The big story: Barcelona stop Lionel Messi from attending FIFA awards

Barcelona star Lionel Messi will not be a part of the FIFA Awards ceremony on Monday in Zurich. Messi’s media-built rival, Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to win his fourth award at the event.

Messi, who has won five of the FIFA awards, is currently preparing for the Copa del Rey home tie against Athletic Bilbao. Barcelona are currently trailing 1-2 from the first leg. Messi’s teammate Neymar will also not be travelling to Switzerland for the gala.

Other top stories

Cricket

  • Pakistan Cricket Board’s chief of selectors blamed his batsmen’s “lack of aggression” and “jaded” bowling attack as the reason behind Misbah-ul-Haq’s side slumping to a 0-3 whitewash against Australia Down Under.
  • Recalled Indian veteran Yuvraj Singh has pipped him and MS Dhoni to turn back clock and produce the “fearless brand of cricket” they were once famous for in the upcoming limited-overs series against England.
  • Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa revealed that Indian spin ace Ravichandran Ashwin only bowled leg-spinners to Steve Smith in the nets while the trio represented Rising Pune Supergiants in Indian Premier League 2016. Zampa called Ashwin as a bowler “who doesn’t want to give much away”.
  • Chief of selectors MSK Prasad denied speculations that that the selectors pressured World Cup winning skipper Dhoni to pass on the baton to Virat Kohli. 
  • Mumbai and Gujarat face off in the Ranji Trophy final on Tuesday. Gujarat are chasing their maiden trophy while Gujarat are chasing their 42nd.
  • Former India captain and Cricket Association of Bengal chief Sourav Ganguly confirmed that he had received a “threat mail” from an anonymous source, asking him to keep away from a university event in Medinipur.
  • Pakistan pacer Mohammad Irfan has flown back home from Australia after the death of his mother. The gargantuan pacer had just returned to his national side after a four-month lay-off.
  • After Chennai pulled out from hosting the England’s practice matches against the England U-19 side because of the damage caused by cyclone Vardah last month, former selector Dilip Vengsarkar suggested that Mumbai can step in as a back-up option. 
  • All-rounder David Wiese became the latest of the long line of South Africans to swap South Africa for England, signing the Kolpak deal.

Football

  • Arsenal and Germany playmaker stated that signing a new deal for the Gunners would depend on manager Arsene Wenger’s future at the Emirates.
  • Argentine legend Diego Maradona joined FIFA president Gianni Infantino idea of having a 48-team World Cup. 
  • The English FA chairman Greg Dyke opened the doors for gay footballers to “come out”, two months after stating that it was not advisable to do so, especially with the risk that the player would face from opposition fans.

Tennis

  • Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova, recently moved to a career-high fifth in the WTA rankings while Andy Murray continued to be perched at the top of the men’s list, despite losing to Novak Djokovic, who remains on No.2.

Badminton

  • In the Pro Badminton League, Saina Nehwal’s Awadhe Warriors beat Bengaluru Blasters 4-3 to book a semi-final spot. Nehwal and Kidambi Shrikant won their respective games. 

Wrestling

  • In the Pro Wrestling League, Mumbai Maharathi got the better of Jaipur Ninjas 4-3 on Monday. Jaipur’s Ritu Phogat beat Carolina Castillo Hidalgo in the 48 kg women’s category. Olympic gold medalist Erica Wiebe beat Jaipur’s Jenny Fransson in a thrilling encounter.