Kuwait disabled team aim to win GCC championship

Kuwait’s National Disabled Team is aiming to win the title of the 8th GCC Wheelchair Basketball Championship, set to kick off later in Abu Dhabi. The Kuwaiti team is looking forward to win the tournament for the 8th time in a row, despite the fierce competition from other Gulf teams who seek to win their first title, Chairman of Kuwait Disabled Sports Club (KDSC) Shafi AlHajri told KUNA. The opening match between Kuwait and the UAE will be tough, he noted, expecting the winning team to achieve the championship’s title. The Kuwaiti team went under a strict training camp for the event, hosting six friendly matches against the Egyptian team before heading to Turkey for further preparation, Al-Hajri said.

Barca ready to make Messi best paid BARCELONA:

Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu indicated the Spanish champions are prepared to make Lionel Messi the world’s highest-paid player to keep the Argentine superstar at the club. “Leo Messi is the best (player) in the history of football and we want him to stay with us,” Bartomeu told reporters yesterday. “There will be negotiations... but even if I don’t want to talk about figures, if he’s the best player in the world it makes sense that he is so from all points of view.” After extending the contracts of Neymar and Luis Suarez until 2021, Barca are desperate to keep hold of the fivetime World Player of the Year, whose deal expires in 2018. “He’s at home here... I believe Leo is fully convinced he’s in the best place he can be,” said Bartomeu.It’s been a tumultuous year for Messi off the pitch though, with him and his father sentenced to 21 months in jail for tax fraud.

Shelvey banned for racial abuse

England international midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has been banned for five games after he was found guilty of using racially abusive language by an independent panel yesterday. The 24year-old-who won the last of his six caps in 2015 — was also fined £100,000 ($123,000, 118,000 euros) for abusing Moroccan midfielder Romain Saiss during his side Newcastle United’s 2-0 defeat by Wolves in their second tier Championship clash in September. Shelvey, who has been instrumental in Newcastle’s drive for an immediate return to the Premier League, was reported to the match referee by Saiss’s team-mates but he strongly denies making any such remarks. “Jonjo Shelvey has been given a five-match suspension and £100,000 fine after an FA misconduct charge against him was found proven,” read the FA statement.