More Asian Games transport woes as bus takes Pakistan to wrong venue

Nagoya, Japan: More organisational chaos dogged the Asian Games in Japan on Monday when the official bus carrying the Pakistan men's volleyball team went to the wrong venue.

Pakistan's group game with Uzbekistan had to be pushed back 45 minutes because of the mishap. sports24.club

The bus transporting the Pakistan players was supposed to go to an arena in Okazaki, southeast of Games host city Nagoya.

However, the vehicle mistakenly took them to another Games venue staging volleyball about an hour's drive away.

"As a result, the team arrived late at the correct competition venue, and we were required to delay the match by 45 minutes," said an official Games communique.
Pakistan won the match 3-0.

It is more embarrassment for red-faced organisers of the Games, where have there have been numerous complaints about the accommodation and transport services.

Teams have found that buses sometimes arrive at incorrect times, or even not at all.

South Korea were left furious after the bus that was supposed to take them to light practice before their men's basketball final against hosts Japan failed to turn up.

Cape Town: India will meet defending champions Australia and bitter rivals Pakistan in their first two matches at the 2027 Cricket World Cup, the International Cricket Council announced on Thursday.

The India-Australia match, a repeat of the 2023 final, will be in Cape Town on October 7 and the India-Pakistan clash will take place in Johannesburg three days later.
The tournament, hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, will start on October 2 and the final will be played on November 27.

The group match between India and Pakistan will be played at the Wanderers Stadium, the tournament's biggest venue and tickets are almost certain to be in high demand.

Co-hosts Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and a qualifier will be the other teams in Group A.

Zimbabwe will play all of their group matches at home, with two matches in Bulawayo, two in Harare and the last fixture in the group against India at Victoria Falls.

Main hosts South Africa will play their first match in Group B against New Zealand in Cape Town on October 9, a day after England play the opening match in the group against Bangladesh in Windhoek, Namibia.

England will meet two of their main rivals in the group in Gqeberha. They will play South Africa on October 16 and New Zealand on October 23.
Also in Group B will be Sri Lanka and a qualifier.

Star India batsman Virat Kohli, 37, said in a televised interview at the launch in Cape Town that it would be his last World Cup.

He said that the intensity of a World Cup was like nothing else in cricket.

"To maintain that intensity for 10 games takes a lot out of you in foreign conditions. It's the last World Cup I am going to play for India and my motivation is to leave everything out there," said Kohli.

Australian captain Pat Cummins said of the opening match: "Anytime you play India, you feel there are a billion people watching.

"It's going to be great. I still get called up all the time about that 2023 final and they'll be up for revenge."

After a preliminary round to eliminate two of the three lowest-ranked teams, 12 teams will be split into two groups for round-robin matches before the top three in each group, and the best fourth-placed team, qualify for a Super Seven phase, followed by semi-finals and the final.

Because of political tensions between the two countries, India and Pakistan have only played each other in ICC events since Pakistan toured India for three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 internationals in December 2012.

The rivalry is intense despite India having won all eight matches against Pakistan in Cricket World Cups and eight out of nine in T20 World Cups.

Copenhagen: Uncertainy surrounds the future of Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in the national team after the 41-year-old walked out on the squad following an announcement from coach Jorge Jesus that he would not start Thursday's game against Denmark.

Ronaldo announced late Wednesday that he had left the team, shortly after a press conference in which Jesus confirmed the five-time Ballon d'Or winner would be left out of his starting line-up for a second consecutive game.

The former Real Madrid forward had been due to train with his teammates at the Parken Stadium on the eve of the UEFA Nations League match against the Danes, but walked out following the announcement by Jesus.

"After the press conference of the national team coach, and following a conversation with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, I have made the decision to leave the role of the national team," Ronaldo wrote on Instagram.

Ronaldo had already spent the entirety of Sunday's 2-1 Nations League win in Norway on the bench, having captained the side in the 1-0 home victory over Wales last Thursday.

It is commonplace for national team coaches to rotate their squads for these matches, which do not carry the same level of importance as a World Cup or European Championship.

However, Ronaldo appeared to indicate that the reasons behind Jesus's decision ran deeper.

"In due time, I will tell the Portuguese people the truth about the reasons that motivated my departure from the national team, to which I have always dedicated myself," he added in comments that hinted at a permanent withdrawal from the international stage.

"Now is time to wish Portugal and all my teammates the very best for the future, without exception."

Spanish sports daily Marca said Jesus and Portuguese federation president Pedro Proenca followed Ronaldo to Copenhagen airport in an attempt to persuade him to stay with the squad, before the player boarded his private jet.

Jesus insisted earlier Wednesday that there was no rift between him and Ronaldo, although the 72-year-old -- appointed coach in July -- acknowledged that his captain was disappointed to remain on the bench against Norway.

The news sparked a wave of memes on social media and furious backlash from Ronaldo's sister, Elma Aveiro.

"They don't deserve to have the best of anything," she said about the Portuguese people on Instagram.

"We are envious, scornful, and ignorant, and we deserve to return to the mediocrity that defined us in the pre-CR7 era of football."

'Nothing to make a fuss about'

The game in Oslo was the first time since November 2024 that Ronaldo had not featured for Portugal while not being either injured or suspended.

"There was no incident whatsoever," Jesus, who coached Ronaldo at Saudi club Al-Nassr for a year before taking the Portugal job, told reporters after that match.

"Any player -- and I was a player myself... when you spend 20 or 30 minutes warming up and then don't get on... no one is happy about that," Jesus added on Wednesday.

The Portuguese coach also said he had told Ronaldo before the match that he would not be in the starting line-up, but that he might bring him on.

"Afterwards, as coach, I decided not to bring him on. It's nothing to make a fuss about," Jesus insisted.

"Preparation for the two matches against Denmark and Norway... continue as planned with the 24 remaining squad members," the Portuguese federation said after Ronaldo's departure.

"The entire delegation remains totally focused on the national team's next fixtures and on achieving the established objectives."

Jesus said earlier that against Denmark he again intended to start AC Milan striker Goncalo Ramos, who scored the winner in Norway.

"If everything goes according to plan, it will be Goncalo who plays," he said, before adding regarding Ronaldo: "If I need him, he'll come on. If I don't need him, he won't."

Ronaldo recently announced that this season would "probably (be) my last year in football".

He is Portugal's leading goalscorer and most capped player, with 146 goals in 234 appearances.

The former Sporting, Manchester United, Real and Juventus striker made his international debut aged 18 in 2003.

The following year he played in the Portugal side that lost the Euro 2004 final as hosts to Greece.

He later reached the World Cup semi-finals in 2006 and captained his country to glory at Euro 2016.

Ronaldo and Portugal went out of this year's World Cup in the last 16 to Spain.