Marc Marquez claims pole at Germany MotoGP

Hohenstein-Ernstthal: Marc Marquez secured pole position for the Germany MotoGP after the Spaniard set the fastest time on his Ducati in qualifying at the Sachsenring on Saturday. realschule-moosburg.de

The reigning world champion will start from pole for the ninth time in the premier class at the German circuit, becoming the first rider in history to achieve this feat.

He booked his place at the front of the grid with a track record lap of 1min 19.041sec.

Nicknamed 'The King of the Ring', the 33-year-old Catalan will be aiming on Sunday for a 13th victory on the German circuit, his 10th in MotoGP.

"Front row was the target but pole position and especially the lap record here in Sachsenring... is something really good," Marc Marquez said.

Victory in the Grand Prix this weekend would see him equal two records held by Italian legend Giacomo Agostini: most wins at a single event (13) and most victories at the same circuit in the premier class (10).

Marc Marquez finished ahead of his brother Alex Marquez, riding for the Ducati satellite team Gresini, and Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio for the VR46 outfit owned by Italian MotoGP icon Valentino Rossi.

"I was upset in the moment to not get the pole," Alex Marquez said of his initial reaction to seeing he had come second in qualifying.

"But happy to see Marc and me again at the top," the 30-year-old added.

Spaniard Raul Fernandez of Aprilia-Trackhouse took fourth place, ahead of his Japanese team-mate Ai Ogura and France's Fabio Quartararo of Yamaha.

The session was marred by another heavy crash involving Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi.

Two weeks after crashing at nearly 200 km/h (120 mph) in the Netherlands without suffering any injuries, the Italian this time lost his back wheel at over 130 km/h and was thrown over his handlebars before bouncing several times in the gravel.

Second in the championship, Bezzecchi, who had set the eighth-fastest time before crashing, appeared to be suffering from an injury to his left wrist and was taken to the circuit's medical centre with his arm in a sling.

It was a morning to forget for Aprilia, with their championship leader, Spaniard Jorge Martin, only managing the ninth-fastest time in qualifying.

Doha, Qatar: Qatar and Saudi Arabia basketball teams meet in Jeddah today in the closing fixture of the third window of the Asian Qualifiers for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 in Qatar.

The clash comes amid an intense battle for group leadership. Lebanon currently tops the standings with 9 points, while Saudi Arabia and Qatar are level with 8 points each. India sits fourth with 5 points, reflecting the close competition among the top three teams ahead of the conclusion of the third window.

Although Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar have already advanced, the qualification system - which carries forward results among qualified teams - adds extra significance to this match, as its outcome will directly impact the standings in the next stage. This makes the game both a technical and strategic contest beyond its immediate result.

Qatar enter the match with high morale following a 65–56 victory over India in Ahmedabad during the opening round of the third window. The team rallied in the second half after a balanced start, demonstrating its ability to handle the pressure of away fixtures before a major test in Jeddah.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, approaches the game after a narrow 88–82 defeat to Lebanon in a fiercely contested match that remained competitive until the final moments. Despite showing strong performance, the Saudis fell short in decisive moments. Their technical staff now aims to restore balance and close the window with a morale-boosting win against a direct rival. At the same time, Lebanon will face India in the other group fixture.

Qatar’s qualifying journey began with a dramatic one-point loss to Lebanon (75–74) in Doha, followed by a crucial away win over Lebanon (86–83). The team later fell to Saudi Arabia 80–86 in Doha during the fourth round.

The Qatari delegation is headed by Mr. Saadoun Sabah Al-Kuwari, Secretary General of the Qatar Basketball Federation and Director of National Teams, assisted by Jassim Ibrahim Ashkanani (Team Manager) and Nabil Jumaa (Assistant Team Manager).

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: 9 July 2026 – FitnGlam, part of Formative, the UAE’s largest fitness collective, is preparing to open its third location at My City Center Masdar in Abu Dhabi. Scheduled to open in Q4 2026, the 22,000 square foot facility will become FitnGlam’s seventh location across the UAE, further expanding the … Continue reading Formative to expand Abu Dhabi footprint with new FitnGlam Masdar superclub →

Los Angeles: The United States face the biggest day of soccer in their history on Monday as they play Belgium in what will be a spicy encounter for a place in the World Cup quarter-finals after an intervention by Donald Trump further fired up the Belgians.

They are furious US star striker Folarin Balogun can play after a one match ban was suspended for a year -- the decision came after Trump phoned Fifa chief Gianni Infantino

The Royal Belgian Football Association said in a statement it had "no alternative but to challenge the player's eligibility for the upcoming match."

Balogun, who has scored three goals at the World Cup, had been set to miss the clash in Seattle after receiving a straight red card following a video review for stepping on a Bosnia-Herzegovina defender's foot in the round-of-32 match that the US won 2-0.

Under FIFA rules, a straight red card automatically triggers a one-game ban.

Trump called Infantino asking him to review Balogun's punishment, two sources familiar with the matter told AFP.

World football's governing body said on Sunday the ban will now be suspended for a year, in a stunning move for which no specific explanation was offered.

"Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

The US team welcomed the decision, which coach Mauricio Pochettino called "fair", but it sparked outrage from Belgium and other teams.

European football's governing body UEFA slammed the ruling declaring FIFA had "crossed a red line".

"We express our disbelief at such an unprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable decision," added UEFA in a strongly-worded statement.

The European Union also took issue with Trump's intervention.

"Influencing sporting decisions would undermine the autonomy of sport," said EU sports commissioner Glenn Micallef.

"Our focus should instead be on the real governance challenges facing sport, including the weaponisation of sport for political purposes."

The Belgian government were non-plussed by the decision calling it "incomprehensible".

England coach Thomas Tuchel, asked about the Balogun case after having one of his own players sent off in the nerve-jangling 3-2 win against Mexico on Sunday,

said: "Where does this start and end now? Can we overturn it?

"Where to draw the line is the question I ask. Where does this end now?

"It's my question, I don't have an answer," the German added.

Tuchel's compatriot Jurgen Klopp, who is in line to become the next coach of Germany, did not mince his words.

"This is our game, not theirs... If Trump and Infantino really worked this all out between themselves, that's crazy. It calls everything into question...

"These two individuals, neither of whom has a clue about football, shouldn't have anything to do with it," the 59-year-old added.

The stakes in Monday's game are huge for the co-hosts. Playing on home soil, a strong US start to the tournament has raised expectations to fever-pitch levels among the American public.

Mauricio Pochettino's side are targeting a historic run to at least the quarter-finals, which they have not reached since 2002.

In the first game Monday, European champions Spain face neighbours Portugal in Dallas for a place in the last eight.

On Sunday, Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo came out fighting against critics he said had been "trying to kill me for the past 23 years".

Ronaldo, 41, admitted he was not the player he used to be, but said "I am not doing too bad", pointing to the three goals he has scored at the tournament.

Relishing taking on journalists eager to ask about his future and the harsh spotlight on him, Ronaldo told reporters: "It's been like this since I was 18, it is not going to change."

Spain started the World Cup sluggishly but found their form in breezing past Austria 3-0 in the last 32 and their own superstar, 18-year-old Lamine Yamal, is ready to showcase his precocious talents, coach Luis de la Fuente said.

"He likes to be the focus, he likes the responsibility, he likes to take the initiative," said de la Fuente.

Marseille have reportedly joined the race for Haissem Hassan, while Real Oviedo rejected an offer from Celtic.

Marseille have reportedly joined the race to sign Egypt winger Haissem Hassan after Real Oviedo rejected an opening offer from Celtic.

The Scottish giants submitted a bid worth about €4 million, or £3.4 million, for the 24-year-old following his performances at the World Cup.

Oviedo rejected the approach and are referring interested clubs to Hassan’s €12 million release clause. The clause had previously been set at €18 million, but fell in value after the Spanish club’s relegation from La Liga.

Oviedo sporting director David Fernandez said the club would retain control over any departure. Fernandez made the comments during his presentation as sporting director amid reports linking the Egyptian winger with Celtic and other European clubs.

Marseille are monitoring the winger’s position, according to French reports, while clubs in England and Saudi Arabia have also been linked with a move.

Hassan’s transfer value increased after Egypt’s run to the World Cup round of 16. He started the 3-2 defeat by Argentina and assisted Mostafa Zico’s second goal after a counterattack led by Mohamed Salah.

The France-born winger joined Oviedo from Villarreal in 2024 and is under contract until 2027. Villarreal are entitled to 40% of a future transfer, according to Spanish reports.

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