Category: Sports

Barcelona and Spain’s star footballer Lamine Yamal has been diagnosed with a chronic groin injury that doctors say could trouble him for the rest of his career.

Media reports citing experts said that this could trouble him long-term and may prevent him from ever being 100 percent again.

The 18-year-old sensation has taken the football world by storm over the past two years, playing a key role in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph and helping Barcelona win a domestic treble last season. His brilliant form earned him second place in the 2025 Ballon d’Or and made him the first-ever two-time winner of the Kopa Trophy for the world’s best young player.

However, Spanish media reports have now revealed that Yamal has been quietly dealing with pubalgia, a long-term condition that causes constant pain in the pubic and groin area. The problem became more noticeable during El Clasico, where fans saw him struggling to move freely.

Physiotherapist Lluis Puig told Spanish outlet that pubalgia is not a typical muscle injury but a chronic issue that needs lifelong management. “This isn’t an injury that heals in a month. He will have to live with it and do continuous preventative work to stay fit,” Puig explained.

Barcelona’s medical team has created a special plan for Yamal to control the pain and maintain top performance levels without worsening the injury.

Interestingly, Lionel Messi faced the same issue early in his Barcelona career and overcame it through years of disciplined training and recovery.

Fans are now hoping Yamal can do the same. At just 18, he has already achieved what most players can only dream of. 

If he manages to overcome this challenge, it could mark the beginning of another inspiring chapter in his journey to greatness.

There seems to be no end to the rift between Umar Akmal and iconic fast bowler Waqar Younis, as the former batter has once again accused his ex-coach of destroying his international career.

Speaking on a local television show, Umar said that internal politics and personal grudges pushed him out of Pakistan cricket. He alleged that certain Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials continue to block his return to both domestic cricket and the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

“Some people sitting in the PCB don’t want me or Kamran [Akmal] to play again. That’s why we’re not being picked in the PSL either,” Umar said.

The 35-year-old added that he has remained fit and ready to play, but officials deliberately ignored him in domestic competitions, making it hard for franchises to judge his form.

Turning his focus to Waqar Younis, Umar accused the former fast bowler of having personal issues with him during his coaching stint.

“Waqar Younis ruined my career, not because of performance, but because of jealousy. He couldn’t tolerate my fame, my earnings, or my lifestyle,” Umar claimed.

Umar Akmal said that earlier, one could not afford such things, but when Allah has given them money, why not spend on oneself.

He went on to add that as a senior cricketer, he still respects him, but not as a coach.

“In 2016, when I went to play the World Cup, I submitted letters and files to the cricket board and suggested that if he was removed, the team would get better,” he said.

He also hinted that Waqar had clashes with other senior players. “He didn’t just target me. There were others too, but I don’t want to name them right now,” he added. Umar said he has evidence to back his claims and will reveal details when the time is right.

The long-standing feud between Umar Akmal and Waqar Younis continues to resurface periodically, reigniting debate among cricket fans about the treatment of talented but controversial players. 

Umar Akmal is currently practicing regularly and sharing his training videos on social media, hinting at his desire to make a comeback.

A video of Saudi Arabia’s futuristic ‘Sky Stadium’ that went viral on social media has turned out to be fake. 

The video, which many believed showed the design for a 2034 FIFA World Cup stadium, was actually created using artificial intelligence.

According to Arab media, the video does not depict any official project approved by the Saudi government. The creator of the video revealed that it was made entirely with AI and was only a conceptual idea, not part of any real plan in Saudi Arabia.

Despite being fictional, the video gained massive attention worldwide, with millions of views across social media platforms.

While the AI-generated Sky Stadium is fake, Saudi Arabia is indeed planning to build 15 state-of-the-art stadiums for the 2034 World Cup. One of these projects is the ‘Cloud Stadium’ in the futuristic NEOM mega city.

The Cloud Stadium will be constructed around 350 meters (1,150 feet) above ground, with a seating capacity of 46,000 spectators. It will be powered entirely by solar and wind energy.

Official sources said construction on the NEOM stadium is scheduled to begin in 2027 and is expected to be completed by 2032.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Thursday that Saudi Arabia will no longer host the inaugural Esports Olympics scheduled for 2027.

The IOC said in a statement that it had “mutually agreed” with the Saudi National Olympic Committee to end their cooperation on the Olympic Esports Games.

The first Esports Games were initially planned for this year in Riyadh but were postponed in February. Saudi Arabia had secured hosting rights for 12 years starting in 2025, under an agreement signed with the IOC in July last year.

Then-IOC president Thomas Bach played a key role in creating the event before being succeeded by Kirsty Coventry.

Olympic Esports Series competitions, smaller virtual sports events run by the IOC, took place in 2021 and 2023. However, gaming critics widely criticized them for excluding popular esports titles.

“Recently, the two parties and the Esports World Cup Foundation sat down again and reviewed this initiative,” the IOC statement said.

“They mutually agreed that they will end their cooperation on the Olympic Esports Games. At the same time, both parties are committed to pursuing their own esports ambitions on separate paths.”

The IOC added that this new direction would help align the Esports Games with the long-term goals of the Olympic movement and allow broader participation. “This approach will be a chance to better fit the Olympic Esports Games to the long-term ambitions of the Olympic movement and to spread the opportunities presented by the Olympic Esports Games more widely, with the objective of having the inaugural Games as soon as possible,” it said.

The Esports World Cup, which includes many of the world’s most popular games, held its first two editions in Riyadh in 2024 and 2025. The event is organized by Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia’s growing investment in sports has drawn global attention and criticism. Human rights groups accuse the kingdom of using high-profile sporting events to distract from alleged rights violations, a practice known as “sportswashing.”

The Saudi government rejects these accusations and maintains that its actions are in line with national security laws.

Cricket fans are in for a treat as Pakistan and India are set to renew their fierce rivalry at the upcoming Asia Cup Rising Stars Championship 2025 in Doha.

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has announced the details for the rebranded tournament, which will be played in the T20 format from November 14 to 23.

The event, formerly known as the Emerging Teams Asia Cup, will bring together eight teams aiming to showcase the next generation of Asian cricket stars. Five Test-playing nations — Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan — will compete with their A teams while UAE, Oman and Hong Kong will send their full national squads.

Group A features Pakistan A, India A, UAE and Oman while Group B includes Sri Lanka A, Bangladesh A, Afghanistan A and Hong Kong.

In a key format change from the senior Asia Cup, there will be no Super Four stage. The top two teams from each group will move straight to the semi-finals, making every group match a high-stakes contest.

All eyes will be on the much-anticipated Pakistan vs India encounter in the group stage. The arch-rivals will meet at least once with a potential rematch in the final if both teams go the distance.

Pakistan’s fixtures in the Asia Cup Rising Stars Championship are as follows:

Nov 14: Pakistan A vs Oman

Nov 16: Pakistan A vs India A

Nov 18: Pakistan A vs UAE

Afghanistan A will enter the 15-match competition as defending champions, having lifted the trophy in the previous edition of the Emerging Asia Cup.

Pakistani wrestler Hassan Ali has won the country’s third medal at the ongoing 3rd Asian Youth Games in Sama Bay, Bahrain. 

Ali claimed bronze in the beach wrestling event after defeating Tajikistan’s Idris Bakhramov 2-0 in the 70kg category. The wrestler has trained under former Commonwealth Games champion Muhammad Inam Butt. 

Earlier, he lost to Iran’s Sina Shokoohi in the semifinal but fought back strongly to secure a place on the podium. On his way to the bronze medal match, he defeated Jordan’s Marafi Abdul Rehman and another Tajik wrestler, Bazorzadah.

Another Pakistani wrestler, Abdul Rehman, came close to winning a medal but lost 0-2 to Jordan’s Zaid Naghwaj in the 65kg bronze medal match.

The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) congratulated the athletes for their performances. In a statement, the POA appreciated the efforts of the players, their support staff, and the respective sports federations, expressing hope for continued success in their sporting careers.

Pakistan also won a silver medal in volleyball after losing to Iran in the final, while the kabaddi team secured a bronze medal.

A 17-year-old Australian cricketer namee Ben Austin died after being struck on the neck during a practice session in Melbourne.

According to Australian media, the incident occurred earlier this week in Melbourne’s east, where Ben suffered a serious injury while training. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, but doctors later confirmed that he had died. 

Cricket Victoria said a ball from a throwing device hit Ben on the neck. The board confirmed that he was wearing a helmet but did not have a stem guard attached.

Head of Cricket Victoria, Nick Cummins, said the incident was eerily similar to the fatal accident that claimed the life of Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes 11 years ago. Hughes died in 2014 after being struck on the neck by a bouncer during a domestic match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Cricket Australia, club officials, and Ben’s family expressed deep sorrow over the tragic incident.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a record 157 men’s domestic contracts for the 2025–26 season, marking the largest-ever pool of contracted players in history. 

The contracts, which will run from August 2025 to July 2026, aim to reward consistent performers and strengthen the domestic cricket structure.

This year, the PCB expanded the number of categories from three to four – DC1, DC2, DC3, and DC4 – to ensure that a wider range of players, from emerging stars to seasoned performers, benefit from the new system.

The board said that players were selected on the basis of their performances in all domestic tournaments during the 2024–25 season, covering both red-ball and white-ball formats.

Domestic Category 1 (30 players)

Usman Khan (Karachi), Abid Ali (Lahore), Mohammad Huraira (Sialkot), Imam-ul-Haq (Lahore), Mohammad Hasnain (Hyderabad), Aamir Jamal (Islamabad), Zahid Mehmood (Larkana), Iftikhar Ahmed (Peshawar), Mohammad Ismail (Multan), Haseebullah (Quetta), Omair Bin Yousuf (Karachi), Umar Amin (Islamabad), Waqar Hussain (Multan), Kamran Ghulam (Abbottabad), Mir Hamza (Karachi), Mohammad Ali (Sialkot), Azan Awais (Sialkot), Kashif Bhatti (Hyderabad), Mohammad Shahzad (Multan), Usman Tariq (Peshawar), Umar Siddiq (Lahore), Niaz Khan (Peshawar), Faisal Akram (Multan), Tayyab Tahir (Lahore), Nisar Ahmed (Lahore), Mushtaq Ahmed (Larkana), Muhammad Irfan Khan (Faisalabad), Khalid Usman (Abbottabad), Jahandad Khan (Rawalpindi) and Usman Khan (Karachi).

Domestic Category 2 (55 players)

Haider Ali (Rawalpindi), Danish Aziz (Karachi), Mirza Tahir Baig (Sialkot), Mohammad Salman (Lahore), Saad Baig (Karachi), Mohammad Imran Jr (Peshawar), Abdul Faseeh (Rawalpindi), Mohammad Rameez Jr (Lahore), Musa Khan (Islamabad), Arif Yaqoob (Karachi), Kashif Ali (Rawalpindi), Saifullah Bangash (Karachi), Mohammad Suleman (Hyderabad), Maaz Sadaqat (Peshawar), Ali Raza (Sialkot), Mehran Sanwal (Bahawalpur), Mohammad Amir Khan (Peshawar), Asif Afridi (FATA), Mohammad Naeem (FATA), Rohail Nazir (Islamabad), Shahnawaz Dahani (Larkana), Arafat Minhas (Multan), Abdul Samad (Faisalabad), Yasir Khan (Rawalpindi), Mohammad Faizan (Faisalabad), Ali Zaryab (Lahore), Mehran Mumtaz (Rawalpindi), Jalat Khan (Quetta), Sameen Gul (FATA), Ahmed Bashir (Lahore), Qasim Akram (Lahore), Shamyl Hussain (Islamabad), Usama Mir (Sialkot), Saad Khan (Hyderabad), Ubaid Shah (Lahore), Ahmed Safi Abdullah (Faisalabad), Waqar Ahmed (Peshawar), Saad Masood (Rawalpindi), Arshadullah (FATA), Rameez Aziz (Karachi), Mohammad Arif (Abbottabad), Hassan Raza (AJK), Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (Karachi), Sirajuddin (FATA), Mubasir Khan (Rawalpindi), Imran Butt (Lahore), Waseem Akram Jnr (Multan), Mohsin Riaz (Sialkot), Mohammad Arif (Abbottabad), Mohammad Suleman (Hyderabad), Sharoon Siraj (Multan), Mohammad Arif (Abbottabad), Waqar Ahmed (Peshawar), and Zaman Khan (AJK).

Domestic Category 3 (51 players)

Aamer Yamin (Multan), Fawad Alam (Karachi), Muhammad Akhlaq (Lahore), Mohammad Umar (Karachi), Bilawal Bhatti (Sialkot), Saad Nasim (Lahore), Abbas Ali (Peshawar), Mohammad Asghar (Karachi), Arsal Sheikh (Islamabad), Asif Ali (Faisalabad), Ali Husnain (Rawalpindi), Mohammad Zeeshan (Faisalabad), Jahanzaib Sultan (Karachi), Imran Dogar (Lahore), Mohammad Adil (Abbottabad), Naseerullah Khan (Islamabad), Shahzaib Khan (Abbottabad), Mohammad Taha (Karachi), Israr Hussain (Abbottabad), Kamran Afzal (Lahore), Nabi Gul (Peshawar), Shahab Khan (Abbottabad), Mohsin Khan (Peshawar), Mohammad Sarwar Afridi (FATA), Naqeebullah (Quetta), Ali Usman (Multan), Aftab Khan (Karachi), Afaq Afridi (FATA), Mohammad Azab (Bahawalpur), Mohammad Huzaifa (Bahawalpur), Mohammad Amir Barki (Peshawar), Taimur Khan (Rawalpindi), Hasnain Nadeem (AJK), Shehzad Gul (Faisalabad), Saqib Khan (Karachi), Raja Hamza Waheed (Islamabad), Fawad Alam (Karachi), Rizwan Mehmood (Hyderabad), Adil Amin (Peshawar), Tahir Hussain (Multan), Salman Irshad (AJK), Abdur Rehman (Sialkot), Ali Hamza Wasim (Bahawalpur), Mohammad Hamza (Karachi), Jawad Ali (Hyderabad), Afaq Ahmed (Abbottabad), Mohammad Asghar (Karachi), Mohammad Umar (Karachi), Mohammad Zeeshan (Faisalabad), and Shahab Khan (Abbottabad).

Domestic Category 4 (21 players)

Sharjeel Khan (Hyderabad), Taj Wali (AJK), Bismillah Khan (Quetta), Zain Abbas (Multan), Abu Huraira (Dera Murad Jamali), Mohammad Irfan (Lahore), Aqib Liaqat (AJK), Mohammad Ammar (Bahawalpur), Sajjad Ali Hashmi (Abbottabad), Mohammad Faizan Jr (Peshawar), Mansoor Ali (Abbottabad), Imran Rafiq (Multan), Shoaib Akhtar Jr (Sialkot), Faizan Saleem (AJK), Ali Shan (Faisalabad), Aashar Mehmood (Sialkot), Gulfam Aziz (Bahawalpur), Aqib Khan (Abbottabad), Mohammad Ali Taj (Islamabad), Mohammad Hammad Khan (Islamabad), and Aqib Shah (Rawalpindi).

The domestic calendar for 2025–26 began in August with the 12-team Hanif Mohammad Trophy and includes two first-class tournaments, three non-first-class red-ball events, a List A competition, the two-phase National T20 Cup and the 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League.

Pakistan Super League (PSL) has finalized its title sponsorship for the next two years, with Habib Bank Limited (HBL) continuing as the official sponsor.

During a press conference in Karachi, PSL CEO Salman Naseer said the announcement marks a major moment for the league’s journey. “To understand its importance, we have to look back a little,” he said.

He recalled the early days of the league when many people doubted the idea. “When we were about to launch the league, people did not believe in it. Only a few showed interest. Five parties trusted us and bought teams,” he said.

Salman Naseer noted that despite criticism and challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic, PSL continued to grow and successfully completed its seasons. “In ten years, all PSL contracts came to an end,” he said.

He added that the board had decided to reassess the league’s value after the tenth edition. “HBL has agreed to a deal based on the valuation set by independent evaluators,” he said. “The new deal reflects a 505 percent increase compared to the previous contract.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for Pakistan’s growing commitment to football, calling the country’s progress “absolutely incredible” and describing the sport as a source of unity and joy.

Speaking at the ninth edition of the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh on Tuesday, Infantino commended Pakistan’s efforts to develop the game. He said that while building infrastructure is important, countries must also invest in “emotions and happiness,” values that football brings like no other.

“What you are doing with your country is transformative. I can only take my hat off,” Infantino said, addressing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other dignitaries. “Alongside your investments in technology, schools, and hospitals, we must also invest in happiness, and football is one of the best ways to bring people together.”

Infantino spoke about football’s unmatched power to connect people across borders. He mentioned how recent global tournaments united billions of fans in shared celebration. 

“At the end of the day, people want jobs and education, yes, but they also want a moment to forget everything and just be happy,” Infantino said. “That’s what football gives them. It reminds us we’re part of one world.”

The FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar drew three million spectators and more than five billion viewers worldwide. The 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand attracted 2 billion viewers. The next edition, to be jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, is expected to reach six billion viewers and bring seven million fans to stadiums.