Digest

SOCCER

England star Alli robbed at knifepoint

Tottenham Hotspur and England midfielder Dele Alli was robbed at knifepoint at his North London home in the early hours of Wednesday, with the assailants escaping with hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of valuables, British media reported.

Alli, 24, and his adopted brother Harry Hickford were reportedly hurt in the incident after two men wielding knives broke into the player's home in Barnet and threatened them.

"Two males gained entry to the property and stole items of jewellery, including watches, before fleeing," the Metropolitan Police said.

"Two male occupants at the property suffered minor facial injuries after being assaulted. They did not require hospital treatment. No arrests; enquiries into the circumstances continue." Alli and Hickford's girlfriends as well as a friend were also in the house when the incident occurred.

Messi security fears over homecoming

Lionel Messi would return to his native Argentina for the final years of his career if not for security concerns in the South American country, his cousin, Maximiliano Biancucchi, said on Wednesday.

Messi and his family relocated to Barcelona when he was 13 and three years later he made his first-team debut for the Catalan club.

Now 32, Messi has not ruled out ending his career at boyhood club Newell's Old Boys in Rosario, but Biancucchi believes that is unlikely.

"The connection he has with Argentina is something that people don't fully understand," Biancucchi said."He is often branded as Spanish. But he is very Argentinian, in his own way. He spends his holidays here, he got married in Rosario.

"It's unlikely. But if not for the insecurity in the country, I would venture to say that he'd play in Argentina," added Biancucchi.

TENNIS

Osaka using lockdown to conquer shyness

Two-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka is using the coronavirus shutdown to try and overcome her crippling shyness.

The tennis season was suspended in early March due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and the hiatus will continue until at least mid-July with many countries in lockdown to contain the virus.

Japan's Osaka, who trains in the United States, is taking advantage of the extended break to do some soulsearching.

"I think people know me as being really shy. I want to take the quarantine time to just think about everything, and for me, I have a lot of regrets before I go to sleep," Osaka told CNN Sport.

"Most of the regrets are because I don't speak out about what I'm thinking. I feel like if I asserted myself, I would have gotten the opportunity to see what would have happened.

"I want to take this time to learn something new because I'm pretty sure I won't have this much free time ever again. It's not like I'll forget how to play tennis."

PANDEMIC

UK athletes get green light to resume training

British elite and professional athletes are allowed to resume performance training under new guidance published on Wednesday.

The guidance, published by the British Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, aims to ensure athletes can initially carry out individual performance training at an official elite training venue, under carefully controlled medical conditions, providing they keep two meters apart from teammates and other people outside their household.

UK culture secretary Oliver Dowden said: "I know our sports stars are keen to get back to training and this guidance will enable them to do so in a safe way. Our top priority is protecting the health of athletes, coaches and support staff."

No elite sports event will be held in England before June 1 but Dowden believed the resumption of training is "an important milestone towards restarting competitive sport behind closed doors".

However, Dowden stressed:"We are clear that this can only happen on the advice of medical experts and when it is safe to do so."

MOTOR SPORTS

Hamilton tops Britain's Sunday Times rich list

Six-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton is the richest sportsperson in the United Kingdom with a net worth of 224 million pounds ($275.6 million), according to The Sunday Times newspaper's Rich List.

Hamilton, who signed a new contract with Mercedes in 2018 worth up to 40 million pounds a year, saw his net worth rise by 37 million pounds over the last year.

Rory McIlroy, who returned to the top of golf's world rankings in February for the first time since 2015, is the only other sportsperson to feature on the main Rich List with a net worth of 170 million pounds.

Wales soccer player Gareth Bale, who earns 350,000 pounds per week after tax at Real Madrid, has a net worth of 114 million pounds and is the richest sportsperson aged 30 or under.

Schumi beats Bernie in 'most influential' poll

Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher has been named the most influential person in Formula One history after a vote by fans on the sport's official website.

The result was revealed on Wednesday, the 70th anniversary of the first world championship grand prix at Silverstone in 1950.

Ferrari great Schumacher, who has not been seen in public since he suffered serious head injuries in a ski accident in 2013, beat former commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone with 61 percent of the vote in a head-to-head final.

The German holds the record for titles and race wins (91), although six-time champion Lewis Hamilton is threatening to take both.

In earlier rounds of the tournament, Schumacher beat the late champions Niki Lauda, Ayrton Senna and Juan Manuel Fangio as well as team founder Enzo Ferrari. An expert panel had produced a 32-name shortlist, divided into four categories of drivers, team bosses, technical innovators and game changers.

Xinhua - Agencies