Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...
I Dig Sports

I Dig Sports

Dongfeng Fengshen sponsors top-tier ITTF events

Published in Table Tennis
Wednesday, 06 November 2019 21:38

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is pleased to announce that Dongfeng Fengshen will be Major Partner of three highly prestigious, end-of-year events.

Already a partner of the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA), Dongfeng Fengshen will have exclusivity in the automobile manufacturing category of the trio of events, which will grip the world of table tennis over the coming weeks:

Taking place this week in Tokyo, the Team World Cup sees 12 of the strongest national associations, in each of the men’s and women’s competitions, battle for glory.

This year’s edition serves as a test event for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and Dongfeng Fengshen joins an illustrious line-up of partners, already including Japanese agricultural giant ZEN-NOH as Title Sponsor and worldwide leader in IT, networking and cybersecurity solutions Cisco Systems as Official Sponsor.

The Men’s World Cup pits 16 of the globe’s best male players against one another. A star-studded cast awaits, including World champion Ma Long (CHN), Asian Cup champion Fan Zhendong (CHN), Europe Cup champion Dimitrij Ovtcharov (GER), Pan American Cup champion Hugo Calderano (BRA), Africa Cup champion Omar Assar (EGY) and Oceania Cup champion Heming Hu (AUS), as well as evergreen legends Timo Boll (GER) and Vladimir Samsonov (BLR) alongside ever-growing talents Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN) and Lin Yun-Ju (TPE).

The ITTF World Tour Grand Finals provide the most spectacular stage to bring the curtain down on an unforgettable 12 months of ITTF World Tour action, as the world’s greatest table tennis stars battle it out for the much-coveted end-of-year titles and $1 million USD total prize purse – the highest on offer in the sport.

The event will feature many of the biggest names in table tennis, who accumulated the highest number of points over the course of the year’s ITTF World Tour, among those eligible: 16 players in each of the men’s and women’s singles competitions and 8 pairs in each of the men’s, women’s and mixed doubles categories. An extra special ingredient of the 2019 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals is that the best 4 mixed doubles pairs in Zhengzhou will seal direct qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

“We are very honoured to work with the ITTF and make a contribution to the sport of table tennis in China. The Team World Cup will kick off in Tokyo very soon. Team spirit is what counts here and, on behalf of Dongfeng Fengshen, we hope that Team China will achieve good results and bring glory to the country.

“Ma Long and Fan Zhendong will be representing China at the Men’s World Cup in Chengdu and we wish them the very best. Meanwhile, the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals will see the top 4 mixed doubles pairs qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games, and so we expect a very intense battle to take place in Zhengzhou.” – Yan Hongbin, Deputy General Manager at Dongfeng Fengshen

“On behalf of the ITTF, I thank Dongfeng Fengshen for their immense support of international table tennis. This represents an important part of Dongfeng Fengshen’s strategy within our sport after partnering already with CCTTA.

“We hope that the ITTF can help to grow Dongfeng Fengshen’s brand across the globe through these top-tier events, and we also hope that we can work together with them for the further development of table tennis.” – Xu Yi, Head of Sponsorship (China) at ITTF

Please follow and like us:

Blues' Steen out with apparent lower-body injury

Published in Hockey
Wednesday, 06 November 2019 21:05

Forward Alexander Steen left the St. Louis Blues' 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday because of an apparent lower-body injury.

Steen had to be helped off the ice after an awkward collision with Alex Chiasson late in the second period.

The Blues said Steen will be reevaluated Thursday but had no other details on his status.

Blues get De La Rose from Red Wings for Fabbri

Published in Hockey
Wednesday, 06 November 2019 21:37

EDMONTON, Alberta -- The St. Louis Blues acquired forward Jacob De La Rose from the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night in exchange for forward Robby Fabbri.

The 24-year-old De La Rose had a goal and three assists in 16 games for the Red Wings this season. The Swede has 12 goals and 20 assists in 195 regular-season games with Montreal and Detroit.

The 23-year-old Fabbri had a goal in nine games for the Blues this season. He has 32 goals and 41 assists in 164 regular-season games, all with the Blues. He appeared in 10 playoff games last season to help St. Louis win the Stanley Cup.

St. Louis beat Edmonton 5-2 on Wednesday night for its sixth straight victory. Detroit lost 5-1 at the New York Rangers, the Red Wings' fourth straight loss. They are 1-11-1 in their past 13 games.

Mane calls Guardiola's diving comments 'clever'

Published in Soccer
Wednesday, 06 November 2019 19:53

Sadio Mane says he will probably be watched more carefully by Sunday's referee because of Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola's "clever" comments about diving, but the Liverpool forward has no intention of changing the way he plays.

Guardiola said last weekend that Mane dived sometimes, after the forward was booked in the first half against Aston Villa for simulation, though the City boss has since walked back his comments.

Leaders Liverpool host champions City in a Premier League showdown on Sunday and Sane said the timing of Guardiola's accusation was no coincidence.

"I think it's a bit clever from him to get the attention of the referee, but I will just play my football like I'm always doing," Mane told British media.

The Senegal forward added that the comments mattered little to him.

"I don't pay attention to what he's saying because it's part of football," he added. "If the 'dive' will give me a penalty then I will do it. Why not? But what coach Jurgen [Klopp] said is correct. I do not dive."

The truth of Steven Smith, batting and captaincy

Published in Cricket
Wednesday, 06 November 2019 20:59

All year, seemingly, the debate has carried on, the questions many but all related. How will not having the Australian captaincy affect Steven Smith? How much better did Smith perform in England because he was not captain? When should he be returned to the Australian captaincy, if ever? How would the pressures of captaincy affect the output we saw during the Ashes?

Intriguingly, the debate has arrived at a very neat point of Smith's Test career, in terms of splitting his terms as captain and not captain in two. As of the end of the Oval Test, the final match of a series in which Smith was the clear difference between Australia retaining the Ashes and failing to do so, he had played 34 matches as captain of the national team, and 34 as just another member of the XI.

Asked in Perth on Wednesday evening whether or not the "pressure" of returning to captaincy would have a negative impact on his batting - his exploits in England aside, more recently he also has strong displays in the Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan - Smith recalled his own statistical split, with a fair degree of accuracy.

"I actually think I play better with pressure, that extra pressure when the team needs something more and things like that," Smith said in Perth. "My record probably is better when I'm captain than when I'm not. That sort of pressure doesn't really bother me. But I'm not thinking about captaincy or anything at this point in time. I'm really comfortable where I'm at and I'm enjoying what I'm doing."

As for a quick fact-check on Smith's recall, yes, he is quite right. In 34 Tests as a player, Smith has averaged 59.17 while scoring 3314 runs and compiling 11 centuries. Impressive as that may sound, it is dwarfed by his returns in 34 Tests as captain: 3659 runs at 70.36, with 15 centuries. The argument for leadership detracting from Smith's batting does, in this light, look somewhat hollow.

"My record probably is better when I'm captain than when I'm not. That sort of pressure doesn't really bother me" Steven Smith

But, as ever, there are more nuanced ways to look at things. There are numerous phases Smith's Test career can be grouped into, both as captain and as a player. The first, from mid-2010 until January 2011, saw the youthful, precocious Smith's first five Tests, a period in which he is universally regarded as having struggled to cope with Test cricket before he was quite ready for it. An unclear commission, as neither fully fledged batsman nor specialist spin bowler, did not help as he tallied 259 runs and zero hundreds at a tick over 28.

Phase two began in early 2013 on an Indian tour Australia lost 4-0. Here, Smith demonstrated that he had developed considerably as a batsman, but it took a little while for his talents to be seen in full, as he grappled with overseas conditions, experienced bowlers and his own self doubts about gaining a secure place in the national team. Over this period, running up until late 2014, his returns grew steadily, ultimately tallying 1490 runs in 18 matches at 51.37 with five centuries.

It was at this point that Cricket Australia, requiring a new leader after Michael Clarke was invalided out of the 2014-15 India home Test series with hamstring and back problems, chose to elevate Smith to captaincy rather than handing the role to a more experienced temporary captain such as Brad Haddin. Smith, surrounded by a strong group of senior players and operating in home conditions, bloomed into the first truly prolific series of his career: 555 runs in three Tests as captain after having made a century in the first as a batsman alone, with three further hundreds at an average of 92.50.

At summer's end, the switch was made back to Clarke in time for the latter stages of the 2015 World Cup, and he would go on to lead the Australians on a dual Test tour of the West Indies and England. Smith, returning to the ranks, churned out 791 runs in seven matches, tallying three centuries - including scores of 215 and 199 - and averaging 71.90, a handsome return if somewhat diminished by a critical run of low scores in the pivotal Birmingham and Nottingham Tests against England that saw the Ashes lost.

Clarke's retirement returned Smith to captaincy, this time as the full-fledged leader for the biggest single continuous chunk of matches in his career, lasting from late 2015 until March 2018 and the Newlands scandal. A far bigger sample size, in which Smith was able to compile 3104 runs over 46 completed innings with 12 centuries, meaning an average of 67.47.

It was not a period without troughs. Series against Sri Lanka and South Africa in 2016 were notable for reduced output, as were tours of Bangladesh in 2017 and finally South Africa in 2018. The longer Smith's captaincy went on, the harder it appeared for him to maintain the level he had established earlier on, and a notable feature of 2017-18 was how he clearly dialled down his scoring rate in order to mitigate risk and stay at the crease.

Nonetheless, those numbers created considerable doubt in the minds of many as to what exactly Smith would do when he returned to Test cricket in England this year as a batsman alone. The outcome, of course, was a glut of runs from a visibly refreshed and hungry player, in some of the most difficult batting conditions of his career, split up by a serious blow to the head from Jofra Archer at Lord's that cost him the Headingley Test due to concussion. His return effort, a double-century at Old Trafford as the urn was retained by a team led by Tim Paine, will live long in the memory. So too will 774 runs from four matches at 110.57.

One thing that brings a fairer split to the captain versus non-captain records for Smith is to eliminate his first five, formative Test matches, to count only those in which he was clearly playing as a batsman alone. That brings his non-captaincy average up to 65 from 47 innings, as opposed to 70.36 from 52 completed innings as captain - a far less yawning gap that can be closed further should the counter begin at the time of the 2013 Perth Test against England, the moment Smith himself has reckoned to be the day he first felt at home as a Test batsman.

But perhaps the most telling way to look at Smith as a captain and non-captain is to examine his trends. As a captain, Smith had the advantage of starting near to the peak of his batting powers in late 2014, meaning his average as a leader was 80.50 at the end of his first Test as captain, then 92.50 at the conclusion of his first series. Over time, with a few exceptions, that average has gradually dipped - as of the end of the fateful 2018 trip to South Africa, not sitting above 80 since the 2016 Sri Lanka tour. A fabulous start with a gradual trend downwards.

Out of the 22 Test series in which Smith has played, he has averaged better than 45 in 12 of them. Of the 10 others, six are clustered amid Smith's first seven series as a batsman, between 2010 and 2014. But the other four sit close together among his final six series as Test captain, from 2016 to 2018. The longer Smith's captaincy went on, the more frequent his struggles became.

As a batsman only, though, we may in fact be yet to see exactly how much Smith is capable of. By starting so modestly, he gave himself plenty of upside, and with each passing opportunity to "just bat" he has delivered more and more to whoever happens to be fortunate enough to captain Smith at the time. Paine has been the most recent beneficiary, as Smith's non-captaincy average surged up towards 60 even when including those first five Tests.

So, in conclusion, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that as a Test captain, Smith has a superior batting record that will be hard to improve upon. However as a Test batsman alone, there is ample reason to expect that he has the capacity to keep trending up for some time to come. A law of increasing, rather than diminishing, returns is what Australia's Test team will need most.

CM Gautam, Abrar Kazi arrested on spot-fixing charges

Published in Cricket
Wednesday, 06 November 2019 22:11

Former Karnataka Ranji players CM Gautam and Abrar Kazi have been arrested on charges of spot-fixing in the Karnataka Premier League (KPL) final earlier this year. Gautam, captain of Bellary Tuskers, and his team-mate Kazi allegedly accepted Rs 20 lakh (approximately $28,000) for "slow batting" in the tournament final against Hubli Tigers, which the Tuskers lost by eight runs.

Gautam and Kazi are also alleged to have been involved in fixing another match, against the Bengaluru Blasters.

Gautam is one of the biggest names in Karnataka cricket and was a central figure in the Karnataka team that won back-to-back domestic trebles in 2013-14 and 2014-15. He moved to Goa this season after nine years with his home team and was named their captain for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy which begins on Friday. The state association is yet to respond to the news.

"The CCB has made two important arrests in the KPL spot-fixing scandal," Sandeep Patil, the Joint Commissioner of Police, told ESPNcricinfo in a text message. "Bellary team captain CM Gautum and Abrar Kazi were arrested. They did spot-fixing in KPL 2019 finals between Hubli and Bellary. They were paid Rs 20 lakhs for slow batting. Also, they fixed another match against the Bangalore team. Further investigations are on and more arrests will be made."

Today's arrests come a day after Karnataka Police's Central Crime Branch (CCB) arrested another player, Nishant Shekhawat, for allegedly acting as an intermediary between bookies and players. As of Thursday, seven people - including four players - have been arrested in relation to fixing in the KPL. More arrests are expected, the CCB said.

Gautam is by far the highest profile name to emerge in the KPL fixing scandal, which broke in September with the arrest of Belagavi Panthers owner Ali Asfak Thara, and the consequent suspension of the franchise. Gautam was a long-term deputy of Vinay Kumar, and stood in for him in three matches 2013, captaining a team with the likes of Robin Uthappa, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, and Manish Pandey. Gautam also played for India A and has played for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians, and Delhi Daredevils in the IPL.

Kazi, a bowling allrounder who also played under Gautam at some point, had a more stop-start career with Karnataka before moving onto Nagaland last year and making three 150+ scores as a middle-order batsman. He transferred to Mizoram at the start of this season. Kazi has played a solitary game for RCB.

Gilchrist backs Paine as Australia's Test captain and keeper

Published in Cricket
Wednesday, 06 November 2019 21:49

Adam Gilchrist believes Tim Paine is still the best available wicketkeeper and captain for Australia's Test team.

Paine's batting form in the Ashes - one fifty from ten innings at an average of 20 - has led to concerns about whether he merits selection in Australia's first-choice Test XI, with Alex Carey waiting in the wings. Gilchrist's comments echoed those of Cricket Australia chief Kevin Roberts, who unequivocally backed Paine to "continue leading from the front the way he has done so far".

Speaking at an event in Mumbai, Gilchrist rated Paine as being "on par with anyone in the world as gloveman", and said he has done a "wonderful job [as captain]" since he took over from Steven Smith after the events in Newlands.

"[If you look at] what he took on, when he took it on, he in partnership with [coach] Justin [Langer] and all the players have done a remarkable job over the past 12 months to just get a nice, stable balance back. I can't see any rush to push him out, as long as he's still performing, like we all had to, to stay in the team. Like every other player, he's got a hold of his spot in the team as being selected as the best available option for that player type. I think he's doing a wonderful job [as captain]."

Gilchrist, who works as a Fox Cricket commentator, is also a notable mentor for Carey, who recently spoke to ESPNcricinfo about their relationship: "I'm fortunate enough to have a good relationship with him now and I guess through the Big Bash it probably started with him as a commentator and myself getting into the Strikers team. It developed from that. The funny thing with Gilly and I, we don't really talk a lot about cricket when we catch up, which I think is a good thing as well. We have a great relationship away from the game, talking about footy, talking about family, rather than the skill sets on the field."

Australia have had an unbeaten start to their home summer, winning all four of their T20Is so far, as they build up to the first-ever T20 World Cup on Australian soil, the only global tournament the men's side haven't won yet. Gilchrist is backing them to "start as one of the favourite teams" playing at home, "even though 12 months is a long time [and things can change]". Asked to stick his neck out and predict a winner, he named "the usual suspects like India, England, Australia and New Zealand", the same four sides from this year's 50-over World Cup to make it to the semi-finals.

"I think Australia are really well placed seeing how they've started the summer. They love the conditions, they play well in the bigger grounds. We've got everyone available now and probably for the first time, Australia are looking to pick their best XI regularly [for bilaterals] rather than just for the World Cups. They're probably still working out whether they should play two spin bowlers or one spinner with a batting allrounder like Mitch Marsh or [Marcus] Stoinis.

"Ashton Agar is doing a really good job, and if you look at all the successful bowlers in T20 around the world, they're all spinners. Nine out of the top ten I think are spinners". Australia have one of their own spinners, Adam Zampa, among the top ten, and Gilchrist is optimistic of their chances given "they've got a really well balanced squad" and "have time to work out" their ideal combination for the World Cup".

LSU's Burrow the Heisman favorite, Murray says

Published in Breaking News
Wednesday, 06 November 2019 20:36

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray knows a Heisman Trophy winner when he sees one.

And he thinks one quarterback has started to separate himself from the pack thus far this season.

Murray, who won the coveted trophy in December, was asked Wednesday for his thoughts on this year's Heisman race, which still has about a month to be decided.

"Our guy (Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts) kind of took a hit with that loss," said Murray, the former Sooners quarterback. "I think right now, if somebody had to win, it'd probably be Joe Burrow."

Burrow, who's second in the nation with 2,805 passing yards, leads ESPN's Heisman Watch with 47 points. Ohio State defensive end Chase Young is second with 32 and Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is third with 29. Hurts is fourth with 26.

Burrow leads LSU, which debuted second in the first College Football Playoff rankings despite being the AP's No. 1 team, to Tuscaloosa on Saturday to face Alabama, which is No. 3 in the CFP rankings and second in the AP Top 25.

Burrow has completed 78.8 percent of his passes and averages 10.8 yards per completion. He's thrown 30 touchdowns against four interceptions while getting sacked 15 times.

Hurts, who transferred from Alabama and replaced Murray as Oklahoma's starting quarterback, has thrown for 2,469 yards and 21 touchdowns against three interceptions.

Carber Banks $5,000 TRD Micro Showdown Payday

Published in Racing
Wednesday, 06 November 2019 19:53

SALISBURY, N.C. – Micro sprint veteran Brian Carber picked up one of the biggest victories of his career with a wire-to-wire performance in the TRD Micro Showdown Wednesday at Millbridge Speedway.

Carber, who earned the pole with a perfect preliminary score of 600 points after leading his qualifying flight, winning his heat race and winning his qualifier, jumped out to the lead at the start of the 30-lap winged micro feature at the sixth-mile dirt oval and never looked back after that.

The Pipersville, Pa., native mastered lap traffic in the second half of the event, holding off a pair of determined Bright brothers down the home stretch to bank the $5,000 winner’s share.

Carber, whose brother is a front-end mechanic on the No. 9 NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 of Chase Elliott, crossed under the checkered flag .824 seconds in front of Tuesday night victor Alex Bright.

“I guess I can afford to live here for the week now,” Carber joked in victory lane. “Man, I’m just happy to be out here. Gable’s Service Center, Evo Fuel Injection, Hyper Racing and Factory Kahne gave us a great package here tonight, and we hit on a lot of great things that I think will help us going forward.

“Hopefully we can get to Tulsa (for the Shootout) and we can get something going there in January.”

After the race, Carber stopped short of calling Wednesday’s score the biggest win of his racing career, but admitted that it’s “right up there.”

“I’m pretty excited; all my buddies are here, along with my brother and my family,” Carber noted. “That all combines to make this really special. Last year we went out and won the Non-Wing World Championship, and now to come here and win this deal is amazing. Everyone behind me let me run wild this week and we made it all pay off tonight to take home the big payday.”

Brenden Bright passed his brother Alex for the runner-up position just past the halfway point of the 30-lap main event, but tagged the outside wall off turn two on the final lap to give the spot back up.

“It was lap traffic,” said Brenden Bright, who finished third, of what cost him a shot at the win. “I don’t know what they were doing trying to race everyone, but it’s just the way it happens sometimes. We were fast, but congrats to Brian. He was fast all night and he deserves this. He runs good everywhere he goes and this was awesome for him. I just wish we could have pulled it off for our team owner Bob Hummer. He gave me an awesome car to come down here with.

“I tried to make most out of this one, but it just didn’t happen the way we wanted it to tonight.”

Austin Quick crossed the line fourth and 15-year-old Indiana young gun Emerson Axsom was fifth.

Jaxon Bishop, Ryan Timms, Scotty Milan, Daison Pursley and James Morris, who rebounded from a wild Tuesday night flip and barely stole a B-main transfer spot to make the show, completed the top 10.

To view complete race results, advance to the next page.

Mess-xit: Is it time for Lionel Messi to leave Barcelona?

Published in Soccer
Tuesday, 05 November 2019 16:00

Your assignment this week is a pleasurable one.

Stop what you're doing and imagine you are Lionel Messi. Full-on, please. Turn your attention to "intense" and answer me this: "If indeed you were Messi, would you be planning to leave Barcelona in the summer?" Serious question. And if not, why not?

The question arises for a number of good reasons.

Exhibit A: the performance in the 3-1 defeat to Levante at the weekend. Set aside the fact that Paco Lopez's side has either beaten Barca or tested them to the absolute extreme in four of their last six meetings. This was, by a distance, the most miserable of all those Levante experiences for Ernesto Valverde and his players.

Without taking anything away from the Levante coach's clear understanding of how to damage Spain's champions, and his knowledge of where their soft underbelly lies, Barcelona's performance at the Ciutat de Valencia stadium resembled one of two things. Either the humiliations in Paris, Turin, Rome and Liverpool that haunt the last few seasons of Luis Enrique and Valverde's European campaigns, or some of the gutless, lifeless performances at the end of 2007-08 when Frank Rijkaard's reign withered on the vine and they collected just 13 points from the last 39 available to them in La Liga that season.

Face the facts: On Saturday, the Spanish champions, in defeat to a Levante side against whom they led 1-0 with only 29 minutes left, showed the same lethargy, lack of competitive spirit and lack of intensity as in the months prior to a revolutionary overhaul of the entire playing and coaching environment at Camp Nou and the introduction of Pep Guardiola.

What about Messi? As is routine, he was his team's most threatening player and could have scored a hat trick, but looked disenchanted, repeatedly got caught in possession and, in fact, looked utterly dispirited with what was happening around him.

Yes, it's true that other results leave them top of La Liga. And sure, despite how threateningly Slavia Prague played when the Czech champions ripped into Valverde's team for the second time in two weeks, Barca refused to succumb to their first home defeat in the Champions League for six-and-a-half years and stayed top of Group F with two matchdays remaining.

After Tuesday's 0-0 draw, Valverde stated that things weren't so bad, while Gerard Pique talked about only a "little patience" being needed before things go well. If you were Messi, would those be the key things on your mind? I don't think so.

- Koeman open to Barcelona job after Euro 2020
- Barcelona tracking Leverkusen wonderkid Kai Havertz

The manner of the loss in Levante didn't just resemble the fin de siècle listlessness of 2008 or the recent list of European hammerings: Rather, it was a repetition of the first half in San Mames this season, the defeat at Granada and the bookends of drawing 2-2 at Osasuna when Valverde's team opened limply and finished as if they had better things to be getting on with. Barca's sluggishness and helplessness in the face of pace, intensity and self-belief is happening more often.

I've given you Messi-like freedom to total all these factors up and start to think as he might. Do I want to waste the last two or three great years of my career while the people in charge make a continued hash of regeneration and revitalisation in order for us to win in Europe? Win a Treble?

What would you do if you were him? If he called you and asked you, what would you advise him?

At this point in the assignment, let's be practical. Messi has recently been emphatic that it's not currently in his plans to play elsewhere, that his intention is to make Barcelona European champions again. He's pointed out that his three kids are happy and settled in Barcelona and underlined how important that is to him. But in the spate of recent interviews he's given, each one an extremely good, relaxed and informative discussion, there have been other clues.

It's patently clear that he has no intention of hanging around Camp Nou, fiddling while Rome burns, simply because his salary is stratospheric. I believe the players and coaches, competitive animals all of them, who warn me that they've never experienced anything like Messi's hunger to compete and win. For example he himself told RAC1 radio: "Obviously, I want to win and I want to win at this club ... but I want to keep competing and winning."

But other reasons for asking you what you'd do in Messi's shoes aren't just concerned with what's been revealed about his contract, but the very simple fact that the news came out at all, the fact that someone actively leaked such details and what it all signifies -- both for Barcelona's greatest-ever player and the hawks (the world's great clubs) who are watching greedily from the sidelines.

play
0:56

Valverde may have 'ran his course' at Barcelona

Janusz Michallik questions whether Ernesto Valverde has much time left at Barcelona after their loss vs. Levante.

The fact is, as of Jan. 1, Messi's contract allows him to negotiate with rival football clubs and, in the most extreme hypothesis, sign a deal that commits him to leaving FC Barcelona next June. So, I ask you: "In his position, would you go? And which clubs would you push your representatives to contact?

It's an important subject not just because of the impoverished nature of what's going on around Messi. And mark my words, it's around him rather than about him.

Taking into account the injury that kept him sidelined at the beginning of the 2019-20 season, Messi has already rescued/carried/inspired his team on a variety of occasions since turning 32. And in what must count as one of the most humiliating defeats in the club's entire history, at Anfield last season, Messi played sensationally, tormenting Liverpool, creating a hatful of chances to give the Catalan club their vital away goal and leaving Virgil van Dijk still convinced that Messi's not only the greatest player ever but that he merits the 2019 Ballon D'Or.

However, stop to consider this. Who leaked the details in Messi's contract to El Pais newspaper in September? FC Barcelona? Messi's entourage?

There is, as physical laws teach us, no action without an equal and opposite reaction. Whoever leaked the fact that, as of June 2020, Messi is free to choose to leave Barca without a transfer fee did so with an agenda. If someone at the club leaked it then it's because they want to test whether, without them looking culpable, they could rid themselves of a salary commitment of tens of millions of Euros. (Some would tell you that between his salary and what Barcelona must pay in tax to give Messi a net income, the total outlay would be in the region of €65 million.)

If it was someone from Team Messi then it's a kite-flying exercise. Essentially, what, precisely, is out there for Leo in the unlikely event that he chooses to leave?

Please note that once the other media picked up the remarkable story and ran with it, first Pique confirmed it, then President Bartomeu attempted a "nothing to see here, keep moving on folks" tactic. In an interview with leading Catalan editors, Bartomeu confirmed the clause exists, said it was no big deal because of Messi's loyalty to the club, stated that Xavi and Carles Puyol had had similar clauses, but he spoke openly about it.

I think it's significant that he chose not to "plead the Fifth."

When asked about it, Messi very pointedly said: "I can't confirm anything because there are confidentiality agreements in our contracts. I want to be at Barcelona as long as possible. I've said throughout my career that this is my home. But I also don't want to have a long-term contract and only be here because of it.

"I want to be here because physically I'm fine, to play and be an important member of the squad.

"And as I said before, I need see there's a winning team because I want to keep winning things at this club.

"For me, money or a clause don't mean anything. Other things motivate me and the most important thing is having a winning team."

Reading between the lines, the use of "confidentiality agreements" implies that Messi was probably not impressed at Bartomeu confirming the news. Not to mention the use of phrases like "physically fine" and "the most important thing is having a winning team."

In another interview, Messi very pointedly absolved Valverde for the defeat at Liverpool and blamed "the players," not excluding himself from that self-analysis.

That, in itself, is an extremely pointed message to the club. The message is: "Renew the squad, find better, elite and winning footballers ... or else."

And don't worry, whether or not they are jockeying him into assessing a move away, whether to Manchester City, Inter Miami, joining Neymar at Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona's power brokers still pore over every Messi declaration with fervor, examining and interpreting every nuance.

Messi's message is that a certain core of this Barcelona squad was "blocked" by memories of their listless, limp thrashings in Paris, Turin and Rome when Anfield came around. Now the defeats at Granada, San Mames and Ciutat de Valencia are starting to hint that the malaise is spreading domestically too.

At a time when your best-ever playing partner (Luis Suarez) is slowing down, increasingly bothered by injuries, in the middle of a four-year away-goal drought in the Champions League, when "fresh bloods" like Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann have yet to light the blue touch paper ... wouldn't it be natural for Messi to be looking around and just making damn sure that there isn't greener more succulent grass elsewhere?

In his shoes, what precisely would you do?

Stay and accept your lot? Stay but start to give a series of long, clear, informative interviews until fans and sponsors picked up the message and started to demand changes at the club? Stay but adopt a diva's attitude to the transfer market and demand that specific key players were brought as reinforcements and certain underperforming players moved out?

Or would you weigh up a "repatriation" with Pep, a reunion with Neymar or an elopement with Suarez to David Beckham's Miami project?

It's a lovely dilemma, albeit hypothetical, and one where we who argue it have nothing personal at stake. However, it's a tough, draining, frustrating, risky one if you're a 32-year-old who yearns to win two or three more Champions Leagues in order to compensate for the World Cup that now seems unlikely to ever be passed into your eager hands.

What should he do?

Soccer

Could star players really go on strike over football's packed schedule?

Could star players really go on strike over football's packed schedule?

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsPlayer frustration over playing too many games and not getting enou...

Fulham investigate amid Al Fayed rape allegations

Fulham investigate amid Al Fayed rape allegations

EmailPrintPremier League side Fulham have said they are investigating whether anyone associated with...

Spurs' Ange on Solanke critics: 'Do some yoga'

Spurs' Ange on Solanke critics: 'Do some yoga'

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsAnge Postecoglou has called for patience from anyone rushing to jud...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

Raptors forward Brown undergoes knee surgery

Raptors forward Brown undergoes knee surgery

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsToronto Raptors forward Bruce Brown underwent arthroscopic surgery...

Free agent G Harris, F Hauser sign with Hawks

Free agent G Harris, F Hauser sign with Hawks

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe Atlanta Hawks signed free agent guard Kevon Harris and forward...

Baseball

Mets plate 10 in 3 straight games for first time

Mets plate 10 in 3 straight games for first time

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK -- The New York Mets scored double-digit runs in three str...

Soto to get X-rays after 'scary' slide into wall

Soto to get X-rays after 'scary' slide into wall

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsOne day after clinching a postseason berth, the New York Yankees re...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated