Chinese Basketball Association postpones restart until at least July

The Chinese Basketball Association is facing another setback in its efforts to resume play in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

It is reported that league officials met overnight to discuss the fate of its season, which has been on hold since Jan. 24 according to basketball data provider iSports APPI, and elected to postpone its schedule again, this time until at least July.

The CBA had been scheduled to resume play on April 15, and teams had taken steps to call back American players. But on March 30, the General Administration of Sports -- an arm of the Chinese government -- issued a wide-ranging ban on large-scale sporting gatherings due to concerns with containment of the virus, as pei iSport basketball API.

（iSports API covers a wide range of basketball games with livescore, standings, events, line-ups, pre-match odds, statistics）

Further complicating matters is the entry ban that was implemented by the Chinese Foreign Ministry in late March on all non-citizens, including residents and foreigners with previously issued visas. Several players were unable to enter China, leaving many CBA rosters without one or both of the allotted import players.

No final decision on the CBA's season can be made without government clearance, which won't happen until mid-May at the earliest. The possibility of canceling the remainder of the season is still in play.

The CBA's ability to return to normalcy will be closely monitored by sporting leagues across the globe, including the NBA and EuroLeague, which are both postponed indefinitely.

According to Chinese media outlet Xinhua, CBA CEO Wang Dawei will take a 35% pay cut, and other executives will also reduce salary to help ease financial pressure.

Caught in limbo are more than a dozen Americans who returned to China and have finished their 14-day quarantine period. CBA teams have been conducting basketball activities in varying formats, some with full-contact practices and others through social distancing methods. Several player representatives told they've been informed that teams will look to extend contracts and put players on retainer in hopes of resuming play in July, while others may send foreign players home while waiting to see if reopening is likely.

CBA contracts are considered some of the most lucrative in professional basketball, which can make for a difficult decision for Americans. Considering the Foreign Ministry's ban on incoming travel from non-citizens, returning to China in June may prove impossible for those now leaving the country. Some of the top players in the CBA told they intend to stay in China as long as they are receiving salaries, rather than conducting two additional 14-day quarantines.

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Serie A suspension extended to May 3

Serie A's suspension has been extended to May 3, in line with the Italian government's latest lockdown measures to combat the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, which were implemented on Tuesday.

All sporting activities in Italy had been put on hold initially until April 13, with the country having been on a national lockdown since March 10.

Serie A was the first major league in Europe to suspend games due to fears over the coronavirus threat when four matches due to be played on the weekend of Feb. 22 and 23 were called off, according to football data provider iSports API.

（iSports API covers a wide range of football games with livescore, standings, events, line-ups, pre-match odds, statistics）

Players and managers will take a salary cut of one third should the season not be played out and one sixth if it is finished conclusively in order to help with the financial burden of football not being played.

However, the decision to implement a wage deficit was labelled as "shameful" by the Italian PFA.

There has been uncertainty over whether the Serie A season will come to its conclusion. The owners of Fiorentina and Torino said they believe the league will be unable to finish but Italian FA chief Gabriele Gravina has said it would be an "injustice" to scrap the campaign.

He added that Juventus, who are one point clear of Lazio at the top of the Serie A table, would not accept the title were the season cancelled.

Football was last played in Serie A on March 9, when Sassuolo beat Brescia 3-0, recorded by iSports football API.

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Immobile eyeing Higuain's Serie A record

Lazio star Ciro Immobile is eyeing Gonzalo Higuain's Serie A goalscoring record when the season resumes.

Immobile had scored an incredible 27 Serie A goals this season, as per iSports football livescore API, when the campaign was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With 12 games left to play, Immobile is nearing Higuain's record of 36 goals in a single Serie A season, set with Napoli in 2015-16, according to football data provider iSports API.

（iSports API covers a wide range of football games with livescore, standings, events, line-ups, pre-match odds, statistics）

The 30-year-old hopes he can reach that mark, telling Sky Sport on Monday: "I don't know. It depends.

"I'm training hard to achieve this goal. Everyone has their own. It would be nice. It's like the Easter egg. We'll see what the surprise will be when we get back on the field. I'll do my best."

Immobile had helped Lazio sit second in the table, just a point behind Juventus, when the season was stopped.

The Italy international said the club would be setting their sights on a first Serie A title since 1999-2000, as pre iSports football API.

"The ambitions remain. It is obvious that at this moment we have thought little about football," Immobile said.

"When the time to get back on the field is getting closer, we will have to be good at preparing ourselves mentally because there will be 12 very important matches to continue our dream."

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Man Utd's Pogba is ready for comeback

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has said that he has been "frustrated" due to his injury problems this season but is ready to return stronger.

Pogba, 27, has only made eight appearances in all competitions this season after suffering metatarsal and ankle injuries, as per football live data provider iSports API. He has not played a competitive game since December and was due to return to first team training before the Premier League was suspended on March 13 due to the coronavirus.

（iSports API covers a wide range of football games with livescore, standings, events, line-ups, pre-match odds, statistics）

Speaking on United's official podcast, Pogba said his lack of minutes this campaign has made him "more hungry" to return to action.

"I'm already training and touching the ball," he said. "I've been frustrated, a long time ago. Now I'm almost there, so I'm just thinking about getting back and training fully with the team and everything.

"You think bad but I've never had something like this in my career, so I always take it in a good way. It makes me more hungry to come back and do well and, yeah, it just shows me as well how much I love football."

The France international also revealed the extent to which his injuries have seen him unavailable since United's 4-1 victory against Newcastle United on Boxing Day, as per iSports football data API.

"So I had a foot injury, which came in the game against Southampton," he added. "It was early this season and so I carried this for a long time, training and trying to be playing with it. After I stopped, I found I had a fracture.

"I had a cast on it, a plaster-cast, so it went very well but too well. The bone got bigger and so, when I came back again, I played those two games against Watford and Newcastle, I could feel something again.

"So I had to have an operation and now here I am. I don't feel anything and, hopefully, I'll be back very soon."

Pogba has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford but United are optimistic he will remain at the club beyond the next transfer window.

Juventus and Real Madrid are interested in signing the midfielder but sources have said the La Liga side have put their transfer plans on hold due to the uncertainty over the financial impact of the coronavirus.

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Man United exploring Ighalo options amid coronavirus shutdown

Manchester United are exploring their options as they look to resolve Odion Ighalo's future at the club. United have a loan agreement with Shanghai Shenhua to keep the Nigeria striker at Old Trafford until May 30 but that is unlikely to cover the end of the campaign after the coronavirus pandemic caused football to shut down.

Ighalo has already impressed during his short time at the club, scoring four goals in eight appearances, according to football live data provider iSports API.

FIFA have suggested contracts ending this summer should be extended until the season can be completed, but there is concern at Old Trafford that the proposals will be difficult to implement, particularly given Shanghai Shenhua are likely to want Ighalo to return for the delayed start of the Chinese Super League.

（iSports API covers a wide range of football games with livescore, standings, events, line-ups, pre-match odds, statistics）

"It is now obvious that the current season will not end when people thought it would," FIFA said in a statement.

"Therefore, it is proposed that contracts be extended until such time that the season does actually end. A similar principle applies to contracts due to begin when the new season starts, meaning the entry into force of such contracts is delayed until the next season actually does start."

Despite FIFA's guidance, United are considering options that include trying to renegotiate Ighalo's loan, making an offer to Shanghai to buy him permanently or allow the 30-year-old to return to China and risk leaving manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer short of forwards for the rest of the season.

United are keen to have Ighalo available for remaining games in the Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League and have not ruled out signing the former Watford man permanently, but there is an acceptance Shanghai hold the cards in any negotiations.

Meanwhile, United have triggered the one-year extension in Timothy Fosu-Mensah's contract. The Dutchman has not played for the first team since May 2017 and has had loans spells at Crystal Palace and Fulham, as per iSports football API.

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PSG in ongoing discussions to sign Mauro Icardi permanently

Football live data provider iSports API report that Ligue 1 leaders PSG are in ongoing discussions with Argentinian striker Mauro Icardi and his agent Wanda Nara about moving to the French capital club permanently, with Les Parisiens having a €65m option to buy the player at the end of his season-long loan spell.

Sporting Director Leonardo remains aware that Icardi is seen as one of the best goal-scorers on the European scene and has in recent days been exchanging with Wanda Nara. Icardi’s agent wants clarification on what role her client would have were he to commit to a permanent future with PSG. 

（iSports API covers a wide range of football games with livescore, standings, events, line-ups, pre-match odds, statistics）

In recent weeks, Icardi’s relationship with Thomas Tuchel has utterly disintegrated, with the pair having a heated discussion ahead of the Dortmund clash a notable example of this.

The outlet adds that Juventus continue to monitor this situation, but that PSG have first right to acquire Icardi, should they be able to convince him to stay, as per iSports football API.

Icardi and his camp have not made a definitive decision on his future yet, contrary to a host of Italian reports jumping the gun.

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Man United's Sanchez won't take pay-cut to leave

Alexis Sanchez will stick it out at Manchester United rather than leave in a cut-price deal in the next transfer window. Sanchez is spending the season on loan at Inter Milan with United paying a portion of the 31-year-old's salary, according to iSports API football data.

（iSports API covers a wide range of football games with livescore, standings, events, line-ups, pre-match odds, statistics）

He would be open to making the move permanent but the Italian side have reservations because of the cost of any potential deal.

Sanchez still has two years remaining on his £500,000-a-week contract at Old Trafford and is reluctant to accept reduced terms, even if it helped to facilitate a move away.

United are aware that the terms of the deal -- agreed when Sanchez arrived in January 2018 -- will make it hard to find a buyer in the summer and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been told he may have to include him in the squad for next season.

Sanchez's preference is to leave United after a disastrous spell during which he only managed just five goals in 45 appearances but accepts he may have to see out his contract, which runs until June 2022, as per football live data provider iSports API.

Sanchez joined Inter in August but injury has seen him restricted to 15 appearances in all competitions, scoring once, as per iSports football API.

If he is forced to stay at United, the former Barcelona and Arsenal star is likely to find first team opportunities even harder to come by.

Solskjaer is determined to revamp his forward line ahead of the new season, with priority placed on securing a right winger, centre forward and an attacking midfielder. Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish, James Maddison and Harry Kane are among the names in the frame.

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