
Game changer? Bundesliga tie-up gives Kerala football new dream
At the core of the tie-up is a sister-club partnership between SLK teams and clubs from Germany's 3rd Division Bundesliga (3. Liga) — a fiercely competitive professional league that has produced some of Germany's finest footballers. If things work out, each SLK club will now have a German counterpart, providing access to structured coaching, scouting, player development, and crucially, foreign player exchange.
'The Bundesliga 3rd division teams will provide us club and player management know-how and coaches' training module. They will provide us coaches and players too. That's because SLK teams can get six foreign players. So, instead of throwing money away outside, they can get players from the sister team itself. And their players get exposure here,' KFA president Navas Meeran told TNIE.
The longer-term goal is clear: develop a pipeline of Kerala-born players with the potential to play professional football in Germany. With exposure to European systems, Kerala's footballing base could rise significantly in quality and ambition.
'Over a period of time, we will have good players. And because the German teams are connected with the clubs here, they will also see our good players. So, our players will get the opportunity to play in the Bundesliga 3rd division,' Meeran pointed out.
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Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Indian Express
Laura Siegemund, who made Wimbledon QF at 37 – ‘I have game, boldness to take out big names on the other side. In a positive, respectful way I don't care'
Her name might have Siegemund but she isn't overtly in thrall of psychology. Wimbledon witnessed a novelty in a 37-year-old woman making the quarterfinals of the women's singles, and rose in applause as German Laura Siegemund defeated Solana Sierra 6-3, 6-2, with a tricky game. The winner of three Grand Slam titles in doubles (one women's, two mixed), Siegemund was a hoot in her post match after denying Sierra net approaches 15 times out of 19, and lobbying over her cheekily and with an array of passing shots that delighted for their angles. Making Last 8, she was surprised by the popularity coming her way. 'It's an honour. I want to say it's not often that you get such a compliment for being old,' she chuckled, before slashing at giving undue importance to her academic record. She has a degree in psychology and the interviewer very naturally asked if it helped her in tight situations. "I'm a fighter" 💪 She might be the oldest player left in the Ladies' Singles draw, but Laura Siegemund is not going anywhere after booking her place in the quarter-finals – and the #Wimbledon crowd love her for it! 😁 — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 6, 2025 'Oh I've been saying in many, many interviews over many many years that a psychology degree in this kind of moment …really it's worth absolutely nothing,' she said as the Centre Court crowd guffawed. 'Everyone that's good at their job and is a pro in whatever they do, they know that knowing something and being able to perform are two completely different things. If not, everyone who knows how to play an amazing forehand would play an amazing forehand. So that's two different things.' However, she insisted neither age , nor a formal degree had anything to do with her personality. 'But obviously over time I just have that in me, even as a youngster, I am just mentally very tough. And I'm a fighter. And I learn better to stay in the moment. And I said earlier I'm just focussing on me. There's not much more I have to prove but there are some moments where you want to win so bad you get greedy and it's important to let go of that greed. If you are ready to accept the good matches to lose, then you are ready to win. That's what I try to remember in big moments,' she said. Siegemund won 5/8 of her breakpoints and 6/9 net approaches, and will run into tournament favourite Aryna Sabalenka next. She told reporters reputations didn't faze her. 'I have this game and this maybe boldness—I don't know if that's the right word in English—to take out big names. I've always had that,' stated Siegemund. 'Just maybe because I don't care who is on the other side. In a positive, respectful way I don't care.' Just look at what it means to Laura Siegemund 🇩🇪#Wimbledon — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 6, 2025 Her reactions post winning were an emoji scroll, the Korean heart, the 'well, can't help being cool' shrug and the first pump as she became the oldest female left in the draw now. Her game is indescribable as much as it is unconventional. While the deep passing shots from baseline made highlights, whole ending the Lucky loser Cinderella story of Solana Sierra, Siegemund got 89 percent first serves in, and won points off 69. As per tennisletter, Siegemund prefers clay a long time and has found success on it, and grass was always tough to negotiate. But here she was. 'I felt like I never have really enough time to kind of get confidence from my grass game, and maybe the precision here and there and when to do what,' she said. 'This time that I had already a few matches in Nottingham, and I felt that I had more matches, and I had more opportunity to get this confidence, and it's showing, yeah.' What Siegemund is more known for are her frequent run-ins with opponents, though she asserts they are not of her making. One controversy involved a double-bounce against Kristina Mladenovic at 2020 French Open, and a 2023 US Open dustup with Coco Gauff. These concern the long time she takes between points, which saw Gauff complain to chair umpire Marijana Veljović. Siegemund does it in straight sets 👊 Laura Siegemund defeats Solana Sierra 6-3, 6-2 to advance to her first ever #Wimbledon quarter-finals 👏 — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 6, 2025 Coming from Filderstadt, in South Germany near Stuttgart, Siegemund accepts she has always been 'slow', and cops time violations, which she realises annoys opponents though she defends it by saying her weirdness is consistent. 'I know that I have some very controversial, like, habits, let's say. The only thing that I can say about them, they are really about me. I don't try to disturb anyone, although that might be interpreted like that. I'm pretty consistent with my weirdness that I have, let's say (laughing). It's nothing. I do it for me and not against other ones, but it does lead to confrontation sometimes. Then I'm just, like, Well, that's how I am,' she said. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka got asked about her next opponent. 'I'll just show her that she doesn't annoy me. I played against a lot of tricky players who is doing all of those slice shots, approaching the net, going for lobs. I think mentally I know how to approach these players,' the thrice Grand Slam champ said. 'My focus going to be on myself. I really hope that I'm not going to waste my energy on focusing on another side,' she reiterated of not being spooked. Siegemund though can get tough to ignore and at 37 loves tennis the way it ought to be. So she signed off as someone who respectfully doesn't care.


Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
A century after ban, how Paris cleaned Seine river for swimming and how Olympics helped
A man dives in the water as people swim at the Grenelle safe bathing site on the Seine river in Paris, France, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP) Swimming has been allowed again in the River Seine in Paris from Saturday for the first time since 1923. This happened after many years of cleanup work. The reopening is seen as one of the results of the Paris 2024 Olympics, during which open water swimmers and triathletes used the river after special cleaning. People can now swim in marked areas of the river, including two wooden platforms built near the Eiffel Tower and the Ile Saint-Louis in central Paris. These swimming spots have changing rooms, showers, and seating areas. Between 150 and 300 people can use each location to rest and enjoy the space. Swimming had been banned in the Seine since 1923 because of pollution and boat traffic. The ban still applies outside the official swimming areas to keep people safe. The river had high pollution levels for many years, which made swimming risky. Massive cleanup effort In 1988, then-mayor of Paris and future president Jacques Chirac said the ban should be removed. That was about 65 years after swimming was first banned. In the last 20 years, there has been a big drop in the amount of faecal bacteria entering the water. The reopening follows a 1.4 billion euro ($1.5 billion) cleanup plan linked to the Olympics. Authorities now say that on most days, the river meets European water quality rules. But, in the lead up to the games there were doubts as to whether the River Seine would be ready for the Olympics after it was revealed it failed water quality tests. Organisers blamed rainfall for the increased pollution which limited athletes' abilities to train for the triathlon, marathon swimming and paratriathlon, as per a report by the BBC. Last July, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and other members of the Olympic committee went into the Seine to prove that it was safe to swim in. Despite health concerns that affected some Olympic training sessions last summer, as well as the men's triathlon event, races went ahead as planned, helping to increase confidence in the public swimming plans. Some things like leaves and plastic wrappers were still floating in the water. However, there was no strong smell of sewage, only a natural river smell. Paris city official Pierre Rabadan said, as quoted by the news agency AFP, "Flags will inform bathers about pollution levels in the water every day, and if it rains, the sites will likely close the day after." Seine: A witness to wars, art, and love The Seine has played a central role in French history for centuries. In the 9th century, Viking longboats sailed up the river, burning Rouen in 841 and later laying siege to Paris. During World War II, Allied forces bombed bridges downstream from Nazi-occupied Paris to prepare for the D-Day landings, which led to the liberation of western Europe. The river has also been a source of inspiration in the world of art and music. Claude Monet painted it from various viewpoints throughout his life. Artists and celebrities such as Doris Day, Marianne Faithfull, Dean Martin, and Jane Birkin have either sung about or had dramatic moments by the Seine. The river has long attracted couples, many of whom attached personalised padlocks to Paris bridges as a symbol of their love. Apart from being a tourist attraction, the Seine is an important working waterway. Around 20 million tonnes of goods are transported on it every year, making it France's second-busiest river and reducing road traffic by an estimated 800,000 truck journeys.


Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Berlin E-Prix: From Oliver Rowland's World Championship win to Felipe Drugovich's debut, there's a lot to look forward to
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