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Japan Football Association honorary president Kozo Tashima said governance was ⁠Fifa’s biggest problem as ⁠he outlined his platform for next ⁠year’s presidential election, while rating his chances of unseating incumbent Gianni Infantino at 20 to 30 per cent. Tashima announced on Thursday that he intended to run in the March election, becoming the first Japanese candidate to seek world football’s top ‌job. The 68-year-old former Japan international has served on the Fifa Council since 2015 and...

Jon Rahm fought off Ryder Cup teammates Rory McIlroy and Tyrrell Hatton to win the Abu Dhabi Championship on Sunday for his first ⁠DP World Tour title in four years, marking a successful start to the Spaniard’s career rebuild following the demise of LIV Golf. It was the former world No 1’s first tournament since he left the breakaway circuit, and the Spaniard hit a ‌five-under 67 in Sunday’s fourth round to finish 23-under, earning his 11th title on the DP World Tour. Rahm finished two strokes...

Badminton world No 1 An Se-young said she was “very proud” of her achievements after winning an incredible 11th title of the year at her home Korea Open on Sunday. The 24-year-old beat Japan’s Akane Yamaguchi 21-12, 15-21, 21-16 in the final in Yeosu to extend an unbeaten run that stretches back to March. An has been head and shoulders above the rest of the competition this year but she said she still had to be on her guard against world No 2 Yamaguchi. “She’s a player who can always keep the...

Andrea Atzeni catapulted into Longines International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) contention with a treble at Sha Tin on Sunday, helping the Kwok family celebrate Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse day in style. Atzeni booted home John Size’s pair of promising four-year-olds Prime Ace and Beauty Award and the Tony Cruz-trained Beauty Bolt, with the two Beauty horses raced by the race day sponsors the Kwoks. For Atzeni, the three-timer boosted his seasonal tally to 12 wins and helped him jump to fifth in the...

Speed Dragon roared home to continue a remarkable start to the season for jockey Jerry Chau Chun-lok by winning the Group Three Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse (1,800m) at Sha Tin on Sunday. Arriving at the meeting with 16 wins for the campaign, Chau continued to take plaudits with another ultra-cool feature ride. It was a critical win for Chau in the race for the Longines International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC), moving him three clear of Vincent Ho Chak-yiu and five clear of Andrea Atzeni. These will be...

Alexandra Eala was planning to “disappear for a bit and lie low” after she suffered a chastening Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open final defeat by an inspired Claire Liu on Sunday, as the American claimed the first WTA 250 title of her career. After breaking Liu to lead 2-1 in the opening set, Eala, nursing a knee problem and unable to make any inroads against her irresistible opponent’s serve, dropped 11 of the next 12 games to lose 6-3, 6-0 in one hour and 33 minutes. Still, after the best...

Hong Kong’s football team will sit embarrassingly idle during the forthcoming Fifa window after the local association failed to arrange any fixtures this month for its representative side. Instead of trying to harness the momentum of the successful recent Fifa Asean Challenge Cup campaign, head coach Roberto Losada will oversee an under-23 city team training camp in Thailand. The Football Association of Hong Kong, China (HKFA), which had been plotting to stage the annual Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup...

Sha Tin Racecourse was transformed into an open-air fashion show on Sunday as stylish female racegoers took centre stage with elaborate fascinators, statement hats and dresses in every shade of pink and white. The spectacle marked the return of the annual Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse Day, which blends high-stakes thoroughbred competition with high fashion, drawing enthusiasts from across the city and overseas. Across the forecourt and grandstands, generations of attendees embraced the occasion, while men...

Lewis Hamilton said he and his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc had “squashed” the tension between them that followed their first lap tangle in Mexico. He said they had resolved to work together for the team in Sunday’s Sao Paulo Grand Prix. The seven-time champion spoke after qualifying 11th in Saturday’s rain-hit qualifying at Interlagos where he will start Sunday’s race from the back of the grid after taking a penalty for using two new engines. When asked if his relationship with Leclerc had...

World No 1 Elena Rybakina withdrew from the WTA Finals at Indian Wells on Saturday because of a viral illness. Defending champion Rybakina said in a statement that she was “not physically ready to compete” in the traditional season-ender, which starts on Sunday, and would focus on resting and recovering for her 2027 campaign. “I am really sad to inform all my fans and supporters that I unfortunately have to withdraw from the WTA Finals this year,” Rybakina said in a statement. “I’ve had an...

Local fan favourite Alexandra Eala had to dig deep amid stops and starts to earn a hard-fought 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 victory over Maria Sakkari on Saturday, booking her place in the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open final. The evenly matched semi-final between the two seeded players was filled with extraordinary shots from both players, and a lot of rainwater and match suspensions. “I think it was just blank [during those rain stops], it took a lot of patience, but a lot, a lot, a lot of people stayed,...

Jay Rooney HOT DELIGHT - R11 (4) Can stake his claim as the city's best four-year-old with a win here   Owen Goulding MR INCREDIBLE - R11 (14) No weight to carry from an improved draw and can get back on winning track   Paul Lally FIT FOR BEAUTY - R9 (5) Impressed in a recent trial and has won third up in the past   Phillip Woo TITAN PEGASUS - R7 (3) Resumed fifth with excuses and can secure a maiden local win here   Trackwork Spy HOT DELIGHT - R11 (4) Brave in defeat on return after a wide run...