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The Shah of Iran, a UK assassination, the Venezuelan petrodollar crisis and Colombia’s creaking infrastructure all indirectly led to Bobby Charlton, Eusebio and Ferenc Puskas glad-handing paying supporters outside stadiums at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. “In their prime, our team would have beaten every side in that World Cup,” said Jaime Byrom, one of the individuals responsible for a sea change in sports hospitality since his first innovative step into the industry 40 years ago. Byrom’s...

Jay Rooney GIANT LEAP - R7 (4) Only just caught last start and can go one better tonight   Owen Goulding DRAGON AIR FORCE - R9 (6) Hugely unlucky not to win last start when checked late on; can gain compensation   Paul Lally JOLTIN - R6 (10) Good run last start when stepped up in distance and there is more to come   Phillip Woo HAPPY UNIVERSE - R6 (1) Has strong claims after returning a nail-biting third over this trip   Trackwork Spy BUSTLING CITY - R8 (4) Fell short in hat-trick bid at skinny...

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Tuesday said it ⁠would refer Jordan ⁠Football Association president Prince ⁠Ali bin Hussein to its judicial bodies, after he accused Fifa president Gianni Infantino of hijacking the AFC Congress for political purposes. At the AFC’s extraordinary Congress in Tokyo on Friday, ‌its president, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, endorsed Infantino’s bid for re-election as head of football’s governing body. Only three months after the confederation accused...

Caspar Fownes rates Sky Vino and Sky Cap solid top-three chances in their respective Class Three races at Wednesday night’s Sha Tin dirt meeting as he bids to snatch the trainers’ championship lead. One win behind title leader Pierre Ng Pang-chi with 13 victories so far this term, Fownes has faith in Sky Vino despite the two-time all-weather winner drawing wide in barrier 11 in the Pyramid Hill Handicap (1,650m). The consistent Vino Rosso gelding drops in grade after an encouraging seasonal...

China’s top swimmers have returned to the pool following their dominant Asian Games display and once again put their competitors on notice with strong performances at the national championships. Li Bingjie reclaimed the women’s 1,500m freestyle short-course Asian record in style, clocking 15 minutes and 34.09 seconds to win gold on Monday. The 24-year-old shaved 4.32 seconds off the previous Asian mark of 15:38.41, set by Singapore’s Gan Ching Hwee just 11 days earlier. Li had held the record...

French football superstar Kylian Mbappe has issued an apology after an “ill-judged” comment about China sparked intense backlash on social media and led a string of major Chinese brands to cut ties with him. After a video began circulating widely online that appeared to show the France and Real Madrid striker making a controversial remark about former Chinese leader Mao Zedong, several Chinese firms including the dairy giant Mengniu announced they were pulling out of deals with him on...

Leading men’s doubles players have called on the ATP Tour to reconsider ⁠plans that would reduce the ⁠size of the doubles competitions at ⁠events and move prize money to the singles format. In a letter addressed to the ATP board and management and signed by 137 active players, 33 former players and 20 federations, the group said it understood the need for reform, but was deeply concerned about ‌the plans being discussed. The ATP said this month it was reviewing potential changes to the size of...

Harry Kane is targeting Champions League glory for Bayern Munich and ending England’s wait for a major international tournament after lifting the Ballon d’Or in the highlight of his career to date on Monday. In his native London, Kane became the first English winner of the award in 25 years as he beat off competition from Kylian Mbappe and Lamine Yamal to be crowned the world’s best player. The 33-year-old was rewarded for a remarkable 73 goals in 65 games for club and country last season as he...

A new race blending urban and countryside views across Hong Kong will take place on Sunday, featuring the newly opened Fanling Bypass as the finish line for the full-marathon route. Organised by the New Territories Heung Yee Kuk to mark its 100th anniversary, the inaugural Northern Metropolis Marathon has drawn about 15,000 registered runners across four categories: the full marathon, half marathon, 10km and 1,600m races. Addressing safety concerns after a recent series of dog attacks in the New...

Hong Kong’s athletes were praised for producing “a beautiful harvest of medals” at this year’s Asian Games, and the success of the delegation’s younger members bode well for the future, the city’s leader said on Monday. A first tennis, a rugby sevens three-peat, combined with success on the water, in the pool, and on the squash court all led to a historic tally of 54 medals and a record number of gold over a fortnight in Japan. While the rise of the city’s younger athletes was in many ways a...

England captain Harry Kane is the favourite to win a wide-open race to be crowned Ballon d’Or winner at a glitzy London ceremony on Monday, with Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe also in the running to be named the world’s best footballer. The 70th edition of the award, established by the magazine France Football, will be hosted in England for the first time in recognition of the first winner, Stanley Matthews, and fittingly could have a first English winner for 25 years. Bayern Munich striker Kane...

A decline in local turnover might have given Jockey Club boss Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges cause for concern to start the season, but a surge in wagering on overseas races has helped boost total turnover to a healthy figure. After 13 of 88 local meetings, total turnover on local and overseas races was up 12.5 per cent on last year to HK$24.8 billion. In his CEO blog published on the Jockey Club website before Sunday’s Sha Tin meeting, Engelbrecht-Bresges said wagering on Hong Kong racing was...