SPORTS

Melbourne, Australia | AFP | The Australian Open’s new balls this year are dividing opinion at Melbourne Park, with even the two greatest men’s Grand Slam winners of all-time failing to see eye-to-eye. Roger Federer, winner of 20 Slams, says the new Japanese-made Dunlop balls behave differently in cooler night …

Madrid, Spain | AFP | Antoine Griezmann scored one and set up another but could not prevent Atletico Madrid tumbling out of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday as Girona progressed on away goals after a thrilling 3-3 draw. Real Madrid and Sevilla each avoided upsets, their first-leg victories proving …

Paris, France | AFP | It was honours even between Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira as the old France and Arsenal teammates clashed for the first time as coaches on Wednesday in a controversy-laden 1-1 draw between Monaco and Nice. The presence of the two greats in the respective dugouts …

Kampala, Uganda | AGNES E NANTABA | Andrew Stewart Tamale, also known as Andy Skillz, is a 22 year old freestyle footballer who reigns as two time East African free style champion. Freestyle football is a sport in which athletes compete to perform various tricks using a football. The game remains …

Melbourne, Australia | AFP | Roger Federer ground out a tough three-set win to make the Australian Open third round for an incredible 20th straight year Thursday and stay on track for a seventh title, with defending champion Caroline Wozniacki also safely through. But it was curtains for South African fifth seed Kevin Anderson, who …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Gourav Mukhi went from being celebrated as the youngest goal scorer in the history of the Indian Super League to being suspended for six months, after authorities found that he wasn’t actually 16-years-old, but 28. His troubles started back in October, when the Jamshedpur FC …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Newcastle survived an FA Cup scare at Blackburn as they blew a two-goal lead before hitting back to win 4-2 after extra time in Tuesday’s third-round replay. Rafael Benitez sent out an under-strength line-up featuring eight changes from Newcastle’s 2-1 defeat at Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday. …

Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | Gabriel Jesus says his confidence has soared after his recent goal glut, vowing that Manchester City will not let up in their pursuit of Premier League leaders Liverpool. The Brazil striker scored another two, taking his tally to seven in three appearances, as City beat Wolves 3-0 on Monday …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to be sidelined for up to a month with knee damage, leaving the Premier League leaders short of defensive options. The England international sustained a problem in the warm-up before Saturday’s 1-0 win at Brighton but played the full 90 minutes. However, he now …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | French midfielder Paul Pogba says Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s arrival as interim manager at Manchester United has not only sparked his return to form but also put a smile back on his face. The 25-year-old — an integral figure in France’s World Cup triumph last year — has shown the …