Football, PSG: The French national soccer player Aminata Diallo has been taken into custody in connection with a violent attack on a teammate. Corresponding media reports confirmed Diallo’s club, the French champions Paris St. Germain, on Wednesday. PSG, where German national player Sara Däbritz is under contract, did not name the victim. Media reports and the news agency AFP according to Kheira Hamraoui, who is also active in the French selection. According to the trade newspaper L’Equipe The 31-year-old is said to have gone home last Thursday after a club dinner with Diallo (26) when strangers attacked her with an iron bar and hit her on the legs.
The case brings back memories of one of the most spectacular sports scandals: In 1994, the American figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was injured in the knee by an assassin with an iron bar. The client was Jeff Gillooly, the husband of Kerrigan’s fiercest rival Tonya Harding at the time. It has not yet been clarified whether Diallo was behind the attack on Hamraoui. There is no charge. PSG condemned the attack “strongly” and otherwise referred to the ongoing investigation in which the club supported the authorities. Further measures would be examined, it said. Midfielder Hamraoui was absent from the Champions League group game against Real Madrid (4-0) on Tuesday evening – according to Paris “for personal reasons”. Diallo, on the other hand, was in the starting line-up like Däbritz.
Soccer, England: Steven Gerrard (41) is said to be the new coach at the Premier League club Aston Villa, according to British media reports. The ex-captain of Liverpool FC was Scottish champion with the Glasgow Rangers last season. As the “Telegraph” writes, only the last details have to be clarified. According to the newspaper, an official confirmation from the club can be expected in the next two days. Aston Villa had coach Dean Smith on Sunday after five defeats in a row.
Football, DFB: Premiere after 113 years: For the first time, a female referee will lead a game of the German men’s national soccer team. The Croatian Ivana Martincic (36) was scheduled for the World Cup qualifier against Liechtenstein on Thursday (8.45 p.m. / RTL) in Wolfsburg. Martincic has years of experience, but it is also a debut for her: She is whistling an international men’s game for the first time. She has already led test matches for the German women’s national team twice – in 2018 against Italy (5: 2) and in 2020 against Sweden (1: 0).
World Cup qualification, Julian Draxler: National coach Hansi Flick also has to accept the failure of Julian Draxler for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder has “a muscular injury to his right back muscles” and will be out for some time, Flick said in Wolfsburg on Wednesday. “I’m sorry for him too,” added the national coach. The 28-year-old Draxler was nominated again for the DFB selection for the first time in a long time. Flick is not planning a subsequent nomination for Draxler. Previously, Niklas Süle’s corona infection had shaken Flick’s personnel list for the games against Liechtenstein and Armenia. In addition to the Bayern defender, the contacts Joshua Kimmich, Serge Gnabry, Jamal Musiala and Karim Adeyemi had to leave. In addition, Florian Wirtz and Nico Schlotterbeck are out due to muscular problems. Flick nominated Jonathan Tah, Maximilan Arnold, Ridle Baku and Kevin Volland after.
Basketball, NBA: National player Isaiah Hartenstein and the Los Angeles Clippers continue their successful run in the North American professional basketball league NBA. The Californians took their fifth win in a row at 117: 109 against the Portland Trail Blazers and, after a weak start to the season, advanced to the play-off ranks of the Western Conference. Hartenstein showed his strongest performance of the season with 14 points, two rebounds and three assists. In the Eastern Conference, superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo led the stumbling defending champion Milwaukee Bucks to victory. The Greek made a double-double with 31 points and 16 rebounds at 118: 109 at the Philadelphia 76ers. On Monday (local time) the Bucks were guests at the White House as part of their title win in the preseason with US President Joe Biden. But this season, Milwaukee has not really got going with six losses in its first 11 games.
Football, Haaland: Former Bayern defense chief Patrik Andersson advises top striker Erling Haaland to leave Borussia Dortmund. “What he’s missing is a change,” said the Swedish ex-professional to the news portal t-online.de. The 21-year-old Haaland is well on the way to similar strength as Sweden’s football superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic (40). “But in order to get to a level like Zlatan and be able to compare himself to him, he has to take this last step and switch,” said Andersson. The Norwegian Haaland has been playing in Dortmund since January 2020 and still has a contract with BVB until the end of June 2024. He is currently out due to an injury to the hip flexor. Again and again there is speculation about an exit clause and an interest of many European top clubs in an obligation of the attacker. Above all, the Premier League would certainly be an option for Haaland, said Andersson. “Haaland is also a very clever player, he always finds his space – just like Lewandowski. So I could imagine him in other top leagues,” said the 50-year-old, who played in the Bundesliga at Bayern Munich and before played at Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Basketball, suspension: Nikola Jokic, the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the past season, has been suspended for a game after his breakout. The Serb missed the home game of his Denver Nuggets on Thursday night against the Indiana Pacers. The center had knocked down opponent Markieff Morris badly in the game against Miami Heat (113: 96). Morris was fined $ 50,000 for his lead-up fouls. His teammate Jimmy Butler also had to pay a fine of $ 30,000 for “attempting to escalate the dispute,” as the NBA called it. 2:39 minutes were still on the clock when Jokic tried to pass a pass at the center line, but before that he got his elbow in the side of Morris. When Morris left, Jokic pushed him violently to the ground from behind and was disqualified. Before being expelled, he posted a triple-double with 25 points, 15 rebounds and ten assists.