Prime News Ghana

Top sports stories: Champions League final moved to Paris, Europa League draw revealed, Russian Grand Prix cancelled ... plus more

By Vincent Ashitey
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Catch up on some of the sports stories you may have missed on Primenewsghana.

 

Check out full draw of Europa League last 16 as Barcelona get Galatasaray

Barcelona will face Galatasaray in the last-16 of the Europa League, while West Ham have been paired with six-time winners Sevilla.

Elsewhere, Scottish champions Rangers take on Red Star Belgrade and RB Leipzig must overcome Spartak Moscow in order to reach the quarter-finals.

There are two meetings between French and Portuguese sides, as Braga face Monaco and Porto tackle Lyon, while Atalanta come up against Bayer Leverkusen and Real Betis square off against Eintracht Frankfurt.

UEFA moves Champions League final from Russia to Paris

UEFA on Friday voted to move this season’s Champions League final to Paris as punishment for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The final on May 28, had been scheduled to be played in St. Petersburg, in a stadium built for 2018 World Cup and financed by the Russian energy giant Gazprom, a major UEFA sponsor.

Instead it will take place at the Stade de France, in the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis. It will be the first time France has hosted the final since 2006.

Why FIFA has suspended Kenya and Zimbabwe

World football governing body FIFA has suspended Kenya and Zimbabwe, president Giani Infantino has confirmed.

At a press conference held on Thursday, Infantino confirmed the development. Kenya's Ministry of Sports - under Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed -suspended the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) in November 2021 and appointed a caretaker committee that took charge of soccer activities in the country.

In Zimbabwe, the country's federation was suspended by the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) in November 2021 also. While the government-appointed commission disbanded ZIFA, it cited some of the reasons, including alleged sexual harassment of female referees by technical staff and allegations of fraud, as the basis of their action.

Russian Grand Prix cancelled following invasion of Ukraine

The Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix has been cancelled as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.

An F1 statement said it had been agreed at a meeting of stakeholders “that it is impossible to hold the Russian Grand Prix in the current circumstances”.

New world No.1 Medvedev and Nadal to renew rivalry in Acapulco semis

New world number one Daniil Medvedev defeated Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka 6-2 6-3 in Acapulco on Thursday to storm into the semi-finals of the ATP 500 event, where he will take on Rafa Nadal in an Australian Open final rematch.

Medvedev, who took the court hours after Novak Djokovic’s quarter-final loss in Dubai meant the Russian would replace him atop the rankings, converted six break points and fired down 12 aces, including one to seal the match.

“It’s not easy, actually, to play a match when you get this (news) during the day,” Medvedev said in his on-court interview when asked about becoming world number one.