F1 driver Perez to miss British GP after COVID-19 positive

Mexican Formula One driver Sergio Perez will miss Sunday’s British Grand Prix after testing positive for COVID-19, his Racing Point team said on Thursday.

The Canadian-owned outfit said the 30-year-old, who is the first driver to test positive since the pandemic-hit season started this month, was “physically well and in good spirits”. With Britain extending the virus isolation period to 10 days from seven on Thursday, Perez also looks set to miss the 70th Anniversary Grand Prix – race five – at the same circuit on the following weekend.

* A mixed relay cross-country race has been proposed for inclusion at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Each team would consist of two men and two women, with each member running two legs of the 2.5 kilometre course, under the proposal announced by World Athletics on Thursday.

* The England women’s team will not participate in the annual SheBelieves Cup next year due to “uncertainties” around the COVID-19 pandemic situation in the United States, British media reported on Thursday. England have taken part in the invitational round-robin tournament every year since its inception in 2016 and were crowned champions last year when they topped the standings ahead of hosts United States, Japan and Brazil.

* Italy’s Serie A soccer league has deferred a decision over a project to sell a minority stake of its media business, as representatives of the country’s top flight clubs have asked for more time to assess private equity fund proposals. Looking for ways to lift flagging revenues and weather the coronavirus crisis, Serie A has asked investors to submit bids to buy a stake of up to 15% in a newly-created media company that would control its broadcast rights.

* The proposed takeover of Premier League club Newcastle United by a Saudi Arabian-backed consortium has collapsed after the group announced they were ending their interest in the deal. The group, which included Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF, PCP Capital Partners and Reuben Brothers, was reported to have made a £300 million bid to buy United from British businessman Mike Ashley.

* Trabzonspor has lost its place in next season’s Champions League after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Thursday dismissed the Turkish club’s appeal against a one-season ban imposed by UEFA. CAS said the sanction had first been imposed after determining in July 2019 that Trabzonspor had failed to be break-even compliant as required by a 2016 agreement and that it had then failed to meet a target fixed for the 2019 financial year.

* England: Six-times world champion Lewis Hamilton is hoping to stay in Formula One for at least three more years. The Mercedes driver, now 35 and out of contract with Mercedes at the end of the year, holds a string of records and is set to surpass Michael Schumacher’s seven titles and 91 wins.

* Borussia Dortmund captain Marco Reus will be sidelined for an indefinite period after failing to recover from injury, the Bundesliga club said as they began pre-season training on Thursday. Germany international Reus has missed most of the year already after suffering a groin problem in February, yet his comeback has now been delayed due to another injury.

* Manchester City have had a 41 million pound bid for Bournemouth central defender Nathan Ake accepted by the relegated south coast team, the Bournemouth Echo reported on Thursday. The 25-year-old Dutch defender was part of Chelsea’s youth system and loaned out to Bournemouth before signing for the Cherries for 20 million pounds in June, 2017.

* Fulham advanced to next week’s Championship playoff final despite a 2-1 home loss to Cardiff City on Thursday after edging past their opponents 3-2 on aggregate. They will face local rivals Brentford, who beat Swansea City by the same aggregate score after Wednesday’s 3-1 victory, in an all south-west London final at Wembley on Tuesday.

Source:  Nhan Dan Online