SPORTS

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admitted Friday he had no option but to allow Philippe Coutinho to join Barcelona, refusing to rule out an exit for striker Daniel Sturridge during the January transfer window. Brazil international Coutinho joined the Spanish giants earlier this week for 160 …

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi Arabia allowed women to enter a football stadium for the first time to watch a match Friday, as the ultra-conservative kingdom eases strict decades-old rules separating the sexes. The new measure comes after Riyadh, long known for imposing harsh restrictions on women, announced …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Arsene Wenger admitted Friday that Alexis Sanchez’s future is up in the air as Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola stayed tight-lipped over potential moves for the forward during the January transfer window. Guardiola’s bid to buy Sanchez collapsed at the end of the summer …

Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | Jose Mourinho on Friday said he felt “contempt” for Chelsea manager Antonio Conte as their toxic public row continues to escalate. The Manchester United manager has traded insults with his Chelsea counterpart over the past two weeks, with their dispute becoming increasingly bitter. “I think …

Rabat, Morocco | AFP | Five facts about the African Nations Championship (CHAN), which begins in Morocco Saturday: — A total of 242 goals have been scored during the previous four tournaments in the Ivory Coast, Sudan, South Africa and Rwanda at an average of 2.16 per match. — Tunisia …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Thirty two matches will mark the start of the round of 64 stage of the 44th edition of the Uganda Cup later this month. The big premier league sides should all go through easily, with the likes of holders KCCA tavelling to take on …

Rabat, Morocco | AFP |  Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology will debut in Africa midway through the Nations Championship (CHAN), which kicks off Saturday with hosts Morocco among the title favourites. The system allows off-field match officials to assist referees in “game-changing” situations such as goals, penalty kicks, straight red …

Paris, France | AFP | Schedule of finals at the 2018 Winter Olympics at Pyeongchang, South Korea, from February 9-25: Saturday 10 1615 (0815 GMT): Cross country — Women’s 7.5 km + 7.5 km Skiathlon 1900: Short track speed-skating — Men’s 1500 m 2000: Speedskating — Women’s 3000 m 2015: …

Shanghai, China | AFP | Chinese champions Guangzhou Evergrande appear to have ended any interest in Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after a public dressing-down by football authorities in the country. The club coached by Italian legend Fabio Cannavaro had reportedly won a 72-million-euro tug-of-war with Chinese Super League (CSL) …

Washington, United States | AFP | Look out, women’s tennis. Serena Williams isn’t quite back on tour, but she says she wants more Grand Slam titles and may be an even better player after becoming a mother. In an interview with Vogue magazine published Wednesday, Williams also recounts the harrowing medical …