer," Beal said.
"The people who were invading our Capitol, that's unheard of and it's disheartening this is where we're at as a country."
Veteran Philadelphia 76ers coach Rivers called the insurgency "pretty disturbing" but vowed that "democracy will prevail".
"It shows a lot, though," Rivers said. "When you saw the [Black Lives Matter] protests in the summer, you saw the riots or more the police and the national guard and the army. And then you see this and you saw nothing.
"It basically proves the point about a privileged life in a lot of ways. I'll say it because I don’t think a lot of people want to: could you imagine today if those were all black people storming the Capitol and what would have happened?
"So that to me is a picture that’s worth a thousand words for all of us to see and probably something for us to reckon with again."
Tennis great King, a long-time activist for equality in sport and society, added on Twitter: "If the rioters storming the Capitol building today were Black and Brown people, the police response would be much different."
Footballer Megan Rapinoe became embroiled in a war of words with Trump during USA's triumph at the 2019 Women's World Cup.
Looking at footage of how seemingly easily the protesters were able to break into the Capitol, Rapinoe offered her opinion, writing: "This is crazy, how did they even get through the..... ohhhhh it was opened for them."
Trump had addressed the crowds earlier in the day, forcefully standing by his view that he was fraudulently robbed of an election win.
In the hours after the Capitol was cleared, Congress confirmed Biden's victory.
Richard Sherman, the San Francisco 49ers cornerback, described the rioters as "terrorists".
He wrote on Twitter: "Never thought Americans would let terrorists into the capital without a fight....sad day. There are certain things my brain could never imagine.... and one of them is black ppl storming a government building and taking things without deadly consequences. But that’s just my brain."
It was not just Sherman's brain thinking along those lines, though. Far from it.
Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard took the same stance, saying: "You just see the privilege, the privilege in America. "It's sad to see, because if any of us was out there, I think we would've been tear-gassed, Maced, probably gunshots, you know?"
And American track and field legend Michael Johnson said the scenes were only to be expected, given the nature of the Trump presidency.
"The alarms were sounded for four years. Republicans ignored them. Many in the media ignored them and normalized dangerous behavior," Johnson wrote on Twitter.
"Sadly, today it all came to be. Shameful! This president and his supporters. Shame on you! And take responsibility!
"People on Twitter (of course) literally equating BLM protesters fighting for justice and equality to White Supremacist Trump supporters (supposed Patriots) gleefully and violently desecrating America's oldest and greatest institutions of democracy. Sadly, this is typical America."
Danilo D'Ambrosio suffered a strain to the medial collateral ligament in his left knee against Sampdoria on Wednesday, Inter have confirmed.
Defender D'Ambrosio was introduced as an 81st-minute substitute against Samp and was on the end of a strong challenge from Mehdi Leris deep into stoppage time.
The 32-year-old's leg appeared to buckle under the tackle and he was left in clear pain, although medical staff were able to help the player to his feet to walk off the pitch in the final moments of the 2-1 defeat – Inter's first in nine matches.
A statement on Thursday detailed the nature of the injury after medical tests.
"His condition will be reassessed next week," the Nerazzurri said.
Wednesday's match was D'Ambrosio's 11th appearance of the season, of which only four have been starts. He has scored three goals from defence but contributed to just a single clean sheet.
The Golden State Warriors are not overly concerned by Stephen Curry's ankle issue in the defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers as the superstar point guard is confident it will not prove a major setback.
Curry's outstanding run of form was checked in Wednesday's 108-101 reverse at Chase Center.
The two-time NBA MVP had scored a career-high 62 points against the Portland Trail Blazers and then added another 30 versus the Sacramento Kings in the Warriors' past two games.
Yet Curry contributed only 13 points against the Clippers, bringing his season average down to 29.6, and shot one-of-six from beyond the arc.
More concerningly, Curry was not able to finish the game as he complained of an ankle problem in the fourth quarter and exited with just over a minute remaining.
But head coach Steve Kerr had positive news for Golden State fans, who have already seen Klay Thompson condemned to another long-term lay-off after the team's 2019-20 season was wrecked by injury woes.
"He did tweak it. He told me it's not serious," Kerr said on Wednesday. "He'll come in tomorrow and get treatment and we'll check it out.
"The good news is Steph does not think it's anything too serious."
The Warriors had led earlier in the fourth quarter despite Curry's failure to make an impact, with each of their five starters finishing with a negative plus/minus.
Kerr's second unit instead led the way, as Eric Paschall scored 19 points in 20 minutes, but the Golden State coach paid tribute to the Clippers' defensive effort.
"There was not a ton of rhythm or flow," he said. "We played a team that's going to be – at full strength, like they were tonight – one of the best defensive teams in the league, with a ton of length.
"They did a really good job. I thought they played an excellent defensive game. They hounded Steph and we couldn't find a rhythm."
Kerr reserved praise for his own defense, too, describing Draymond Green as "the best defensive player in the world" after he weighed in with six defensive rebounds and two steals.
And the coach suggested this was a key reason for a slow start to the game, although he was asked if the riot on Capitol Hill earlier in the day had also contributed.
"There was a strange energy in the air at the beginning of the game and that may have been a factor," Kerr said, having addressed the issue at length prior to tip-off.
Bradley Beal insisted "I don't give a damn" after tying a franchise points record for the Washington Wizards in their defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Beal's career-high 60 points on Wednesday could not prevent a 141-136 loss at Wells Fargo Center as the Wizards slipped to 2-6 for the season.
The 27-year-old was 20-of-35 on shooting, including seven-of-10 from three-point range, as he equalled Gilbert Arenas' franchise best against the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2006.
Still, the two-time All Star took little pride in recording a personal best in another loss.
"I'm p***** off," Beal said. "I'm mad. I don't count [them]. Any of my career highs, they've been in losses. So I don't give a damn. You can throw it right out the window with the other two or three I've had.
"I just want to win. Sometimes you might be able to score 40, 50, 60, whatever the case may be, but I just want to win, whatever that looks like. We came up a little bit short."
Beal's spectacular 57 points in the first 36 minutes proved futile as Philadelphia closed out a high-scoring contest, making 61.7 per cent from the field throughout.
Washington tied the scores at 119 each after having trailed by 10 at the start of the fourth quarter, but Joel Embiid led the 76ers to a strong finish, sinking a three-point jumper from 28 feet.
"I think they got stops and made more plays than we did down the stretch," Beal said when asked what made the difference late on. "I think Embiid hit a tough three... they were making a lot of shots. They hit a lot of tough shots.
"They shot 60 per cent from the field and 62 per cent from three. You can't win a game like that."
For Embiid, it was all part of the service.
"They pay me to take over the game," he said after making 38 points, eight rebounds and five assists. "They pay me to dominate. That's my job.
"I always give credit to my teammates. [But] I finished."
Kai Havertz was dubbed the 'Crown Prince of German football' while at Bayer Leverkusen but the Bundesliga club have a new star now: Florian Wirtz.
While his former club colleague has struggled so far to make an impact at Chelsea, Wirtz - the latest young gem to come through at Leverkusen - is dazzling for Peter Bosz's team, who remain ensconced in the top four despite defeats either side of the mid-season break in Germany's top flight.
The 17-year-old did not wait long to suggest he could be the heir apparent, either. Having made his debut in May 2020, he became the youngest goalscorer in Bundesliga history the following month, finding the net in a 4-2 defeat to Bayern Munich after coming on as a substitute. Youssoufa Moukoko has since snatched that record away.
This season, Wirtz has gone from the periphery to centre stage, scoring twice and providing four assists in 13 appearances. His transition from promising talent to first-team regular has been swift, leading to comparisons to Havertz, the playmaker who swapped the BayArena for Stamford Bridge.
However, for Bosz, while both players have huge potential, the duo differ in so many ways.
"I never compare players with each other because that is impossible. There is no player like the other," Bosz told Stats Perform News. "You can't compare them. That's not possible.
"I also won't do that with Florian Wirtz, because he has his own style. He is different from Kai Havertz, who is more of a striker. Florian Wirtz, as far as I am concerned, is a midfielder, so you can't compare them.
"Also, you can't compare them physically; Kai is 1.92metres (6ft 3in), Florian is shorter. One is left-footed, the other one right-footed. They both have their own style. But both of them are very good. Both are very talented. Both have a huge career ahead of them.
"And Florian is only 17 years old. What he has shown though in the Bundesliga already is something special."
Wirtz has been a part of a Leverkusen squad that has impressed so far in this campaign, both at home and abroad.
Despite a first defeat to Bayern Munich before the mid-season pause in Germany, Leverkusen gathered 28 points from their opening 13 league games. Only three times have they managed to collect more points across the same period - and on each of those occasions they went on to finish in the top four.
In the Europa League, Die Werkself finished top of Group C to qualify for the last 32 in style, winning five of their six round-robin fixtures. Having reached the quarter-final stage of the competition last year, when they lost 2-1 to Inter, hopes are high they can go further this time around.
But while there has been much to please Bosz and Leverkusen's supporters so far, the Dutch coach insists there is still plenty more to come from his squad.
"Everyone still has some space to improve," he said, insisting no player has reached a nine out of 10 yet. "The difference to last year is that we are very consistent now.
"We deliver stable performances. It means that we concede less goals. We stand more compact on the pitch.
"But we have also lost important players. Kai Havertz went to Chelsea, Kevin Volland to Monaco. I think that our team spirit has improved. This is the biggest step ahead."
Despite Havertz no longer being around, Leverkusen have been excellent going forward, with champions Bayern the only team to score more in the Bundesliga so far. Their attacking intent has not come at a considerable cost defensively either - only second-placed RB Leipzig have conceded fewer goals.
The emergence of Wirtz has been one of the factors in helping Leverkusen continue to progress as a club, even with those key departures in the previous transfer window.
"He's a very talented young player. He has a lot more to improve. But, you know, he's only 17," Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey told Stats Perform News about his talented young team-mate.
"He's still learning. But he has a lot of qualities that a lot of older players don't have yet. And that's something you can see clearly, and this is something that's special.
"And I think, as the years go by, he will only get better. There is a lot more to come from him, as he understands more and get a lot more experience.
"I would say he's very smart. He has a lot of quality when he's on the ball. And he has a great passing ability."
Bailey's assessment is backed up by Wirtz's output, with no Leverkusen player having created more chances from open play than his tally of 23. While his passing accuracy is perhaps lower than might be hoped for at 73 per cent, his touches in the opposing box (31) and passes into the final third (55) are examples of his forward thinking when in possession.
Those risks have reaped their rewards this term too, considering his six goal contributions so far. Bosz clearly has faith in him, as only goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky and Moussa Diaby have played more minutes in the Bundesliga so far.
Any suggestion of becoming the new Havertz may be wide of the mark, but the future looks bright for Wirtz, the latest jewel to emerge at Leverkusen.
The Boston Celtics edged the Miami Heat in the NBA on Wednesday, while the Milwaukee Bucks claimed their third straight win.
In a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics overcame the Heat 107-105 in Miami.
Jayson Tatum (27 points) and Jaylen Brown (21 points and 12 rebounds) led the Celtics (6-3) to their win.
But Payton Pritchard (six points) made the decisive lay-up with 0.2 seconds remaining to secure the win.
The teams kneeled in protest ahead of the clash, in response to a riot on Capitol Hill and after no charges were brought against the police officer who shot and seriously injured Jacob Blake, a black man, in Kenosha in August last year.
Meanwhile, the Bucks made it three straight wins by easing past the Detroit Pistons 130-115.
Giannis Antetokounmpo guided Milwaukee into a 5-3 record with 25 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Hayward heroic, Beal brilliance not enough for Wizards
Gordon Hayward scored a career-high 44 points to see the Charlotte Hornets past the Atlanta Hawks 102-94.
Bradley Beal equalled a Washington Wizards record, but it was not enough. Beal tied the franchise record with 60 points in a 141-136 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Joel Embiid once again inspired the 76ers, scoring 38 points to go with eight rebounds and five assists as they improved to 7-1.
A 35-point haul from Malcolm Brogdon helped the Indiana Pacers beat the Houston Rockets 114-107.
Curry cools off
After 92 points in the previous two games, Stephen Curry cooled off. He went five-of-17 from the field for 13 points in 35 minutes as the Golden State Warriors fell to the Los Angeles Clippers 108-101.
Beal ties record
Beal was in spectacular form for the Wizards. He equalled Gilbert Arenas' record of 60 points for the Wizards against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2006.
Wednesday's results
Indiana Pacers 114-107 Houston Rockets
Orlando Magic 105-94 Cleveland Cavaliers
Philadelphia 76ers 141-136 Washington Wizards
Charlotte Hornets 102-94 Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics 107-105 Miami Heat
New York Knicks 112-100 Utah Jazz
Milwaukee Bucks 130-115 Detroit Pistons
Oklahoma City Thunder 111-110 New Orleans Pelicans
Phoenix Suns 123-115 Toronto Raptors
Los Angeles Clippers 108-101 Golden State Warriors
Sacramento Kings 128-124 Chicago Bulls
76ers at Nets
The 76ers will look to continue their good start to the season when they take on the Brooklyn Nets (4-4). The Nets will again be without star Kevin Durant, who is in quarantine.
Pep Guardiola said John Stones had proven he belongs at Manchester City after a derby win over United in the EFL Cup semi-finals.
Stones scored his first City goal since November 2017 and Fernandinho sealed a 2-0 win at Old Trafford on Wednesday as the three-time defending champions booked a spot in the final against Tottenham.
The City defender, who was relieved to see the flag raised after the ball bounced off him and into his own net during the semi-final, has been in good form this season, and his six possessions gained against United were the equal best for his side.
City manager Guardiola was full of praise for Stones, who had appeared on the outer at the club before beginning to impress.
"He came back and he made another outstanding performance – but the most important thing is he can do something he hasn't been able to do – play four, five, six games in a row. This is important," he told a news conference.
"He had to handle [Marcus] Rashford, who is dangerous and clever, and the quality of his passes to Joao [Cancelo] were outstanding. All the team, Fernandinho, our captain, what a performance again. He read the game incredibly well, he moved the team. Outstanding.
"All the players – [Ilkay] Gundogan, Raheem [Sterling], Phil [Foden] ... all the team."
Guardiola added: "All credit [to Stones]. Football is a long career – it is up and down, sometimes bad moments. He was out longer than we expected but he came back and he absolutely belongs here.
"We can help him but when someone plays like this, it's credit to him. Hopefully he can continue in this way."
Orlando Magic guard Markelle Fultz will miss the rest of the NBA season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) on Wednesday.
Fultz suffered the injury during the first quarter of Orlando's 105-94 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The top pick in the 2017 draft, Fultz has battled injuries to begin his NBA career, and his 2020-21 season is over after just eight games.
"Orlando Magic guard Markelle Fultz suffered a left knee injury with 7:35 remaining in the first quarter tonight against Cleveland. He underwent an MRI and results revealed that Fultz has sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament," the Magic said.
"Fultz will be out for the remainder of the season."
Fultz played just 33 regular-season games with the Philadelphia 76ers before being traded to Orlando in February 2019.
He made 72 appearances for the Magic in 2019-20 and was averaging 12.9 points, 5.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds to begin this season.
"Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers during this time. God has a plan for me and I know that this adversity will only make me stronger in the end," Fultz wrote on Twitter.
"I believe in my brothers on this team and we have so much more to prove. To all the fans, keep riding with us.
"I'm going to approach this recovery with all my heart and be the best team-mate I can be to this organisation. Faithful to the grind."
After their win over the Cavaliers, the Magic are 6-2.
Bradley Beal equalled the Washington Wizards' franchise record with 60 points in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.
Beal exploded for 60 points on 20-of-35 shooting, including seven-of-10 from three-point range, in a 141-136 loss to the 76ers.
The guard equalled Gilbert Arenas' record of 60 points for the Wizards against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2006.
Russell Westbrook was the Wizards' next highest scorer with 20.
But Washington slipped to 2-6 after Joel Embiid (38 points) and Seth Curry (28) led the way for the 76ers (7-1).
Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman believes Lionel Messi is slowly getting back to his best after a brace against Athletic Bilbao.
Messi scored twice, to go with Pedri's goal, at San Mames on Wednesday as Barca recorded a 3-2 victory.
The star has been involved in 10 goals in his past 10 games in all competitions, netting eight and assisting two.
And Koeman feels Messi, who has netted 12 times in 20 appearances this season, is improving.
"Since the first day that I arrived at the club I think Lionel Messi has given everything," he told a news conference.
"I haven’t been surprised by his quality because he's obviously been showing how good he is for years. It's possibly true that he's been less effective than normal which is why there could have been doubts but he's doing a lot better now, he feels comfortable at the moment and he feels up for the challenge.
"That's how I feel. But I think Messi is the one who can answer that best."
Pedri cancelled out Inaki Williams' opener before Messi's double, and Barca moved into third in LaLiga despite Iker Muniain's late goal.
Koeman also praised Ousmane Dembele, who along with Pedri and Antoine Griezmann had a game-high three key passes.
"I think everything starts with the player himself. If the player feels comfortable and feels physically fit he can play well," he said.
"I don't think there's ever been any question about his quality, at least in my opinion, but there have been doubts about his ability to stay fit. At the moment he seems fully fit and I have to think about the programme of games ahead and when we can give him a rest because he hasn't played regularly for quite some time.
"He has to learn how to manage his game time as well. But in terms of the football he can play we know what he can give to the team. He's very good going forward, he attacks with the ball and those are good qualities for us."
Barca, who are seven points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid and have played two more games, visit Granada on Saturday.
The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat played "with a heavy heart" after highlighting the different treatment of protesters in the United States.
Players kneeled ahead of the clash at AmericanAirlines Arena before the game went ahead.
It came in response to riot on Capitol Hill and after no charges were brought against the police officer who shot and seriously injured Jacob Blake, a black man, in Kenosha in August last year.
A statement from Heat and Celtics players read: "2021 is a new year, but some things have not changed.
"We play tonight's game with a heavy heart after yesterday's decision in Kenosha, and knowing that protesters in our nation's capital are treated differently by political leaders depending on what side of certain issues they are on.
"The drastic difference between the way protesters this past spring and summer were treated and the encouragement given to today's protesters who acted illegally just shows how much more work we have to do.
"We have decided to play tonight's game to try to bring joy into people's lives. But we must not forget the injustices in our society, and we will continue to use our voices and our platform to highlight these issues and do everything we can to work for a more equal and just America."
Supporters of United States president Donald Trump stormed Capitol Hill as Joe Biden's election victory was due to be certified.
At least 13 people were arrested, police said.
Milan head coach Stefano Pioli claimed the experience of losing 3-1 to Juventus at San Siro was "healthy" for his side, saying: "We had not felt that for a while."
A Federico Chiesa double and a third goal from Weston McKennie ended the leaders' unbeaten Serie A record this season, consigning them to a first in 28 matches in the Italian top flight.
Milan had 20 shots, but Davide Calabria's equaliser late in the first half was the only one to find the back of the net and Pioli admitted his side were second best on the night.
"We have to tip our hats and give credit to our opponents for managing to get back in front," Pioli told Sky Sports Italia.
"We did what we needed to, created chances and inevitably allowed some, but after going behind for the second time, it became more difficult to get back into it.
"It was a very even game up until the second Juventus goal and I feel that's the moment that changed it.
"We were penalised by their quality in situations where we could’ve been a little more concentrated."
The defeat came on a night when Milan's closest title challengers and city rivals Inter were beaten 2-1 at Sampdoria.
Despite seeing his players miss the chance to go four points clear at the top of the table, Pioli reflected on the positives.
He said: "The lads had their heads down in the dressing room and were disappointed, but in a way it was healthy for us to experience defeat, as we hadn't felt that for a while.
"I gave them a pat on the back, said they ought to be proud of what they achieved in the circumstances.
"We proved that we are a strong team tonight."
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