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The approach of the BCCI, which these days is the deciding factor for any decision by the ICC, is taking the game one step behind. Call it pressure or bulldozing but the ICC has allowed BCCI to have its way in taking the Hawk-eye or the Virtual-eye out of the mandatory UDRS. The reasoning for BCCIs reluctance to Hawk/Virtual-eye appears absurd viz. it is not 100% accurate. A simple counter argument to this hypothesis would be the accuracy of the run-out decisions that are inferred with the aid of the square cameras....

The teams last clashed in the 2014-15 semi-finals which the Old Lady of Turin won on an aggregate scoreline of 3-2. However, they failed at the final hurdle after losing out to a supremely talented Barcelona side. Since the introduction of the new format in 1997, no team has been able to win the Champions League title in succession but Real Madrid seem determined to break the hoodoo. Interestingly, both of Juventus’ Champions League final triumphs have come against the defending champions....

The 32 clubs that qualified for the group stage — 26 automatic qualifiers along with six teams that earned berths via the qualifying rounds — found out their fate as the names were pulled out of the pots at the glitzy ceremony. The eight groups are set and there is an obvious candidate for Group of Death: Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Inter Milan are the big names in Group C, which also features Czech side Viktoria Plzen....

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The new pitch, it said on Tuesday, would be transported from the Netherlands and installed by Friday ahead of a last-16 match on Sunday and a quarter-final on July 1. UEFA added in a statement that it was also repairing pitches in Marseille and Saint-Denis, where the showcase Stade de France is located. Almost halfway through the month-long, 24-team tournament, the demands on pitches have never been greater at a European Championship finals....

Tournament favorite Barcelona will take on 9th-place Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt. The German club already knocked out Spanish opposition, Real Betis, in the Round of 16. Barcelona will host the second leg of the series. Premier League side West Ham got a tough draw against talented French side Lyon, which is underachieving in Ligue 1 (9th place), but which boasts a star-studded roster. A Hammers run to the final would include a potential semifinal against Barcelona should both teams advance into the final four....

And this is why the competition will have two English teams again with Champions League winner Liverpool facing Europa League champions Chelsea. Below, we take a look at the five pre-match talking points ahead of the clash of the European champions. #1 Super Cup history Last year Atletico Madrid walked away with the Super Cup after defeating Real Madrid. This year it’s between Liverpool and Chelsea. That said, neither Liverpool nor Chelsea are novices of the Super Cup....

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FIFA members have agreed to a proposal put forward by new president Gianni Infantino to increase the tournament to 48 teams for its 2026 edition, but the breakdown by region is yet to be determined. WATCH: Memphis nets first Lyon goal Speculation has suggested UEFA will see its current allocation of 13 places increased to 16, which Ceferin - who was elected to replace Michel Platini in September - has indicated he would be satisfied with....

UEFA says starting next season clubs “may register three new eligible players without any restrictions.” Current rules mean Barcelona cannot select Philippe Coutinho in the Champions League because he played for Liverpool in this season’s group stage. And Arsenal cannot select Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the Europa League because previous club Borussia Dortmund switched to the same competition’s knockout rounds after he played in the Champions League. UEFA says the change brings its competitions into line with national leagues, which do not limit January signings’ right to play....

“I used a little speed, a little blitz to cover the gaps,” Woodley told Joe Rogan after the fight. “Something told me the right hand would be open.” The knockout was the quickest title change in the history of the UFC welterweight division. Here’s a breakdown of all the night’s action at UFC 201: MORE: Must-see UFC photos 12:08: It is time for the UFC 201 main event as Robbie Lawler defends the UFC welterweight title against Tyron Woodley....

But things don’t go always as planned, and Nunes blasted Rousey in 48 seconds to retain the belt. Rousey proved to be no match for Nunes, whose powerful punches from the outset were too much for the former champion in front of standing-room only crowd of 18,533 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. MORE: UFC 207 full results and analysis Watching the fight numerous times since it ended, something became evident....

McGregor was attacked in the Octagon after tapping out to lose the bout in the fourth round, with two individuals climbing in from ringside to confront the Irishman. MORE: Join DAZN and watch more than 80 fight nights a year Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, leapt out of the cage to spark a mass brawl in the crowd as he went in pursuit of Dillon Danis — a member of McGregor’s team....

A lot has changed since then, but one thing that has remained the same is the 35-year-old’s belief in his skills inside the cage and his potential to do great things in the UFC, which is why three years later, Cannonier is not surprised to find himself days away from sharing the Octagon with Brazilian legend Anderson Silva in a crucial middleweight contest that serves as the co-main event of UFC 237....

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the card has changed dramatically over the last month. Initially set to be headlined by the long-awaited Lightweight title clash between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, the show will now be headlined by an Interim title fight between Ferguson and top contender Justin Gaethje. The rest of the card has seen plenty of changes too. The ongoing pandemic, which has caused chaos across the sporting world, has meant that the show planned for this weekend looks wildly different to even the scrapped Lemoore show....

Maintaining his composure throughout the bout, Hardy eventually marked another win in the UFC, despite being rocked on in the early stages of the bout by De Castro. Greg Hardy marks another win at UFC 249 Greg Hady started-off tonight’s UFC 249 main card by picking yet another huge win for himself, as the former NFL player secured a victory over Yorgan De Castro via unanimous decision. In the initial stages of the fight, Hardy found himself in quite a tough situation, thanks to a few solid bombs from De Castro, however, the former did utilize a lot of head movement and used it perfectly to his advantage....

The scores read 49-46, 50-45 and 50-44, but the fight was a lot closer than that. It was an intense battle; Volkanovski used his relentless pressure to wear down Ortega, but that almost ended up being his undoing in the third round. Volkanovski was ahead when he walked into a right hand that put him down. Ortega sensed the opportunity and pounced on his fallen opponent intending to submit the Australian....

In the wake of the Brazilian’s performance on the UFC 268 preliminary card, Jon Jones tweeted his thoughts on the UFC’s middleweight division moving forward: Only a handful of fights into his career, Alex Pereira is something of a mysterious force on the MMA scene. Pereira is hailed as the only fighter to have bested UFC middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya - albeit in kickboxing. His victories over Adesanya have sparked plenty of interest in his arrival in the UFC cage....

In a press conference earlier, he announced the launch of ‘Eagle Mobile’ in Moscow for now, with plans to expand to other regions soon. He has also purchased Gorilla Fighting Championship and announced that it would be repackaged as Eagle Fighting Championship and aired on UFC Fight Pass. In the press conference, Khabib Nurmagomedov answered several questions, including what his reaction would be if he came face to face with Conor McGregor in the near future....

In the main event, Alexander Volkov picked up a big second-round TKO win against Alistair Overeem. The co-main event saw Cory Sandhagen knocking out fight game veteran Frankie Edgar in devastating fashion with a flying knee in the first round. In the main card opening encounter, Beneil Dariush picked up a unanimous decision victory over Carlos Diego Ferreira in their lightweight encounter at UFC Vegas 18. As another enthralling Fight Night goes into the books, we look at the three biggest winners and the two biggest losers from UFC Vegas 18....