World Cup 2022: Qatar promises to act on newspaper claims

Qatar insist the 2022 World Cup will not be "built on the blood of innocents" following newspaper allegations about the treatment of migrant workers in the Gulf state.

World governing body Fifa plans to discuss the issue in Zurich on Friday.
But Hassan Al Thawadi, head of Qatar's organising committee, said his organisation was addressing concerns.
"It's not a World Cup being built on the blood of innocents," he said. "That is unacceptable to anybody."

Analysis

David Bond BBC sports editor

Almost three years on from the decision to award the World Cup to Qatar, questions and concerns just keep on growing.
However, one thing is already clear: Whenever or wherever the 2022 World Cup is played, Fifa's reputation and competence has once again been placed under the microscope.

• Read more of David's analysis here

He added that Qatar "will be eradicating these issues" and would retain its right to host the World Cup in 2022.

The Guardian investigation claims:

• At least 44 workers died between 4 June and 8 August, more than half because of heart-related issues or workplace accidents
• There is some evidence of forced labour on a major World Cup infrastructure project
• Nepalese men have not been paid for months, with salaries retained and passports confiscated to limit their movements
• Access to free drinking water on construction sites has been denied on some occasions

Fifa has already registered its concern at the report, but members of its powerful executive committee will discuss the issue in depth on Friday.
As executive members arrived for the start of their two-day meeting at Fifa headquarters in the Swiss city of Zurich, they were greeted by a group of trade unionists protesting outside the gates.

“I personally am convinced that we will have different conditions in Qatar in the future to the ones which we have at the moment”

Fifa spokesman Walter De Gregorio

Members of the Swiss union Unia were among those waving red cards to register their anger at the alleged poor treatment of migrant workers in Qatar.

"There can be no World Cup in Qatar without workers' rights and human rights being adhered to," said Unia spokesman Vasco Pedrina.
"Fifa has a great responsibility. That is why we are showing them the red card today. We are demanding that they intervene very strongly with the Qatari government."
In response, Fifa spokesman Walter De Gregorio said football's world governing body was taking the matter seriously and had been in talks with various trades unions and Human Rights Watch for "a long time".
He added: "We are aware of the problem and we take it very seriously. We are also in talks with the government in Qatar and are trying to assert the pressure that we can.
"I personally am convinced that we will have different conditions in Qatar in the future to the ones which we have at the moment."
Fifa's executive committee will also discuss whether the 2022 tournament should be switched from June and July because of the health risks to players and fans posed by the searing summer temperatures in Qatar.

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Bahrain GP suitability 'could be investigated' says FIA candidate

FIA presidential candidate David Ward would set up an investigation to establish whether Bahrain should hold a grand prix, if he is elected.

The event was cancelled in 2011 after civil unrest, but was reinstated last year by the current head of motorsport's governing body, Jean Todt.
But Ward said Todt was guilty of "poor decision-making".
"The important thing is to be neutral. What is merited is an investigatory visit," he said.

Who is David Ward?

Age: 57
Current roles: Executive secretary of independent commission for global road safety; secretary general of the Global New Car Assessment programme (NCAP), which defines safety standards in road cars
Past experience: Has worked for FIA for last 20 years in a number of roles, including:
Director general of the FIA Foundation (a charity supporting global road safety, the environment and sustainability and funding motorsport safety) from 2001-13 (resigned ahead of declaring he was running for the FIA presidency)
Secretary general FIA court of appeal 2001-6
Before joining the FIA, Ward was chief policy adviser to Labour leader John Smith from 1988-94.

"Look at things on the ground, talk to all sides as far as is possible and make a judgement based on that."

The Bahrain GP was cancelled two years ago after the unrest led to a violent suppression of protests and accusations that authorities had engaged in torture and other human rights abuses.
Todt sent the head of the Spanish motorsport federation on a fact-finding mission to the troubled Gulf state ahead of the reinstatement of the race in 2012 but his report was widely criticised.
Ward and Todt are the only candidates to have declared so far for the 6 December FIA election.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Sport, 58-year-old Englishman Ward said: "I think he was rather badly served in that mission. I felt sorry for him, actually."
Ward, a long-time adviser of former FIA president Max Mosley, said he would send "someone with expertise in the area" to Bahrain, citing as an example Edwin Glasgow QC, who chaired the Bloody Sunday inquiry into the actions of British security forces in Northern Ireland in the 1970s.

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MotoGP : Marc Marquez beats Jorge Lorenzo for Aragon win

Marc Marquez moved closer to winning the championship in his rookie season by clinching the Aragon Grand Prix.

The Spaniard, 20, started on pole but soon lost the lead to compatriot and title rival Jorge Lorenzo.
But Marquez again showed his pace to reclaim the front - leaving Lorenzo to settle for second - and stretch his championship lead to 39 points.
Six-time champion Valentino Rossi was third and Briton Cal Crutchlow sixth, but Dani Pedrosa crashed out.

Spectacular crash ends Pedrosa's race

The slightest of contact between Pedrosa and his team-mate Marquez with 18 laps to go damaged the former's traction control on his Honda, causing it to flip over. Race direction later confirmed the crash is under investigation.
"I'm sorry for that - it's something very unusual to see," said Marquez. "The important thing is that Dani is OK.
The crash dealt a significant blow to Pedrosa's title hopes. Marquez is on 278 championship points to Lorenzo's 239, while Pedrosa is third but now 59 points off the top of the standings with four races left.
Alvaro Bautista finished fourth after being edged out by Rossi late on while Stefan Bradl took fifth.
Lorenzo went into Sunday's race knowing wins were needed to maintain a title challenge in the remaining grands prix.
He started well, stealing first place from Marquez before opening up a bike-length gap from the rest of the pack - and it looked as if the tussle between Marquez and Pedrosa behind him could work in his favour.
A brave, sweeping manoeuvre saw Pedrosa pass his team-mate into second early on and that appeared to set things up for a thrilling battle on the circuit and in the title race.
However, with 18 laps to go, Pedrosa high-sided his bike when coming out of a corner, sending him tumbling across the track.

World championship standings

• Marc Marquez (Spa) - 278
• Jorge Lorenzo (Spa) - 239
• Dani Pedrosa (Spa) - 219
• Valentino Rossi (Ita) - 185
• Cal Crutchlow (GB) - 156

With Pedrosa out of contention, Marquez could focus on Lorenzo and he chipped away at his advantage before moving back in front with 10 laps to go - and he stayed there.

That left the battle for third as the most intriguing, with Bradl and Rossi exchanging places before the latter eventually got the better of the German to claim his fifth podium of the season.

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Premier League: Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas reflects on split with Jose Mourinho

Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas has insisted he has no regrets over ending his "outstanding" working relationship with Jose Mourinho.

Villas-Boas was part of Mourinho's backroom team for seven years, working as a scout for his Portuguese compatriot at Porto, Inter Milan and Chelsea.
But Mourinho refused to elevate Villas-Boas to a more senior position at Inter, and the 35-year-old decided to go out on his own and enjoyed success as Porto boss before going on to manage Chelsea and Tottenham.
The pair will be in opposing dugouts for the first time this Saturday as Mourinho takes his side to White Hart Lane, and Villas-Boas is adamant he made the right choice to part company with his mentor.
"I don't lose any sleep," said the Spurs boss. "Our break-up point was because I was full of ambition to give him something extra and I wanted further involvement from the job I was doing at that time.

"We had a great personal and professional relationship before that we don't have now."

Andre Villas-Boas

"I felt I could give him much more. But he didn't feel the need for somebody near to him or in another position as an assistant, and because of that it was decided that it was time, after Inter Milan, to continue our careers (apart)."
Villas-Boas also believes he can no longer consider himself a friend of Mourinho, adding: "We had a great personal and professional relationship before that we don't have now.
"I don't think we need explanations. But our relationship broke down. I think we have the mutual respect for each other and we understand what we have been through cannot just disappear, but it's not like it was before."
Villas-Boas also believes that Chelsea consider Spurs a dangerous threat to their title ambitions after Mourinho signed Willian from under their noses and also rejected Tottenham's approach for Juan Mata.
"I suppose that is a sign of evolution from Tottenham and our ambitions," he added. "It is normal. Last year we were fighting for the same objectives in the end so I suppose they wouldn't like to strengthen a rival."

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New York City to host NBA All-Star 2015

NBA All-Star Friday and Saturday Night Events to be held at Barclays Center;
64th NBA All-Star Game to be played at Madison Square Garden
 Official Release
 
NEW YORK -- New York City has been selected to host NBA All-Star 2015, NBA Commissioner David Stern announced today. New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg; James L. Dolan, Executive Chairman, The Madison Square Garden Company; Hank J. Ratner, President and CEO, The Madison Square Garden Company; Irina Pavlova, President, ONEXIM Sports and Entertainment Holding USA, Inc.; and Bruce C. Ratner, majority owner and developer of Barclays Center and Executive Chairman of Forest City Ratner Companies, joined Commissioner Stern and Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver for the announcement at the NBA Partner Forum held at Industria Superstudio in New York City.

The 64th NBA All-Star Game will be played at Madison Square Garden, home of the New York Knicks, on Sunday, Feb.15, 2015. The BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and State Farm All-Star Saturday Night - including the Sears Shooting Stars, Taco Bell Skills Challenge, Foot Locker Three-Point Contest and Sprite Slam Dunk - will be held at Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets.
As part of NBA All-Star 2015, the NBA and its partners will host a variety of community, grassroots and fan events throughout the city's five boroughs (The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island). This will mark the fifth time that NBA All-Star will take place in New York, having been held previously at Madison Square Garden in 1954, 1955, 1968 and 1998.
"New York offers an extraordinary opportunity to host NBA All-Star events at two world-class venues," said Stern. "We look forward to celebrating our game with basketball fans across the entire city, in all five boroughs."
"New York City is the basketball capital of the world and the sport's biggest stage," said Mayor Bloomberg. "We're lucky enough to have two world-class arenas, and the only thing better than having All-Star weekend at Madison Square Garden or the Barclays Center is having it at both of them. The weekend's activities mean tens of thousands of visitors to the City and lots of activity for local businesses, plus a week of community service events around the five boroughs led by the NBA, which has a terrific record of giving back. We're thrilled and looking forward to cheering on the stars."

For the 13th consecutive year, the 2015 NBA All-Star Game will be televised in primetime on TNT. It will be the 31st year that Turner Sports provides NBA All-Star coverage. The 2015 NBA All-Star Game will be broadcast to a worldwide audience in 215 countries and territories and in more than 40 languages.
"We are honored to host the greatest players in the NBA in the newly transformed World's Most Famous Arena for the 2015 All-Star Game," said Dolan. "Over its 134-year history, Madison Square Garden has been privileged to host some of sports most defining and enduring moments and we are thrilled to add this prestigious event to The Garden's illustrious history. We look forward to working with the City of New York, the NBA and the Brooklyn Nets to make the event a celebration of basketball for all New Yorkers to enjoy."
"We are thrilled to welcome the 2015 NBA All-Star festivities on Friday and Saturday to Barclays Center," said Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov. "Brooklyn has produced some of the greatest players in NBA history, so it's fitting to hold All-Star events in the 'Borough of Basketball.' We are looking forward to showing fans and the players a memorable experience in our state-of-the-art venue, and we are also excited to bring the All-Star Game to Barclays Center in the very near future."
"Barclays Center is proud to welcome such an exciting event as All-Star '15 and to continue bringing the best to Brooklyn," said Bruce C. Ratner. "We are delighted to join with New York City, the NBA and Madison Square Garden for a wonderful weekend. Basketball may have been invented in Springfield, Mass., but its heart and soul are in NYC through and through."
"Madison Square Garden has been a celebrated center of New York since it first opened its doors in 1879. This fall, with the completion of our three-year Transformation, The World's Most Famous Arena will also become the world's most state-of-the-art arena," said Hank Ratner. "2015 will mark our fifth time hosting the All-Star Game, and we look forward to providing yet another unforgettable experience for the great basketball fans of New York."

NBA All-Star is an event with deep roots in New York City, reaching back to the 1954 game (the fourth NBA All-Star Game overall), where the Madison Square Garden faithful saw the Celtics' Bob Cousy tally10 points in overtime en route to MVP honors as the East recorded a 98-93 win over the West. Boston had a second consecutive All-Star Game MVP in 1955 as Bill Sharman scored 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter of the East's 100-91 win over the West in the second NBA All-Star Game played at Madison Square Garden. Philadelphia's Hal Greer shot 8-of-8 from the floor and notched 21 points during the third NBA All-Star Game played in New York City, a 144-124 East win in 1968. In 1998, the most recent contest in New York, Michael Jordan garnered MVP honors as he scored 23 points and added eight assists and six rebounds during a 135-114 victory for the East.
NBA All-Star competitions will get underway on Friday, Feb. 13, as the league's top rookies and second-year players take the court in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge. Saturday's festivities will feature State Farm All-Star Saturday Night, an all-inclusive skills showcase comprised of Sears Shooting Stars, a competition featuring NBA and WNBA players, and NBA legends; Taco Bell Skills Challenge, a contest of top guards working against the clock to complete a series of passes, free throws, layups and agility drills; Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, a longstanding staple of the evening; and the high-flying Sprite Slam Dunk. Sunday's slate of activities will also feature a Sprint Pregame Concert before the 64th NBA All-Star Game tips off.
The NBA will continue to demonstrate its commitment to social responsibility during NBA All-Star 2015 with a full schedule of NBA Cares events. NBA Cares will partner with schools, government and local nonprofit organizations in New York and surrounding areas to highlight the league's grassroots and community initiatives that reach millions of young people and their parents, while providing critical resources to community-based programs.

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Anthony Joshua to face unbeaten Italian in first pro fight

Joshua has joined the paid ranks after taking gold in last year's Olympic Games and will face the 32-year-old
Leo in his first heavyweight bout at London's 02 Arena, live on Sky Sports.
Leo has picked up eight wins, three by first-round knockout, but this will be the first time he has fought outside his home country.
The 6'6" tall Joshua will have a height advantage over his opponent, who picked up a points win in his last outing in September.
Joshua signed a deal with Matchroom promotions in July and will be hoping to impress when he appears on the undercard of Scott Quigg's world title clash.
Quigg was due to fight Yoandris Salinas for the WBA super-bantamweight belt on the David Haye-Tyson Fury bill before it was axed last weekend.
The Bury fighter's clash against the unbeaten Cuban has been switched to the capital and will headline the card.
Kevin Mitchell also returns to the ring against tough Mexican Marco Lopez, while Lee Selby defends his British and Commonwealth featherweight titles against Ryan Walsh.
Joshua's fellow Olympic gold medallist Luke Campbell has his second pro bout and unbeaten Prizefighter champions Larry Ekundayo and Glenn Foot will collide in a welterweight clash.
Another Prizefighter champion, Wadi Camacho battles former British title holder Tony Conquest at cruiserweight.

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Johanna Konta withdraws during Ningbo quarter-final

Britain's Johanna Konta withdrew midway through her quarter-final against Johanna Larsson in the International Women's Tennis Open in Ningbo after suffering an abdominal strain.

The British number three was in good form, having reached the last eight in Guangzhou last week.
The 22-year-old started brightly, winning the first set 6-2 against her Swedish opponent.
Larsson won the second 6-3 to force a decider but Konta pulled out.

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