Sports

Paris, May 16 (IANS) Relegated Ligue 1 side FC Metz announced on Wednesday an early departure of head coach Frederic Hantz at the end of the season following mutual agreement between the club and the coach.

Berlin, May 16 (IANS) RB Leipzig and head coach Ralph Hasenhuettl have agreed to part ways with immediate effect, the Bundesliga club announced in an official statement on Wednesday.

Berlin, May 16 (IANS) Germany head coach Joachim Loew's secret weapon for the 2018 FIFA World Cup has just had his vacation "ruined". Nominating Nils Petersen was a surprise for fans and pundits.

London, May 16 (IANS) Goalkeeper Joe Hart and midfielder Jack Wilshere have been left out of England's FIFA World Cup squad which was announced by head coach Gareth Southgate on Wednesday.

Nairobi, May 16 (IANS) English Football League Championship side Hull City FC bade an emotional farewell to Kenya after the last contingent departed on Wednesday following their historic maiden tour to the country.

Shanghai, May 16 (IANS) Shanghai SIPG beat Kashima Antlers 2-1 at home thanks to Hulk's brace in the second leg, but failed to reach the quarter-finals of the AFC Champion League (ACL) with the total score 3-4 on aggregate (first leg 1-3).

Kolkata, May 16 (IANS) Eight players shot into the lead with a full score at the end of what turned out to be a stable day for most of the high ranked players in the ongoing 3rd Kolkata Open Chess Tournament here on Wednesday.

Seoul, May 16 (IANS) Former Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung said on Wednesday that he thinks Brazil will be one of the finalists at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Guadalajara (Mexico), May 16 (IANS) Mexico has high-quality players with experience in international competition, putting the national team in a position to win the World Cup, said Jesus Ramirez, who coached the Mexican under-17 team to a world title in 2005.

Suwon (South Korea), May 16 (IANS) Suwon Samsung Bluewings advanced to the quarter-finals of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) after they overturned a first-leg deficit against fellow South Koreans Ulsan Hyundai FC on Wednesday.

Barcelona, May 16 (IANS) FC Barcelona's talismanic forward Lionel Messi rated Real Madrid as an outfit that has the best footballers and can win games like no other.

Rome, May 16 (IANS) Spain's Albert Ramos and Italy's Fabio Fognini pulled off upset victories on Wednesday to advance to the third round of the Italian Open.

Mumbai, May 16 (IANS) Kings XI Punjab skipper Ravichandran Ashwin won the toss and opted to field against Mumbai Indians in a crunch Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Wankhede Stadium here on Wednesday.

St Petersburg, May 16 (IANS) The Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) is currently in talks with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) on Russian experts' participation in the collection of doping samples from American athletes.

Rome, May 16 (IANS) Yamaha's Italian rider Valentino Rossi said he is looking to race at the top of his game during the upcoming French MotoGP, in a statement released by the team on Wednesday.