TheNewsGuru

Tag: Spain

  • La Liga returns with tricky seville derby

    Sevilla captain Jesús Navas admitted he’s ready for the return to La Liga action today against cross-city rivals Real Betis while speaking in an interview with Marca.

    “Betis have a great team with some key players. We have to be ready and focused for what will be a tricky game,” he said. “It’s lovely that we are the captains [Navas and Joaquin] and that we still have that hunger.

    “Personally, I’m doing very well, and Joaquin has also done great things this season. Let’s hope we can both have a good game.

    “We’ve played against each other plenty over the years. He’s a great team-mate, although I’m focusing on Sevilla and hoping we can dedicate a win to our fans.”

    The Spanish league resumes more than three months after it was suspended because of the pandemic, becoming the second top league to restart in Europe. The Bundesliga was first. The Premier League and the Italian league should be next in the coming weeks.

  • 2010 World Cup victory saved me from depression – Iniesta

    2010 World Cup victory saved me from depression – Iniesta

    Andres Iniesta says scoring the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final helped him recover from depression and move on from the hardest time in his life.

    Iniesta had suffered terribly following the death of his close friend Dani Jarque in 2009. The former Espanyol midfielder died at the age of just 26 following a heart attack.

    When the Barcelona icon, now playing in Japan with Vissel Kobe, scored the decisive goal in South Africa, he revealed an undershirt reading “Dani Jarque: siempre con nosotros”, meaning ‘always with us’.

    “Unfortunately, I had to experience several misfortunes in a row, even though I was really successful at the time,” Iniesta told Bild am Sonntag. “But then my friend Dani Jarque died in August 2009, which really put me in such a fragile situation that I needed professional help.

    “It was certainly the hardest phase of my life. It was very good for me to have the support of Anna, my then girlfriend and current wife, and of course that of my parents.”

    Iniesta said his goal against the Netherlands was “the beginning of the improvement.”

    “Fortunately, this phase is a thing of the past,” he added. “A phase that made me stronger and better.”

     

  • Barca players to have COVID-19 test before training

    Barca players to have COVID-19 test before training

    Barcelona players will be tested for Covid-19 at the club’s training ground on Wednesday before resuming individual work “in the coming days”.

    La Liga teams have been given permission to return to training this week following the easing of some restrictions by the government.

    Barca say the league “gave the go-ahead” for testing after inspecting the facilities at their training ground.

    La Liga organisers are aiming for a June restart to the season.

    Players from the top two divisions will train individually after an agreement with Spain’s sports and health authorities that guaranteed the safety of both players and staff.

    Football in Spain was suspended indefinitely in March amid the coronavirus pandemic and all players must be tested before they can return to training facilities.

  • U.S. overtakes Spain in coronavirus death toll, now second highest in the world

    The United States coronavirus death toll is now the second highest in the world, after Italy.

    The U.S. overtook Spain early today, with new deaths recorded, taking the country’s tally to 14,797. Spain has 14,792 deaths.

    Italy, the world’s leader has 17,669 deaths.

    U.S. death toll is expected to go higher later today when figures from New York and other worst-hit areas are added up.

    On Wednesday, a record 1,940 people died from the virus and the COVID-19 illness that it causes.

    The U.S. also reported 31,935 new infections, that takes its tally to 434,927.

    The figure grew to 435,160 early today.

    Only four countries in the world have recorded infections above 100,000.

    They are Spain with 148,220 cases, Italy 139,422, Germany 113,296 and France 112,950.

    China where the virus started from has 81,865 cases, with 3,335 deaths.

  • La Liga announces date to restart

    La Liga could resume as early as 28 May in the best-case scenario as the league discusses its options, says its president Javier Tebas.

    No Spanish side has played a competitive game since 11 March, when Atletico Madrid knocked holders Liverpool out of the Champions League.

    Tebas says training will not return until emergency measures – in place until 26 April – are lifted in Spain.

    He estimates clubs could lose 1bn euros if the current campaign is cancelled.

    Tebas revealed three start dates are currently being discussed with Uefa, saying: “Of all the different scenarios we have been looking at with Uefa to go back to competing, the most probable ones are 28 May, 6 June or 28 June,” he said.

    “We can’t say an exact date. This will be given to us by the authorities in Spain. But we still have time to get back to training before that.”

    Tebas says La Liga is not contemplating a failure to complete the domestic campaign, which still has 11 rounds of matches to play.

    However, having done the maths, Tebas is conscious that even if games are played with supporters in stadiums, a scenario he does not feel is likely in the short term, the losses will be extreme.

    He said: “If we are looking at the economic impact, including the money we would get from European competitions, the revenue Spanish clubs would miss out on if we don’t get back playing again is 1bn euros. If we do get playing but without spectators, it would be 300m.

    “Even if we get back to playing with spectators, the damage this situation has already caused would be 150m euros.”

  • Coronavirus: Spain reports new record of 864 deaths in one day

    Coronavirus: Spain reports new record of 864 deaths in one day

    Spain reports a new record of 864 deaths in one day while total infections broke the 100,000 mark, making it the third country to surpass that milestone behind the United States and Italy.

    Spanish health authorities said Wednesday that the total number of deaths reached 9,053 since the beginning of the outbreak.

    Total infections hit 102,136. But the 24-hour increase of 7,719 was 1,500 fewer than the increase from the previous day, offering hope that the contagion rate is stabilizing.

    Spain is two-and-a-half weeks into a national lockdown with stay-at-home rules for all workers except those in health care, food production and distribution, and other essential industries.

    The country is frantically working to add to the number of intensive care units in hospitals which are quickly filling up in the country’s hardest-hit regions.

    Spanish authorities are bringing into the country 1,500 purchased ventilator machines and asking local manufacturers to ramp up production, with some creative solutions employed, such as snorkeling masks repurposed as breathing masks.

  • Spanish coronavirus cases overtake China

    Spanish coronavirus cases overtake China

    Spain on Monday overtook China’s total number of coronavirus cases.

    However, business leaders and regional authorities criticised the government’s decision to further restrict the movement of people and keep non-essential workers at home until mid-April.

    An overnight death toll of 812 people brought total fatalities in Spain to 7,340 while the number of infections rose by eight per cent to 85,195, against 81,470 in China, where the disease originated at the end of 2019.

    Health emergency chief, Fernando Simon, who has been holding daily briefings on the epidemic, has tested positive for the virus, his deputy said.

    Maria Jose Sierra, who replaced Simon, said the daily infection increase had slowed since the introduction of lockdown measures to 12 per cent on average since March 25 from around 20 per cent in the March 15 to 25 periods.

    As Spain awoke to its third week of a nationwide lockdown, the strictest yet, flags flew at half-mast in the capital and the surrounding region, which has been the epicentre of the epidemic.

    The government said it was imposing caps on funeral prices, following reports that undertakers were taking advantage of increased demand.

    The first batch of medical supplies requested by Spain from NATO’s disaster coordination centre arrived from the Czech Republic by plane on Sunday evening.

    After the government announced on Saturday that all non-essential workers should stay home for two weeks, Antonio Garamendi, President of Spain’s Business Association, said the lockdown could lead to a full-blown social crisis.

    He, however, criticised the delay in clarifying which sectors were “essential”.

    “If you stop the country, we’ll have a huge social problem within five months,’’ he said in a television interview.

    The government gave businesses an extra 24 hours to wind down operations, with the full closure of non-essential activity to start on Tuesday.

    In the Basque Country, a major industrial hub, business association ConfeBask described the new measures as irresponsible and thoughtless, insisting that further shutdowns would only worsen the social and economic impact of the crisis.

    Catalan business group, Foment del Treball, called for further measures to cushion the blow from the enforced shutdown and said the state should cover 75 per cent of labour costs incurred during the period by companies with limited access to funds.

  • Guardiola donates one million euros to fight coronavirus in Spain

    Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has donated one million euros ($1.08 million) to help buy medical supplies for the fight against the coronavirus pandemic in his native Spain.

    The former FC Barcelona boss gave the money to the Medical College of Barcelona to buy “medical equipment that is currently lacking in health centres in Catalonia,” the body said in a statement.

    His donation will also be used to produce ventilators to treat patients and protective gear for health care workers in Guardiola’s northeastern region of Spain.

    Meanwhile Barcelona’s Hospital Clinic said it had received a donation from FC Barcelona captain Lionel Messi to help it fight the virus.

    “Thank you Leo, for your support and commitment,” the hospital added in a tweet.

    While the hospital did not say how much money the player donated, Catalan sports daily Mundo Deportivo said it was one million euros.

    With the pandemic spreading across the world, Spain has been one of the worst-hit countries, logging the third highest number of deaths with the latest toll standing at 2,696, and the total number of infections nearing 40,000.

  • Former Madrid President, Lorenzo Sanz dies of Coronavirus

    Former Madrid President, Lorenzo Sanz dies of Coronavirus

    Former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz has died at the age of 76, just days after being hospitalised with coronavirus-like symptoms.

    Fernando Sanz, Lorenzo’s son, said on Wednesday that he had been admitted to hospital after a period of ill health, but has now confirmed that he sadly passed away on Saturday.

    “My father has just died. He did not deserve this ending and in this way,” Fernando Sanz wrote on Twitter. “One of the kindest, bravest, and hardworking people I’ve ever seen is leaving.

    “His family and Real Madrid were his passion. My mother and my brothers have enjoyed all their moments with pride.”

    A Real statement said: “Real Madrid CF, its president and the board of directors regret with great consternation the death of Lorenzo Sanz, who was president of Real Madrid from 1995 to 2000.

    “They also want to express their deepest condolences and all their affection and affection for his wife. Mari Luz, her children, Lorenzo, Francisco, Fernando, Maria Luz (Malula) and Diana, and their family and friends. Condolences that also extend to all Real Madrid.

    “During the Lorenzo Sanz presidency, Real Madrid continued to enhance its history and legend.

    “Today, Real Madrid is mourning the loss of a president who dedicated a large part of his life to his great passion: Real Madrid.

    “Given the current circumstances, Real Madrid will pay him the recognition he deserves as soon as possible.”

    La Liga also paid tribute to Sanz, with a statement saying: “The thoughts of everybody La Liga go out to our colleague Fernando Sanz and his family following the death of Lorenzo Sanz, who many of us have worked with and shared friendship.

    “La Liga expresses its sincerest condolences for the loss, particular towards Real Madrid, where Sanz spent many years as president.”

    Sanz was in charge of Real Madrid for five years from 1995 until 2000, having spent the previous decade as a director.

    His tenure saw Los Blancos re-establish themselves as one of the world’s biggest and influential football clubs.

    They ended a 32-year wait for European Cup success with victory over Juventus in 1998 before following it up with another triumph in 2000 – the eighth time they had lifted the famous trophy.

    However, just two months after that success, Sanz lost the presidential election to Florentino Perez, who had highlighted the financial problems at the club despite their on-field triumphs.

    He ran for presidency on two more occasions but was unsuccessful, losing to Perez again in 2004 and Ramon Calderon in 2006.

    He bought Spanish side Malaga later that year, before selling the club to Qatari businessman sheikh Abdullah ben Nasser Al Thani in 2010.

    The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a crisis over the globe, with Spain one of the countries worst affected.

    On Saturday, Spain reported a further 324 deaths, the highest one-day rise so far, with a total 1,326 people having died in the country since the outbreak.

  • Nadal puts Spain into ATP Cup quarters

    Nadal puts Spain into ATP Cup quarters

    Rafael Nadal came back twice from a break down against Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka to put Spain into the ATP Cup quarter-finals in Australia.

    The world number one won 7-6 (7-4) 6-4) to give Spain an unassailable 2-0 lead in the tie after Robert Bautista Agut had earlier beaten Go Soeda 6-2 6-4.

    Nadal then paired up with Pablo Carreno Busta to win the doubles rubber and end Japan’s chances of a last-eight spot.

    Argentina later beat Croatia to advance to the knockout stage.

    Canada and Belgium sealed the two remaining quarter-final spots as the best runners-up.

    The knockout stage, taking place in Sydney, begins on Thursday with Great Britain facing hosts Australia (from 23:00 GMT on Wednesday).

    The ATP Cup is a new 24-nation knockout tournament that has been set up by the men’s professional tour to kick off the 2020 season.