Football
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been named the 2017 Confederation of African Football Player of the Year on January 5. For the first time, a public vote was used to help decide the winner. Salah secured 97.65 percent of the vote.
The 25-year-old has scored 17 Premier League goals this season and helped Egypt reach the World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations final in 2017. He finished ahead of Liverpool team-mate and Senegal’s Sadio Mané and Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Earlier rounds of voting for the award were decided by a mixture of Caf officials, journalists, national coaches and captains, with the criteria for choosing a winner from the final three also including a public vote element.
A Uefa probe into an alleged breach of doping rules by Samir Nasri will now continue after an appeal by the former Manchester City player failed. Officials at Uefa opened an investigation into the French midfielder following a bizarre incident in December 2016, when he appeared to use an intravenous drip at a LA clinic. However, it has not been previously reported that the player, now with Turkish side Antalyspor, requested that Uefa retrospectively grant him a therapeutic use exemption, which would have allowed him to escape punishment.
That request was refused and Nasri appealed against the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. However, the court has now rejected that appeal, meaning the probe – which could see 30-year-old Nasri hit with a four-year ban – has restarted.
Transfers | (December- January)
Nadir Çiftçi from Celtic to Motherwell.
Ahmed Hegazi from Al Ahly (Egypt) to West Brom.
Arda Turan from Barcelona to Istanbul Basaksehir.
Noor Husin from Crystal Palace to Notts County.
Tennis
Sania Mirza is set to miss the Australian Open owing to a knee injury and could go for a surgery. Mirza is suffering from a condition called jumper’s knee in her right leg. Mirza won the 2016 Australian Open women’s doubles title with Martina Hingis before announcing their split in August.
The 31-year-old said she might have to go for a surgery and is looking for a Roger Federer-like comeback.
“It’s kind of serious. Surgery is on the cards I will be out for a few months,” said Mirza.