LONDON, Jan 6 (Reuters) – West Ham United midfielder Tomas Soucek described the decision to award Nottingham Forest a match-winning 89th-minute penalty as a joke on Tuesday after a defeat that left his side in deep relegation trouble. Grizzled Czech Soucek had a hand in West Ham going in front after 13 minutes when his … Read more
KUALA LUMPUR: Christo Popov’s historic World Tour Finals triumph was the result of years of careful planning and development rather than an overnight breakthrough. The 23-year-old became the first French player to win the season-ending Finals in Hangzhou, China, last month and credited France’s national setup for laying the foundation behind the country’s rise in … Read more
KUALA LUMPUR: The local fans’ support will keep men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia going. Zii Jia, who was making his comeback in the Malaysian Open after an injury-riddled 2025, suffered a 12-21, 17-21 defeat at the hands of India’s world No. 32 Ayush Shetty at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil on Tuesday (Jan 6). The … Read more
KUALA LUMPUR: South Korean sensation An Se-young is refusing to let fatigue stop her as she chases more badminton records this year. The 23-year-old Se-young won a whopping 11 titles last year in the women’s singles including the prestigious season-ending World Tour Finals in Hangzhou just a little over two weeks ago. This year, Se-young … Read more
KUALA LUMPUR: Local badminton coaches can deliver too. That belief is why former men’s doubles national shuttler Koo Kien Keat admitted he was disappointed after missing out on a top coaching role with the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM). Kien Keat revealed that BAM had offered him an assistant coach position last year, but he … Read more
KUALA LUMPUR: Women’s doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah are fired up to chase down China’s world No. 1 Liu Shengshu-Tan Ning this year. World No. 2 Pearly-Thinaah enjoyed a fine 2025 and were rewarded with RM50,000 cash incentive from 100Plus on Monday (Jan 5) after capturing gold in the Thailand SEA Games last month. Power … Read more
KUALA LUMPUR: Shuttler Leong Jun Hao is not letting the ongoing structural changes in the national men’s singles department distract him from his task in the Malaysian Open starting today at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil. The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) are currently in the midst of shaking up the coaching structure in the men’s … Read more
KUALA LUMPUR: Former national shuttler Koo Kien Keat has been left disappointed after missing out on a coaching role in the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM). Kien Keat said BAM did offer him a position as assistant coach last year but he was unhappy with the role as he was eyeing the men’s doubles head … Read more
KUALA LUMPUR: A perfect record against an opponent does not guarantee a win. Mixed doubles shuttlers Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei know this all too well and are taking a cautious approach in their opening match against world No. 10 Indonesia’s Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Pasaribu in the Malaysian Open Tuesday (Jan 6), despite holding a 6-0 … Read more
Jan 3 (Reuters) – Barcelona coach Hansi Flick hailed Joan Garcia as one of the best goalkeepers in the world after the former Espanyol player delivered a decisive performance against his old club in a Catalan derby on Saturday. Garcia was instrumental in Barcelona’s 2-0 victory, producing a series of outstanding saves, with the league … Read more