WeeklySA_AdminWOMANDLA REFEREEING FOR ENGLAND VS ANDORRA
An all-woman referring team will take charge of England’s World Cup qualifier in Andorra on saturdat, with Ukraine’s Kateryna Monzul in the middle and compatriots Maryna Striletska and Svitlana Grushko her assistants.
French referee Stephanie Frappart will be the Video Assistant Referee for the Group 1 game at Estadi Nacional, marking the first time an England senior men’s international will have all women referees.Two men are also part of the larget officiating team, with Denys Shurman the forth official while fellow Ukrainian Vikto Matyash set to assist Frappart. Monzul officiated the Uefa Nations League match between San Marino and Gibraltra in November last year as part of the first all-female referring team to take charge of a senior men’s international.
UNEASY LIES HAMILTON’S HEAD AHEAD OF TURKEY
Lewis Hamilton returns to the scene of a memorable triumph in pursuit of a record-equaling third Turkish Grand Prix win this weekend, but wary of more than one threat to his world championship crown.
Eleven months on from a spectacular victory for Mercedes in treacherous rain-hit conditions hat secured him his seventh drivers; title with three races remaining, the 36-year-ol Briton is this year only two points ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen with seven to go.
That knife-edge advantage offers him little protection and he knows also that he may face a grid penalty if forced to take a fresh power unit, as the Dutchman did two weeks ago in Russia, for a contest likely to be run in similar wet weather.
PSYCHOLOGISTS FOR T20 WORLD CUP PLAYERS
Psychologists will monitor players at the T20 World Cup to help cope with the growing number of mental health cases in coronavirus safety bubbles, cricket’s governing body said on Thursday. Pandemic strain has become increasingly apparent in recent months with England’s Ben Stokes on a prolonged mental health break, and their leading players complaining about the pressures of going from bubble to bubble in different tours and tournaments.
A number of players missed or left the conclusion of the Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates because of bio-bubble stress.
And the 16 nations at the world Cup, starting in the UAE and Oman in October 17, will be confined to their hotels for the majority of the month-long tournament.
NEWCASTLE POTENTIALLY ONE OF RICHEST CLUB IN WORLD
Newcastle United’s long and drawn out takeover by a Saudi consortium is nearly complete, a deal that will transform the club into one of the richest in the world. The £305m deal, which will end the 14-year ownership of Mike Ashley, had stalled over the last 18 months because of a TV piracy dispute.
That has now been cleared, paving the way for the takeover to be completed with an announcement perhaps as early as Thursday.
RASSIE MISCONDUCT HEARING ON
SA Rugby director of rugby Rassie Eramus says he is looking forward to facing a World Rugby misconduct hearing. Erasmus was responding after the global governing body confirmed on Thursday that the hearing would take place over the weekend of 30-31 October.
It will be chaired by independent judicial panel chairperson Christopher Quinlan QC and the panel will include Nigel Hampton QC and Judge Mike Mika, both of New Zealand.
Earlier in the year, World Rugby formally charged SA Rugby and Erasmus after he compiled 62-minute video in which he hit out at the officiating, in particular that of Australian referee Nic Berry, following the Springboks’ first Test loss to the British & Irish Lions.
If found guilty, the SA Rugby director of rugby’s punishments could range from a fine to even having the Springboks stripped of their series victory over the Lions.
