Egypt forward Mohamed Salah has recovered from a shoulder injury and is almost 100% certain to play in their World Cup opener against Uruguay, coach Hector Cuper said on Thursday, ending weeks of suspense about the fitness of his most dangerous striker. Cuper went further by predicting on the eve of the match that Salah could emerge as one of the tournament’s most prolific goalscorers.
* France forward Antoine Griezmann rejected a move to La Liga champions Barcelona in order to stay at Atletico Madrid, he said on Thursday in a remarkable documentary broadcast, called "The Decision", made by Spanish network Movistar Plus.
* British number one Johanna Konta battled to a 6-4 7-6(5) victory over compatriot Heather Watson in the second round of the Nature Valley Open on Thursday. Konta, a runner-up at Nottingham in 2017, continued her winning start to the grasscourt season as she aims to emulate last year's run to the semi-finals at Wimbledon.
* Morocco will bid to host the 2030 World Cup, a government spokesperson said on Thursday, a day after the kingdom missed out on the 2026 tournament to a joint North American bid. He also said Morocco would implement the projects included in its 2026 bid, despite losing to a joint bid by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
* Broadcaster Sky and sports media group Perform won the rights to screen top-flight Serie A football matches in Italy until 2021 for more than 973 million euros (893.1 million pounds) per season, Italy's soccer league chairman said.
* Mohamed Salah has recovered from his shoulder injury and barring a last-minute hitch the Egyptian star will play in their World Cup opener against Uruguay on Friday, coach Hector Cuper said.
* Hong Kong police have smashed a football gambling ring and seized bets worth HK$78 million (US$9.9 million) in a crackdown on illegal bookmaking as the World Cup kicks off. Accordingly, 42 men and three women were arrested for offences including illegal bookmaking and managing unlawful gambling establishments.
