Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar has been ruled out for four weeks due to a hip injury and will miss the Champions League round-of-16 first leg clash with Barcelona at Camp Nou on Feb. 16.

The Brazil international came off injured during PSG's 1-0 victory over Caen on Wednesday and test results the following day showed the extent of the damage.

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"Neymar suffered an injury to the left abductor on Wednesday evening," a PSG statement read. "On analysis of the clinical examination and imaging examinations, he will be unavailable for approximately four weeks depending on the course."

Exactly four weeks from the night he suffered the injury would bring Neymar to March 10, which is when the return leg between PSG and Barcelona and Parc des Princes takes place.

Neymar expressed "great pain" and "immense sadness" in a post on his Instagram account on Thursday. He questioned his style of play, the criticism he receives, and wondered how much longer he can continue enjoying the game.

"Sometimes I feel uncomfortable with my style of play, because I dribble and end up getting beaten up constantly," he said. "I don't know if the problem is me or what I do on the field. This really makes me sad.

"It makes me too sad to have to hear from a player, coach, commentator or whoever that 'he has to be beaten,' 'he's a diver,' 'he's a whiner,' 'child,' 'spoiled,' etc. Honestly this saddens me and I don't know how long I can take it. I just want to be happy playing football. Nothing more."

Neymar left Barca for PSG in the summer of 2017 in a world record €222 million transfer and this would have been his first return since then.

He was instrumental in the last meeting between the two sides in the Champions League, when Barca recovered from a 4-0 first-leg deficit to win the return 6-1. Neymar, then at Barca, scored two and provided the assist for Sergi Roberto's stoppage time goal which sealed a memorable comeback.

He was also instrumental in the last meeting between these two sides in the Champions League with Barca recovered from a 4-0 first leg defeat to win the return 6-1 with Neymar scoring two and providing the assist for Sergi Roberto's stoppage time goal which sealed the famous win.

PSG, who were beaten finalists in last season's Champions League, will already be without the injured Angel Di Maria for the Barca game, who injured his thigh last Sunday against Marseille.

Neymar will also miss league matches against Nice, AS Monaco, Dijon and Bordeaux. PSG are third in Ligue 1, three points behind leaders Lille

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Bluegreen Vacation Duels at Daytona Int’l Speedway on Thursday evening will set the field for the 63rd Daytona 500 this Sunday.

Hendrick Motorsports teammates Alex Bowman and William Byron are the only drivers whose starting positions have been set, with Bowman and Byron qualifying on the front row for the Great American Race during Wednesday’s qualifying session.

The remainder of the 40-car starting lineup will be set Thursday. In addition, the final two drivers to earn their spots in the Daytona 500 will be decided during the Duel races.

Ryan Preece and David Ragan secured guaranteed starting positions in the Daytona 500 based on their qualifying times on Wednesday.

The highest finishing Open drivers, drivers who don’t have a guaranteed starting position via a NASCAR charter, will earn positions in the Daytona 500 field.

If Preece or Ragan finish highest among the Open drivers in either Duel race, then the next fastest driver during Daytona 500 qualifying will earn a place in the race.

The six drivers vying for the final two spots in the 63rd Daytona 500 are Noah Gragson, Ty Dillon, Timmy Hill, Austin Cindric, Kaz Grala and Garrett Smithley.

Duel No. 1 Starting Lineup

Duel No. 2 Starting Lineup

LONDON – DS Automobiles officials have announced that the team has committed to the Gen3 era of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship starting in season nine.

The sole French manufacturer on the Formula E grid, DS Automobiles has been involved since season two, partnering with Chinese racing team TECHEETAH since the start of the Gen2 era in season five.

Together, the duo has become a formidable force, claiming two consecutive driver and teams’ championships, seven race wins and 15 podiums to date.

DS Automobiles is the only competitor to have produced two different driver champions. French driver and DS E-TENSE ambassador Jean-Eric Vergne took the title in season four and five. His Portuguese teammate, Antonio Felix da Costa, is the reigning Formula E champion.

Formula E enables DS Automobiles to promote its electrification strategy, contributing to it becoming the car manufacturer with the lowest CO2 average emissions in Europe in 2020. The race-to-road technology transfer can also be traced in the fully-electric DS 3 CROSSBACK and the DS 7 CROSSBACK, DS 4 and DS 9 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

“Electrification is at the core of DS Automobiles’ global strategy,” said DS Automobiles Director General Beatrice Foucher. “We have been the first premium car maker to enter Formula E and our brand has significantly benefitted from the work and the successes of DS Performance, both in terms of development and brand awareness. If today DS Automobiles is the multienergy constructor with the lowest average of CO2 emissions in Europe, it is also thanks to the expertise acquired in Formula E. Extending our commitment to 2026 will offer us new opportunities to continue our development work.”

The Gen3 era focuses on delivering a new generation of progress both as a sport, reaffirming Formula E’s position as the pinnacle of electric racing, and in the future of electric mobility. Gen3 will bring performance and efficiency benefits including more powerful, lighter cars, faster charging and cost controls, all increasing the competitive and unpredictable racing Formula E has become known for.

“DS Automobiles was one of the first manufacturers to join Formula E when teams began developing the powertrains of their racing cars and it is inspiring to see the extensive fleet of electric vehicles they have introduced to the streets since,” said Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle. “I am delighted that Formula E’s only back-to-back double champions have secured a place on the grid for season nine as it reaffirms Formula E’s position as a technology proving ground and marketing platform for the world’s leading automotive manufacturers. We look forward to breaking new ground during the next phase of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship with DS Automobiles.”

After missing almost all of last season with the lingering effects of a concussion, Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw is again in the concussion protocol.

The team made the announcement Thursday, adding that defenseman Connor Murphy is out 10-14 days with a hip injury.

Shaw, 29, has a history of concussions and admitted in January that during the long layoff he considered retirement.

Blackhawks coach Jeremy Colliton said Shaw suffered the injury by being elbowed in the face. The Blackhawks last played Tuesday in Dallas. Colliton, whose own NHL career was cut short by head injuries, said Thursday that "it's terrible, it's tough" that Shaw is back in the protocol.

The feisty Shaw won two Stanley Cups with Chicago and was a fan favorite before being traded to Montreal in 2016. The Blackhawks reacquired him in the summer of 2019. He has one more season after this one on his contract with a cap hit of $3.9 million.

Murphy didn't skate in Tuesday's game due to the injury. He has been arguably the Blackhawks' most consistent defenseman over the past year.

Portuguese referee Luis Godinho and his family have received death threats after he sent off two FC Porto players in the 1-1 draw at Braga in a Cup match on Wednesday, the country's Referee's Council has said in a statement.

Godinho dismissed Porto duo Luis Diaz and Matheus Uribe in the Taca de Portugal semifinal, first leg.

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The game was marred by a serious injury to Braga's David Carmo, which caused a lengthy stoppage after the ambulance broke down and had to be pushed from the field by players.

The challenge on Carmo resulted in Diaz being given his marching orders after 70 minutes.

Uribe was shown a red card seven minutes into added time for a headbutt before Braga equalised five minutes later.

"The threats received are being treated as something extremely serious," the Referee's Council said in a statement on Thursday.

"In the last few hours, referees telephone numbers have again been published on social media, which constitutes an incitement to violence and an unbearable attack on their privacy...

"The Referee's Council strongly condemns these threats, which unfortunately are not new to our football, and wants the police authorities to be able to intervene and bring to justice those who act in such a vile manner."

Porto president Pinto da Costa criticised the officials' performance after the game. It was not the first time this season the club had felt hard done by due to match officials.

Local media reports also said the club criticised the officials' display in their daily newsletter, which was sent to fans.

Australia batsman Shaun Marsh, New Zealand allrounder Corey Anderson and former South Africa fast bowler Morne Morkel are part of the 17 new names to feature among the 292 players shortlisted for the 2021 IPL auction, scheduled in Chennai on February 18. The auction pool, whittled down from 1097, includes 164 Indian players, 125 overseas players and three from the Associate countries.

A total of 61 slots have to be filled by the eight franchises including 22 overseas players. There are 10, including the Indian pair of Harbhajan Singh and Kedar Jadhav, that have listed the maximum base price of INR 2 crore (US $274,000). The other eight are: Glenn Maxwell, Steven Smith (both Australia), Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Liam Plunkett, Jason Roy and Mark Wood (England) and Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan. South Afrcian batsman Colin Ingram, who had originally been part of the highest base price bracket, is no longer part of it.

In a note to the franchises, the IPL said the auction, which is scheduled to start at 1500 IST, will start with the capped international players whose names will come down based on their speciality: batsmen, allrounders, wicketkeeper-batsmen, fast bowlers and spin bowlers. The same order will be followed for uncapped players.

The IPL also said that the accelerated process is set to start after player 87. "The accelerated process will cover all the unpresented players and unsold players, with the unpresented players appearing first."

Of the 17 new names, which were added subsequently on request of the franchises, there are four capped players in Marsh, Anderson, Morkel and Australian fast bowler Jack Wildermuth. Marsh, the left-hand batsman, who once made headlines playing for Kings XI Punjab, has listed his base price at INR 1.5 crore (US $206,000 approximately).

Morkel, too, has listed the same base price. The former South African fast man has played for three IPL franchises: Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders. Recently Morkel, who is 36, turned up to bowl for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League. Wildermuth, Morkel's Heat team-mate, who played two T20Is for Australia, has listed his base price at INR 50 lakhs. Anderson, who last played for Barbados Tridents in the 2020 Caribbean Premier League, has listed his base price at INR 75 lakhs (US $103,000).

At 16, uncapped Afghanistan left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad is the youngest player in the auction pool. Ahmad, who recently featured in the BBL for Melbourne Renegades, has listed his base price at INR 20 lakhs. The youngest Indian in the pool is uncapped Nagaland legspinner Khrievitso Kense, who impressed IPL scouts during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Kense, too, is in the lowest base price bracket of INR 20 lakhs.

The oldest player to feature in the auction is 42-year-old spinner Nayan Doshi, son of former Indian left-arm spinner Dilip Doshi. Nayan, who lives in England, previously represented Saurashtra, and has listed his base price at INR 20 lakhs.

Also listed among the new names is Sadiq Kirmani, son of former India wicketkeer Syed Kirmani. The 31-year-old Sadiq, too, is a wicketkeeper batsman, but has played just two List A matches for Karnataka.

Former India fast bowler Sreesanth, who returned to the game recently after serving a five-year ban, is not part of the final list. Sreesanth had set his base price at INR 75 lakhs (US $103,000), having played the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Kerala in January.

Shakib Al Hasan will miss Bangladesh's tour of New Zealand later this month as the BCB granted him paternity leave for the duration of the entire tour. According to BCB cricket operations chairman Akram Khan, board president Nazmul Hassan spoke with Shakib before the decision was made.

"Shakib is not going [to New Zealand]. He applied [for leave] to stay with his [expecting] wife. After talking to the board president, we granted him leave," Khan said.

Shakib's thigh strain forced him out of the ongoing Dhaka Test against West Indies. He is currently recovering under the BCB's medical team.

Khan said that the Bangladesh touring party is likely to leave for New Zealand on February 24, nine days after the Dhaka Test ends. The players will not have a training camp in Dhaka, as they will only have a short time with their family before getting into a hard quarantine in New Zealand.

"The chances of holding a camp in Bangladesh are low. It's very difficult to keep players in quarantine or bio-bubble all the time. After this series we will send them on vacation. After that, we might take them from here to there [New Zealand] and train."

Spanish second seed Rafael Nadal will meet Britain's Cameron Norrie in the Australian Open third round after both won their matches on Thursday.

British number three Norrie eventually beat Russia's Roman Safiullin to reach the last 32 for the first time.

After a long rain delay, Norrie clinched a 3-6 7-5 6-3 7-6 (7-3) win.

Norrie looked tight as he failed to serve out a landmark victory at 6-5, but regained his composure to win a tense fourth-set tie-break and tee up a first career-meeting with Nadal.

The Briton roared in celebration after landing a first serve which Safiullin could only return into the net on the first of his three match points.

When told Nadal had also clinched victory a few minutes earlier, Norrie replied: "Sweet. For someone like me, I don't think about the draw but I saw yesterday he was next to me.

"I've never played him before so it will be a great match, a great experience. I can't wait to show him what I've got."

Norrie came through after three hours and 31 minutes on court, but almost six hours after he first started playing Russian qualifier Safiullin on the outside court eight.

The pair were tied at 1-1 in the fourth set when rain forced them off for almost an hour and a half.

With the weather failing to improve, it looked like they may have to return on Friday to complete their match.

However, good fortune came their way in the shape of American Jessica Pegula thrashing Australian wildcard Sam Stosur 6-0 6-1 in just 50 minutes, allowing them to resume on Margaret Court Arena at almost 22:30 local time.

On Melbourne Park's second show court, Norrie started quickly with the backing of a boisterous crowd which had stayed behind to watch the bonus action.

The world number 69 pushed for another break of serve in their first game back, but was unable to convert any of three opportunities before Safiullin closed out a much-needed hold.

More pressure came from the Briton at 5-5 and, after making several unforced errors as five more break points disappeared, benefitted from Safiullin clipping the net to secure a 6-5 advantage.

Norrie - who beat British number one Dan Evans in the first round - was not able to serve out victory, but regained focus to dominate the tie-break.

"I used the crowd to my advantage, you were great," he told them afterwards.

"Playing on court eight and then coming inside to Margaret Court Arena, it was definitely a different match after that.

"We both raised our level and I'm happy to come through."

Nadal laughs off bizarre heckling incident

Nadal was playing next door to Norrie on the Rod Laver Arena and the manner of his victory against Mmah - ranked 175 places lower than the world number two - was much more straightforward than the Briton's nervy finish.

The 2009 champion showed no signs of the back spasms which troubled him in the build-up to the tournament, although there was one mishap - which was nothing to do with his opponent.

Instead, it was a rowdy spectator who broke Nadal's rhythm. The woman disrupted the match by shouting obscenities and gesturing rudely as he prepared to serve for the second set.

A bemused Nadal asked if she was directing the abuse at him and laughed off the incident, only to be stopped again as she continued.

Eventually she had to be escorted out of the stadium by security, with cheers from the rest of the crowd accompanying her.

Unruffled, Nadal served out the set with a hold to love and went on to clinch the match with two more breaks in the third set.

The bizarre incident became the major talking point of a routine win - with the video clips flooding social media - and Nadal again saw the funny side in his on-court interview.

Asked if he knew the woman, a laughing Nadal said: "No - and honestly I don't want to know."

He added: "Maybe she took too much gin or tequila. I don't know. Honestly, it was a strange situation but funny at the same time."

Squash aims to get Infront with new media, marketing and gambling deal
By ALAN THATCHER – Squash Mad Editor

The PSA is aiming to reinvigorate the sport on multiple business fronts following a deal with Swiss marketing company Infront.

The eight-year agreement was announced today, with Infront taking a minority share in a new PSA division called Squash Media and Marketing.

Infront is a division of the Wanda Sports company, headquartered in China. Providing marketing support to future Olympic bids is one of the areas being explored.

An additional target on the horizon, possibly in partnership with the World Squash Federation, could be to develop the game in China.

The PSA already handles communications and sponsorship for the WSF and, as well as this new set-up building revenue streams for the PSA, the same energy needs to be addressed to the grass roots of the game to ensure that the pro scene has a future audience to underpin all of these developments.

The PSA released the following statement today:

Equity investment and comprehensive media, betting, marketing and digital rights agreement to cover next eight seasons

Zug, Switzerland / Leeds, UK (February 11, 2021) — The Professional Squash Association (PSA) has signed a landmark multi-year agreement with Infront, a Wanda Sports Group company, which will see the leading sports marketing agency become a strategic commercial partner of the global governing body for professional squash.

As part of the collaboration, Infront will acquire a minority stake in Squash Media & Marketing (SMM), a newly created PSA entity which will manage and exploit the commercial rights for the PSA and its key stakeholders moving forward with a view to accelerate the development of the sport.

Infront will look after the monetisation of the full scope of media, betting, sponsorship and digital rights of all SMM controlled properties until the end of the 2028-2029 season which includes the most significant squash tournaments in the world, such as the PSA World Championships and PSA World Tour Finals.

The scope also covers a full redevelopment of SQUASHTV, the PSA’s wholly owned OTT video streaming platform, alongside the introduction of a revamped digital strategy.

Infront will have the opportunity to leverage its global network and expertise to attract potential sponsors to the sport, help globalise the PSA World Tour and support the World Squash Federation (WSF) and the PSA in their quest to get squash included in the Olympic Games.

Julien Ternisien, Senior Vice President Summer Sports Infront said: “This new collaboration goes beyond a traditional agreement and we are investing in our belief that squash can further elevate itself to a broader audience.

“Our aim is to bring this dynamic and exciting sport to a wider community by combining our experience in traditional broadcast, OTT media, digital and sponsorship with PSA’s expertise in putting on world-class events. We are looking forward to witnessing just how far we can grow the exposure of squash over the next eight seasons.”

Alex Gough, the Chief Executive Officer of the PSA, is looking forward to the collaboration with Infront. He said: “We are excited to partner with Infront and take squash to the next level.

“Over the past decade we have built a strong media product based around the incredible athleticism and skills of the world’s best squash players with the support of our current partners, but the time is now there to work together with a global powerhouse in sports.

“Our ambitions have always been clear: we want to see squash at the top table of sport, and this new collaboration with Infront means we are taking big strides towards achieving that aim.

“This is a statement of intent from the PSA and we have no doubt that this modern structure combined with a long-term commitment from our new partner will usher the sport into a new era.”

About Infront.

Connecting fans and consumers to the greatest sports events, Infront, a Wanda Sports Group company, offers everything an event or commercial partner needs to be successful. With a team of around 1,000 experts working from 43 offices across 16 countries around the world, Infront is equipped to tackle any challenge – be it innovative digital solutions, world-class event operations, international media rights distribution, sponsorship sales and activations or cutting-edge media production. Headquartered in Switzerland, Infront is passionate and #AllAboutSports. @infrontsports

www.infront.sport 

Picture courtesy of PSA

IRVINE, Calif. – Due to COVID-19 and the uncertainty of the Circuit of The Americas round of its series, MotoAmerica officials have announced it will add a third HONOS Superbike race to the final two rounds of the championship at New Jersey Motorsports Park (Sept. 10-12) and Barber Motorsports Park (Sept. 17-19).

The third HONOS Superbike race at the Barber Motorsports Park round will replace the King of the Baggers race, which has been removed from the schedule due to a lack of sufficient track time. Additionally, based on feedback about the close timing to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, MotoAmerica has decided to remove the King of the Baggers round at Pittsburgh Int’l Race Complex from the schedule.

The new three-round King of the Baggers schedule is: Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta (April 30-May 2), Road America (June 11-13) and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (July 9-11).

With COVID-19 also forcing a change in last year’s schedule, MotoAmerica held three HONOS Superbike races at the final two rounds at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to ensure a 20-race Superbike Championship. The New Jersey Motorsports Park and Barber Motorsports Park rounds featuring three HONOS Superbike races there in 2021, will allow the season to consist of 20 races, a mainstay of the MotoAmerica Superbike Championship since 2017.

“Adding the extra Superbike race to the final two rounds last year worked out well,” said MotoAmerica President Wayne Rainey. “It guarantees us a 20-race season, and with so many points on the table, adds even more excitement to an already wide-open championship. It was a tough decision to run three King of the Baggers rounds instead of five in 2021, but we took logistics at Barber into account with the third Superbike race. Sturgis is also such a huge event for the Bagger aftermarket industry. It’s important for them to have a presence there and we didn’t want to complicate plans with a round at Pitt Race so close to the rally.”