14/07/2026

SPORTS TUESDAY | JULY 14, 2026

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Pogacar calls for calendar overhaul due to heatwave

TOUR DE FRANCE king Tadej Pogacar said yesterday if he had his own way he would not race at all in the hottest summer months. The 27-year-old Slovenian was speaking after the ninth stage of the Tour de France in the central Correze region which had been shortened by around 30km because of a “red alert” warning due to an intense heatwave. Every day since the 113th edition of the Tour started in Barcelona nine days ago, riders have braved tempera tures of up to 35°C and at times up to 40°C. It has set them and their teams a logistical nightmare to try to keep cool and hydrated, not just on their bikes but even through the night in their hotel rooms. Some, such as Australian veteran Luke Durbridge, have suggested start ing the stages earlier in the day but Pogacar dismissed the effectiveness of such a move. “It’s a big topic to discuss, but if I

Five classic France vs Spain clashes

Mbappe wins Nations League 2021 Uefa Nations League final: Spain 1 France 2 There have been a series of meetings between the teams in a tournament con text in recent years, begin ning with the 2021 Nations League final in Milan. In front of a restricted crowd due to the Covid pan demic, Mikel Oyarzabal gave Luis Enrique’s Spain the lead just after the hour mark. Karim Benzema, the Real Madrid striker who had recently been brought back into the international fold after over five years in the wilderness, equalised from Kylian Mbappe’s assist. Mbappe then grabbed the winner as France won the second title of Didier Deschamps’ reign as coach, after the 2018 World Cup. Yamal’s stunner Euro 2024 semifinal: Spain 2 France 1 The France team at Euro 2024 was different to the side that has lit up this World Cup. They reached the last four by scoring three goals in five games – one was a penalty, the other two were own goals. Randal Kolo Muani became the first France player to score in open play at the tournament when he gave them the lead early in the semifinal against Spain in Munich. But Lamine Yamal equal ised with a wonderful strike, four days before his 17th birthday. Dani Olmo then got what proved to be the win ner a few minutes later, and Spain went on to defeat England in the final. Nine-goal thriller 2025 Uefa Nations League semifinal: Spain 5 France 4 France had started their transformation into a much more exciting team when the sides last met, in the Nations League semifinals in June last year in Stuttgart. Spain were 4-0 up early in the second half thanks to goals by Nico Williams, Mikel Merino, a Lamine Yamal penalty, and Pedri. Kylian Mbappe pulled one back from the spot but Yamal got Spain’s fifth, before France rallied and strikes by Rayan Cherki and Randal Kolo Muani either side of a Dani Vivian own goal made the scoreline more respectable. Spain went on to lose the final on penalties to Portugal. Spain also won 5-3 in the gold medal match at the 2024 Olympics – Manu Kone, Michael Olise, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Desire Doue, Rayan Cherki, Pau Cubarsi and Alex Baena all played in that game, and are in line to fea ture this time too. AFP

FRANCE and Spain will meet in a heavyweight World Cup semifinal showdown tomor row, with Les Bleus bidding to reach a third straight final and La Roja still in contention to follow their triumph at Euro 2024 by claiming the biggest prize of all. Here are five of the best past encounters between the nations: Arconada’s howler, France’s first title 1984 European C’ship final: France 2 Spain 0 The first competitive meet ing of the European neigh bours came in Paris in the Euro 84 final, as a France team inspired by Michel Platini claimed their first major international title. The game at the Parc des Princes hinged on a Platini freekick just before the hour mark which Spain goal keeper Luis Arconada let squirm through his grasp and in to give France the lead. It was Platini’s ninth goal in five games at the tourna ment, and set them on the way to victory. They had Yvon Le Roux sent off late on but Bruno Bellone then sealed their tri umph. France were European champions, and Spain would not reach another tourna ment final until they won Euro 2008. French fightback in Hanover 2006 World Cup, last 16: Spain 1 France 3 The only meeting of the teams at a World Cup before this year came in Germany in 2006, as they faced off in the last 16 in Hanover. A strong Spain team topped their group with three wins out of three, while France laboured through as runners-up in their section after being held by Switzerland and South Korea. Spain went ahead through a David Villa penalty, but Franck Ribery equalised before halftime. Patrick Vieira then put France in front as extra time loomed, Raymond Domenech’s France ended up losing the final on penalties to Italy, while Spain were left bruised by another major tourna ment in which they fell short of their potential – they bounced back to win the 2010 World Cup, though, in between back-to-back Euro triumphs in 2008 and 2012. and Zinedine Zidane clinched the victory.

Pogacar added about his UAE Emirates-XRG team. Speaking to AFP before the start of yesterday’s 154.6km ninth stage from Malemort to Ussel, Durbridge had suggested he was in favour of starting stages earlier in the day. That was also a position supported by the CPA union which represents professional cyclists. Durbridge, 35, first rode the Tour in 2014 and he said it has been getting harder. “I do remember certain days in the Tour de France where the roads have been melting,” he said. “We’ve always had hot Tours de France, but this has been quite exceptional purely because it’s just been so consistent.” – AFP

could have the power to change all, I would change all the calendars, and I would not race in July and August in the hot places and do a completely different calendar,” the Tour leader said. Amongst all the talk about how best to manage the extreme heat rid ers have been faced with, the ones complaining the least have been the cyclists. Professional cycling teams now have quite sophisticated measures in place to manage the elevated tem peratures. “Our team, we managed pretty well with this heat, we did a super good job to cool down our

systems, and I’m pretty sat isfied with how it went,”

‘It was a super hard day’

Van der Poel stays calm in the heat to win Tour de France stage nine

Premier Tech team’s rider Mathieu van der Poel (front) celebrates after crossing the finish line to win stage nine of the Tour de France in central France yesterday. – AFPPIC

C OBBLED classics specialist Mathieu van der Poel claimed his third Tour de France win yesterday with victory in the ninth stage, which was shortened due to intense heat. The 31-year-old Dutchman, a for mer world champion, won a sprint amongst his three breakaway com panions with Tobias Johannessen taking second and Tom Pidcock third. “It was a super hard day. The start of the Tour was not great for our team, but I think, like always, we stayed calm,” he said. “We have a really nice group here and we kept believing that it will turn around… but it’s really nice to go to the first rest day with a win.” Having worked as a sprint lead out man for his Alpecin Premier Tech teammate Jasper Philipsen – who had finished fourth and fifth in the sprint stages – in the previous

the prestigious Monument one-day classics, although he did claim the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and E3 Saxo Bank classics. “It’s only my third victory so it shows how hard it is for me to win a stage in the Tour,” said Van der Poel. “It will always be special to win one. Sometimes, it looks really easy because in the past seasons we (Alpecin) always succeeded in win ning a Monument or winning sprints in a Tour, but we know that it will not always come that easy. “That’s also why we just keep working and keep believing in it and we do our best – that’s all we can do.” This stage was shortened by around 30km due to a “red alert” weather warning in the central Correze region. Temperatures once again reached close to 40 ° C, although in parts on the stage it was nearer 30 ° C. – AFP

two days, Van der Poel finally had a chance to go for a stage win for him self. Reigning champion Tadej Pogacar came home in the chasing peloton six seconds behind the win ner to maintain his lead in the over all standings ahead of today’s first rest day. The four-time champion leads two-time winner Jonas Vingegaard by 2min 42sec with Mexican Isaac del Toro a further 45sec back. Van der Poel, a three-time winner of both the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix – the two most impor tant one-day cobbled classics – had previously won Tour stages in 2021 and 2025. And although he won a record eighth cyclocross world title earlier in the year, this season had not gone to plan. It was the first year since 2021 that Van der Poel had failed to win one of