Lionel Messi 'Very Upset' After Being Penalised By MLS: "Draconian..."
"Lionel Messi is very upset, like we all are in the club, with the fact that they won't be able to play tomorrow night. But I think what we have to do as a club is to get together as one, have an attitude that is us against the world," Mas said at a news conference.
Mas had also confirmed that the decision to rest the two players was made by the club given they had played nine games in a span of just 36 days and the heavily congested schedule with Concacaf Champions League, MLS regular season and FIFA Club World Cup duties having been carried out.
"I think that the punishment for the rule is frankly draconian. Obviously, it was not a positive reaction [from Messi and Alba]. They want to compete, they want to play games. That's what they're here for, to play and win. They understand the magnitude of tomorrow's night's game.
"So no, their reaction was exactly as expected of two competitive players who don't understand the decision, who don't understand why not attending an exhibition match leads directly to a suspension,' he added.
Inter Miami currently sit at fifth place in the Eastern Conference and are seven points behind leaders Cincinnati, making it a very high stakes clash when the two teams meet on Sunday (IST).
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First Post
2 hours ago
- First Post
Divya opens up on missed chances against Humpy in Classical leg of Chess World Cup final: 'Felt like a loss'
IM Divya Deshmukh admitted the draw in Game 1 of the all-Indian FIDE Women's World Cup final against GM Koneru Humpy felt like a defeat, and that she managed to complicate things in Game 2 when it should have been an easy draw. read more Divya Deshmukh had defeated China's Zhu Jiner and Tan Zhongyi, both of whom are ranked inside the world top-10, en route to the FIDE Women's World Cup final against compatriot Koneru Humpy. Image credit: FIDE Two days. Two games. And still no winner. The historic all-Indian FIDE Women's World Cup final between Grandmaster Koneru Humpy and International Master Divya Deshmukh has been quite the entertaining ride so far, but the two players , with this year's champion set to be decided in the tie-breaks on Monday. Divya could have easily been leading the contest heading into Game 1 on Saturday, but failed to capitalise on her experienced compatriot's mistakes to allow Humpy to force a 41-move draw. The 19-year-old from Nagpur was in the mood to attack in the second game as well, only to find the veteran GM matching her move for move and keeping her at bay, even cornering her on a couple of occasions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'I got myself into a mess for no reason' Speaking to FIDE after Game 2 on Sunday, Divya revealed that the draw in Saturday's opening Classical game actually felt like a defeat to her, and that she got herself into an unnecessary mess on the following day in what should have been an easy draw. 'I was quite disappointed with the first game obviously because I saw everything and I just always ended up making the wrong choice, and it was quite a pity. Even though it was a draw, it kind of felt like a loss,' and game two was about recovering from that," Divya said during the interview. 'I think I got myself into a mess for no reason. I was trying to see if there was a win, but I missed this …Qb8 [on move 26]…. It should have been an easy draw,' she added, referring to the second Classical game which ended in just 34 moves through a three-fold repetition. 🇮🇳 Humpy Koneru and 🇮🇳 Divya Deshmukh will play tie-breaks tomorrow! Game 1 & 2 ended in draws. Stay tuned! Tie-Break Start - 12:00 local time 🇬🇪#FIDEWorldCup — International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 27, 2025 Divya, however, does not have the time to be sad right now, and is shifting her focus to the all-important tie-breaks, where she will be competing with Humpy in a series of rapid and blitz games until a decisive result is achieved. And what adds to the challenge is the fact that Humpy happens to be a two-time reigning rapid world champion. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'I just tell myself that I have the rest of my life to be sad about it, so don't be sad today and we can be sad about it afterwards,' Divya added.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
The Queens' Gambit
How Two Indian Girls Made Chess History Something amazing just happened in the world of chess! Two Indian players — Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh — faced each other in the final of the Women's World Cup. That means the two best players in this big tournament were both from India. This has never happened before, and it's a really big deal! Usually, players from China win these tournaments. Most of the top 10 women chess players in the world are Chinese. Until now, Humpy was the only Indian on that list. But now, with Divya also shining, Indian girls are starting to make a mark in the chess world. Even though men and women can both play in the same chess tournaments, there are still far fewer women at the top. In 2001, only 6 out of every 100 international players were women. By 2020, it was about 15 out of 100. But there's still a long way to go. For example, there are only 42 women grandmasters in the whole world, but 1,804 male grandmasters! In India, only 23 out of 85 grandmasters are women. Some people used to wrongly believe that women couldn't play chess as well as men. Even a champion like Garry Kasparov once said that! But everything changed when Judit Polgar, a girl from Hungary, beat him in 2002. She showed the world that girls can be just as smart and daring on the chessboard. Now, there's a debate. Some people think there shouldn't be separate tournaments for women, while others say women's events give more girls the chance to play and win prizes. In India, this is super important because training for chess costs money, and many parents may not spend that money on their daughters. Especially in smaller towns, more boys than girls get to play. But things are changing. This all-Indian final, with the winner getting $50,000, has shown that girls can succeed in chess — and even become stars! It will inspire more girls to pick up the game and dream big. India might be ready for a chess revolution led by girls — and that's something to celebrate! Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Liberty's Breanna Stewart avoids significant injury on right leg, AP source says
NEW YORK (AP) — New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart avoided a significant injury when she hurt her right leg in a game Saturday night, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. HT Image The All-Star forward had imaging done and nothing major turned up, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Sunday because no official statement had been made. She will travel with the team on its four-game road trip that begins in Dallas on Monday night, the person said. Stewart left the game nearly 3 1/2 minutes into the Liberty's 101-99 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks. She had three points and a rebound. Stewart seemed to injure the leg while running up the court. She went to the locker room and never returned to the bench. 'No update, hopefully she'll be OK,' coach Sandy Brondello said the Liberty's five-game winning streak was snapped. New York was playing the second half of a back-to-back. Stewart had a quiet scoring game in Friday's win over Phoenix, with just six points. She did have eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals. Stewart came into Saturday's game averaging 19 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists on the season to help New York (17-7) to the second-best record in the league. The two-time WNBA MVP hadn't missed a game yet this season. After playing much of July at home, New York will be on the road for five of its next six games. New York also had two other injuries; Kennedy Burke had some cramps and Leonie Fiebich has been dealing with a hand injury she suffered against Phoenix. 'She's tough and resilient, she pushed through it,' Brondello said. ___ AP WNBA:
