18/03/2026

SPORTS WEDNESDAY | MAR 18, 2026

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Hamilton accused of ‘destroying’ Ferrari’s race

FORMER Formula One driver Jacques Villeneuve has accused Lewis Hamltilon of “destroying” Ferrari’s Chinese Grand Prix after his battle with teammate Charles Leclerc. The Brit finished third, grabbing himself a place on the podium ahead of the Monaco driver, who finished fourth. The race run by the seven-time world champion has been described as “extreme” with the suggestion that the antics damaged Ferrari’s chances in Shanghai.

teammates fighting for silverware is good for the sport. He said: “I checked on my Whoop, and it was ok. I trust them, and for sure, it is always tricky because it is difficult to stop them, and I don’t want to ask them to freeze the positions, and I think it would be unfair. “They are professional, and it is good for the team, it is good for F1, and I would prefer it stays like this.” – Express Nespapers

they were fighting so hard, destroying their tyres. And in those two laps, they lost five seconds to Antonelli.” The podium for Hamilton was his first for Ferrari after a difficult first season in the famous red. In doing so, it was a record-extending 203rd time he stood up among the winners during his illustrious F1 career. However, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur dismissed the notion as he believes the two

Hamilton was third fastest in the sprint and finished third behind the Mercedes one-two of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, the 41-year old is now facing claims that the battle with his teammate aided their rivals. Villeneuve said: “Well, it was fair because he finished third, and he managed to beat his teammate. So, yes, it turned out okay, but it was a little bit extreme, and it destroyed Ferrari’s race. “They were running second and third. Then

Laporta kicks off Barca reset … as Magpies threaten upset with tie poised after strong first leg showing C AVA (sparkling Spanish wine) was flowing before the votes had even begun to be There was plenty to criticise, with the return to the club’s par tially rebuilt Nou Camp home delayed by a year, and registra tion issues with Dani Olmo’s contract embarrassing the club. Many feared Laporta’s deci

SIDENETTING

Neymar Jr. (left) and Brazil head coach

Neymar not fit BRAZIL COACH Carlo Ancelotti said yesterday Neymar is “not 100%” fit so will miss two friendlies later this month as youngster Endrick returns to the squad. Santos’ Neymar has not played for Brazil since October 2023 due to a seri ous knee injury but has played four games for his club since mid-February. The 34-year-old misses out on pre World Cup friendlies against France on March 27 in Boston and Croatia four days later in Orlando. Brazil start their bid for a sixth World Cup title, but first since 2002, against Morocco in New Jersey on June 13, before also facing Haiti and Scotland in Group C. “I haven’t called him up because he’s not 100%,” Ancelotti told reporters. “But for the final (World Cup) squad, that’s another story,” the 66-year-old added. Real Madrid forward Rodrygo and Newcastle midfielder Bruno Guimaraes are sidelined through injury. Endrick earned a recall thanks to an impressive string of performances since joining Lyon on loan from Real Madrid. The Italian has selected two uncapped players in Brentford striker Igor Thiago and Bournemouth teenager Rayan. Iran in talks over venue change IRAN’S FOOTBALL FEDERATION is “negotiating” with Fifa to relocate the country’s first-round matches at the World Cup to Mexico from the United States, citing the conflict in the Middle East, Iran’s embassy in Mexico said yes terday. Iran’s participation at this summer’s finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico has been thrown into doubt since the war began late last month. “When (US President Donald) Trump has explicitly stated that he cannot ensure the security of the Iranian national team, we will certainly not travel to America,” Iranian football chief Mehdi Taj said in remarks posted on the embassy’s X account. “We are currently negotiating with Fifa to hold Iran’s matches in the World Cup in Mexico.” Iran are scheduled to face New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles, followed by Egypt in Seattle. The team’s base camp for the tour nament is currently slated to be located in Tucson, Arizona. Abolfazl Pasandideh, Iran’s ambassa dor to Mexico, on Monday denounced “the US government’s lack of coopera tion regarding visa issuance and the provision of logistical support” for the Iranian delegation ahead of the World Cup, in a statement published on the embassy’s website. He added that he had also “sug gested to Fifa that Iran’s matches be moved from the United States to Mexico.” Fifa did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.

Carlo Ancelotti. – REUTERSPIC

counted, and it was spilling eve rywhere when the counting was done, and long after that too, Barcelona’s president reelect Joan Laporta exuberantly shak ing a bottle of it in the early hours of Monday morning in his beloved party venue Luz de Gas. The battle was over, rival election candidate Victor Font dispatched with consummate ease, but now the real fight begins – with Laporta desperate to propel Barcelona back to the European throne. Newcastle visit tomorrow (1.45am Malaysian time) in the Champions League last 16, the tie delicately poised af ter a 1-1 draw on Tyneside last week, Eddie Howe’s men underdogs but posing a clear threat to Laporta’s dream as shown by their strong first leg display. If the last five years were about bringing Barcelona back from the ICU, as he put it after inheriting a tower of debt, then the next five must build on the platform they have created. Should the Catalan giants go one better than last season, when they reached the semifi nals for the first time in six years, and then triumph in Budapest, theoretically Laporta wouldn’t even be the president yet. His second consecutive mandate – and fourth in total, having led the club from 2003 to 2010 – begins in July, with tem porary chief Rafa Yuste in charge until then. “If Yuste wins this Champions League, it will be wonderful, he is like a brother to me,” said Laporta. However the reality is charis matic 63-year-old Laporta will be pulling the strings, as he did on Sunday’s election day, zeal ously greeting famous faces from the club’s past who turned up to vote.

sion to activate the palancas (financial levers) would send the club to ruin, selling off future television rights and parts of the club for an immedi ate cash injection. However the approach worked, at least in the short term. Laporta and his sporting director Deco bet the house on Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Jules Kounde, trying to power Barca back to the elite, and in time the deals paid off. Most importantly, the duo turned to Hansi Flick. That was a gamble too, on the former Bayern Munich coach, but Flick’s thrilling attacking foot ball entertained fans and has proven successful. It led the team to a domestic treble last season, and the final four in Europe where they fell short against Inter Milan. Flick’s side were defensively weak, and that still appears to be the case, with Newcastle aiming to get in behind their high line to cause an upset in Catalonia. However in teenage winger Lamine Yamal and midfielder Pedri Gonzalez, Barca have arguably the best two players in their positions in the world. “We are going to live the best years of our lives these next five years,” pledged Laporta after his victory. “No one can stop us,” added a jubilant Laporta before head ing into the Barcelona night, although 11 years of misery in Europe hints the Catalans are sometimes capable of stopping themselves. The Magpies’ visit gives Barca the chance to begin Laporta’s new era with a bang, with a Champions League quar terfinal place beckoning. – AFP

UCL final ticket price from RM315

while the Conference League final in Leipzig on May 27 begins at €25 (RM112). All Whites prepare, await decision NEW ZEALAND are continuing to pre pare for a World Cup opener against Iran but will be ready to adjust if the Middle East nation does not take part, coach Darren Bazeley said. Iran’s first match is against New Zealand on June 15 in Los Angeles. The Iranians are also grouped with Belgium and Egypt at the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. “Right now we’re still continuing as though we’re playing Iran,” Bazeley told New Zealand media. “They’re the team that qualified and we got drawn against them. That’s still the fixture and until we get told other wise, we’ll continue with that prepara tion. Obviously, if things change, then we’ll deal with that, but that would be (people at) a higher level than myself involved in those discussions.” New Zealand Football boss Andrew Pragnell told local media they were tak ing security around their matches very seriously but had not heard any updates from Fifa about heightened threats. Pragnell said he could not fore see Iran’s World Cup matches being shifted out of the United States. “I doubt that Fifa would change locations of fixtures. It’s probably not something that they would look to do,” he said.

TICKETS for the men’s Champions League final in Budapest will start at €70 euros (RM315) with a lottery deciding the allocation for the general public, Uefa said yesterday. The final will be on May 30 at Puskas Arena in the Hungarian capital. Fans will also be able to attend the women’s Champions League final at Oslo’s Ullevaal Stadium on May 23 for as little as €20 (RM90, with tickets on sale from Monday for all Uefa club competi tion finals. The pricing structure stands in con trast to major international tourna ments such as the World Cup and the European Championship, where ticket prices are typically far higher and have drawn criticism from supporters. Applications are open through Uefa’s ticket portal, with sales for the Champions League final closing on March 19. Tickets will then be allocated through a lottery once the rather than sold through first-come, first-served sales or dynamic pricing models increasingly used at major sporting events. Uefa said the majority of tickets for the four finals will go to supporters of the participating teams and the general public, with more than 40% of capacity for the Champions League final reserved for fans in the two lowest price categories. Prices for the Europa League final in Istanbul on May 20 start at €40 (RM180,