Digest

SOCCER

Messi moots possible return to Barcelona

Lionel Messi has not ruled out a return to former club Barcelona after he hangs up his boots.

The Argentine ended a 21-year stay at Barca this summer to join Paris Saint-Germain in a two-year deal, with the option of an extra season.

When asked about the possibility of a return to Camp Nou, Messi told Monday's edition of Catalan newspaper Sport: "I have always said that I would love to help the club and be useful. I would love to be a technical director at some point. I don't know if that will be at Barcelona or if it might be somewhere else."

The six-time Ballon d'Or winner, however, is certain that he will return to live in Barcelona.

"It is what both my wife and I want," he said. "I do not know if it will be straight after the end of my contract with Paris, but we will return to live in Barcelona again."

Team China's qualifiers moved to Sharjah again

China's upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Oman and Australia will take place in Emirati city Sharjah, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) confirmed on Monday.

The CFA had hoped that the home fixtures could be held in a Chinese city, but those plans have been scuppered by continuing vigilance against the COVID-19 pandemic.

"After negotiations with all related parties and the confirmation of the Asian Football Confederation, China will play against Oman and Australia on Nov 11 and 16 respectively in Sharjah," said the CFA. "The Chinese team will depart for Sharjah on Nov 7."

Li Tie's Team China squad trained in Sharjah for nearly one month before beating Vietnam 3-2 there on Oct 7, its first win in the final phase of Asian zone qualifying.

With only three points from four games, China ranks fifth in Group B.

BASKETBALL

Guangzhou coach Guo hit with five-game ban

The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) has slapped Guangzhou Loong Lions head coach Guo Shiqiang with a five-game suspension for his blow-up against the Jilin Northeast Tigers on Sunday.

With his team leading 94-93 with 8.5 seconds to play, Guo became infuriated when Zhu Mingzhen was whistled for a foul that gave Jilin's Cui Jinming a pair of free throws.

Guo argued that Jilin's Dai Huaibo should have been given a traveling violation before the foul occurred, with the coach's vehement protests to officials holding up the game for almost 10 minutes.

In Monday's announcement, the league's ruling body said Guo's behavior was a severe disruption of the game, fining him 20,000 yuan ($3,126) in addition to his ban.

SKI JUMPING

Polish team to miss Zhangjiakou meet

Poland's ski jumpers will miss December's FIS Continental Cup in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, and will instead compete on home soil at a World Cup meet in Wisla.

The Poles are among the medal favorites at Beijing 2022, with the Zhangjiakou event presenting them with an opportunity to test the Olympic hills for the first time.

Pandemic-related logistical issues, however, have persuaded the Polish team to stay at home.

"We considered flying to China and we analyzed all the pros and cons. However, it is logistically complicated for us as we would need a charter flight from Frankfurt, Germany," said Jan Winkiel, secretary-general of the Polish Ski Association. "Acclimatization in China won't be a problem as every member of the team knows how to prepare for the competition."

Xinhua