REAL, SPAIN LEGEND CASILLAS RETIRES
MADRID: Spain’s World Cup-winning goalkeeper Iker Casillas announced his retirement on Tuesday, after being sidelined for more than a year with a heart problem. Casillas, 39, also won the European Championship twice with his country in a trophy-laden career which included more than 700 games for Real Madrid. “Today is both one of the most important and most difficult days of my sporting life, the time to say goodbye has arrived,” he said on Twitter.
Casillas joined Portuguese side Porto in 2015 after a tearful departure from Madrid. He suffered a heart attack in May last year. He played 167 times for Spain, winning the 2010 World Cup and the Euros in 2008 and 2012 in a golden age for Spanish football. He lifted five La Liga titles and the Champions League on three occasions during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu. “The best goalkeeper in the history of Real Madrid and Spanish football joined us at the age of 9. He was formed here and defended our shirt for 25 years, becoming one of our most emblematic captains of all time. Today one of the most important footballers in our 118 years of history calls it a day as a professional player, a player we love and admire, a goalkeeper who has made the Real Madrid legacy bigger with his work and exemplary behaviour both on and off the pitch,” the club said in a statement.
Supreme Court gives go ahead to DDCA elections
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court gave the green light to elections to be held for the posts of president, treasurer and four directors of the Delhi and District Cricket Association. A bench of justices L Nageswara Rao and S Ravindra Bhat did not stay the portion of the Delhi high court order of June 17 which had asked DDCA to hold elections within six weeks, a deadline that was later extended till October 30. However, the rest of high court order including parts about disbursement of salaries was stayed. “The election to the posts of president, treasurer and four directors of DDCA as directed by the high court is not stayed. The remaining part of the order is stayed,” the top court ordered.
Defending champion Nadal pulls out of US Open
MADRID: Defending champion Rafael Nadal pulled out of this year’s US Open saying the situation was complicated with increasing Covid-19 cases around the world. “After many thoughts I have decided not to play this year’s US Open. The situation is very complicated worldwide, the COVID-19 cases are increasing, it looks like we still don’t have control of it,” the 34-year-old Spaniard wrote on Twitter. “We know that the reduced tennis calendar is barbaric this year after four months stopped with no play, I understand and thank for the efforts they are putting in to make it happen. We have just seen the announcement of Madrid not being played this year,” he wrote.