'The ITIA accepts that the player did not intend to cheat, that his violation was inadvertent and unintentional, and that he bears no significant fault or negligence for it.'
The historic Maracana stadium has hosted two World Cup finals, in 1950 and 2014, and saw Messi and his squad become 2021 Copa America champions by beating Brazil 1-0.
The 1970 Brazil side, led by Pele and featuring names such as Gerson, Tostao, Rivelino and Carlos Alberto, is frequently rated the greatest team of all time. They won all seven of their matches in Mexico, culminating with a 4-1 over Italy in the final at the Aztec stadium. The life-size statue of Pele, dressed in the strip worn by the 1970 team, bore a close resemblance to the former Santos and New York Cosmos striker, unlike many of the statues of famous footballers unveiled recently around the globe.
The Copa America 2021 championship final will be played between Brazil and Argentina from 05:30 am IST Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
A sensational run over the last two weeks has given wings to Ashwini Ponnappa's Olympics dreams, and the ace Indian shuttler now wants to continue her fine run in the upcoming bigger tournaments to stay on course for a trip to Paris.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday made a fresh push for reforms in global institutions, including the United Nations, asserting that the world's 'new realities' should be reflected in 'new global structure' as it is nature's law that those who don't change with times lose their relevance.
Another gold medal in Paris would further elevate Neeraj Chopra's status as the greatest ever athlete in the history of Indian sport.
Despite the massive outbreak of the Zika virus in Brazil, the country's annual carnival roared ahead with ravellers jumping, dancing and singing on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and other cities. Here are some vibrant scenes from the event.
Rediff.com brings a selection of the week's best photographs from the sports world.
Argentina won their first major title in 28 years on Saturday after Angel Di Maria's goal gave them a 1-0 win over Brazil and a record-equalling 15th Copa America, at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday.
Brazil lost their second consecutive World Cup qualifier match as Colombia fought back to win 2-1 against the five-times champions.
A loud blast was heard near the finishing line of the men's cycling road race at the Rio Olympics on Saturday but there were no signs of panic or injuries and the race continued, a Reuters witness said. Bomb squad agents in protective clothing were operating near the press tribune at the site but the cause of the blast was not immediately clear. In recent days, bomb squad members have detonated a number of unattended bags in controlled explosions in Rio.
A Moroccan Olympic boxer was arrested on charges he sexually assaulted two women in the Olympic Village, Rio de Janeiro police said on Friday.
Israeli soldiers and tanks on the move in Gaza. Palestinians killed and wounded in Israeli strikes. When will it all end?
All Spanish athletes competing at this year's Tokyo Olympics will be vaccinated against COVID-19 before heading to the Games, the President of Spain's National Council for Sports Jose Manuel Franco said on Wednesday.
Three-time World champion Carolina Marin clinched the European Championships title for the sixth time on Saturday, making a triumphant return after a knee injury sidelined her for 10 months.
A total of 23 athletes from five sports tested positive for banned drugs in re-checks of 265 samples from the London 2012 Olympics, the International Olympic Committee said on Friday.
Says he has given 'lesson of humanity'.
Thirty one athletes from six sports could be banned from this year's Rio de Janeiro Olympics after 454 doping samples were re-tested from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the International Olympic Committee said on Tuesday.
Presenting an interactive quiz on the greatest sporting show on earth.
The village will host more than 18,000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes, officials, staff and volunteers in 31 buildings and more than 3,600 apartments.
Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Paes has described Australia's Olympic committee as a "source of aggressions" against Brazil after it banned the team's athletes from visiting the city's favelas during the Games in August. Australia's team chef de mission Kitty Chiller told News Ltd media on Sunday that their Olympians would be barred from going to the urban slums, even on official tours, in accordance with advice from a security expert. "There is still much unfamiliarity about Rio and Brazil," Paes told Brazilian media. "There is a certain dramatisation. And between us, the Australian committee has been a source of aggressions to Brazil." Rio's favelas are among the most violent and crime-ridden areas of the city. Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) president John Coates, a member of the International Olympic Committee's coordination commission, said in April 2014 that Rio's Games preparations were the worst he had ever seen and critically behind schedule. Coates was more generous in a January assessment, however, saying he felt "very positive" about the delivery of the Games.
After a 20,000-km (12,400-mile) journey through the vast nation, the torch crossed Guanabara Bay in a sailboat piloted by former medalists, in a nod to one of the competitions where the host country has claimed Olympic glory.
The beautiful Rio de Janeiro sunset that was aired live during Germany's one goal victory against Argentina during their World Cup final clash has reportedly been treated with Uruguayan Luis Suarez 's bite meme.
Baga and Gokarna make the list of the world's top 100 beaches.
This was the third title for the Indian duo -- they had clinched the Abu Dhabi Masters Super 100 and Nantes International Challenge this year.
People travelling to the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro should avoid visiting impoverished and overcrowded urban areas to prevent catching the mosquito-borne Zika virus.
A plane carrying 19 people has crashed on a mountainous region outside Rio de Janeiro, killing all aboard, civil defence officials said Saturday.
Here's a collection of some of the best photos from around the globe.
It's time to partay!!! Brazil's most famous carnival celebrations have taken place in Rio de Janeiro. Thousands of sparkling dancers from the Rio de Janeiro's elite samba schools put on a spectacular samba parade through the famous Sambadrome.
Athletes Village opens officially, on Sunday, meaning 10,500 athletes and another 7,000 staff members will start trickling into the luxurious layout.
Rio de Janeiro's famed Carnival got underway as hundreds of thousands roared into the streets for the most colourful festival ever. Reuters photographers Pilar Olivares, Sergio Moraes, Paulo Whitaker gives us a glimpse of the pomp and the pageantry.
In the first formal disqualification of a Tokyo Olympics athlete for doping, Russian Igor Polyanskiy has been banned for three years, World Triathlon said on Thursday.
The decision to push the restart date for some clubs back until Sunday, June 28 came after Botafogo and Fluminense, who both say it is premature to play football, took the case to court to try to postpone their restart.
Brazilian police arrested on Thursday the head of the national Olympics committee, who is accused of conspiring to bribe members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to pick Rio de Janeiro as host of the 2016 games.
A woman appears to risk her life to capture a breathtaking engagement photo, however the incredible snap is actually just an optical illusion.
On World Cup game days, many Brazilians get time off work to pack into bars and restaurants or gather for home barbecues to watch the games, rooting for a national team seeking its sixth world champion title in Qatar.
His Brazilian fans loved him for his idiosyncratic personality and unapologetic nationalism. He liked to say he was born with victory at his side and was rarely shy to challenge those who said his teams were too defensive.
Young Indian shooter Nischal won the silver medal in the women's 50 metre Rifle 3 Positions at the ISSF World Cup, in Rio De Janeiro, on Monday. It was India's second medal on the concluding day of the tournament.
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