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08/04 05:13 CDT The Latest: French club friendly off after player infected
The Latest: French club friendly off after player infected
By The Associated Press
The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the
world:
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A preseason friendly between French soccer clubs Marseille and Montpellier has
been canceled due to a suspected case of coronavirus.
The clubs said in a joint statement that Wednesday's match at Stade Velodrome
in Marseille was scrapped as a measure of precaution.
According to regional newspaper Midi Libre, a Montpellier player whose identity
was not revealed is suspected to have caught the virus. The player, who was
tested with the whole team on Monday, will undergo another test this week, the
newspaper said.
Montpellier had been forced to cancel another preparation match last month
after a player from local rival club Sete was diagnosed with the virus.
Midi Libre said four young players from Montpellier academy also tested
positive for the virus last week.
The French league is to start on Aug. 21.
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The German men's ice hockey league will start its new season in November, more
than eight months after the coronavirus stopped play.
The league says its clubs agreed on the Nov. 13 date to begin the 2020-21
season and they're drawing up plans to have fans in the arenas, subject to
approval from German authorities.
The league played its last games on March 8 and was suspended with the regular
season complete and the playoffs due to begin. The season was canceled and no
champion was declared.
Hockey has been slow to return in Germany because the league and clubs rejected
the option of playing in empty arenas. They argued that they would lose money
by hosting games without fans.
The league says there will be a "preparation tournament with all 14 clubs in
the lead-up to the season" but dates and locations are yet to be confirmed.
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A soccer player who deliberately coughs close to another player or match
official can be issued a red card.
The International Football Association Board, the game's lawmaker, updated its
guidelines while the pandemic perseveres.
A referee can only red card a player when they are certain the cough is
intentional. A yellow card is also optional.
The new rule falls under "using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or
gestures."
IFAB said in a statement: "As with all offenses, the referee has to make a
judgment about the true nature of the offense.
"If it were clearly accidental, then the referee would not take action nor if
the ?cough' took place with a large distance between the players.
"However, where it is close enough to be clearly offensive, then the referee
can take action."
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Cricket Australia has postponed a Twenty20 series against the West Indies
scheduled for October.
Australia and the West Indies were set to play games in Queensland state from
Oct. 4-9 as warm-ups for the Twenty20 World Cup in October and November. But
the International Cricket Council has already pushed the men's T20 World Cup
back by a year --- to be held either in Australia or India.
Cricket Australia says, "In light of this development, and given the preference
to host the warm-up three-match T20 series against the West Indies to coincide
with the rescheduled T20 World Cup in Australia, it has been agreed to postpone
the matches."
The series also would have overlapped with the Indian Premier League which has
been rescheduled to be in the United Arab Emirates from Sept. 19-Nov. 10,
pending government approval. The lucrative IPL usually attracts players from
all over the world, including many stars from the Caribbean and Australia.
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More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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