Digest
SOCCER
Wu Lei among Golden Foot nominations
Chinese international Wu Lei is listed among the 30 nominations for the 2022 Golden Foot Award alongside Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema and Neymar, the organizing committee revealed on Sunday.
The Golden Foot Award has been sponsored by the Monarchy of Monaco since 2003, and aims to honor players for their career achievements. The men's award winner in 2021 was Egypt's Mo Salah.
The men's candidates for this year's 20th edition include a slew of stars such as Messi, Benzema, Neymar and Robert Lewandowski. Other Asian players on the list include South Korea's Lee Chung-yong and Son Heung-min.
The 31-year-old Wu, the 2021 Chinese Footballer of the Year, returned to Chinese Super League club Shanghai Port from Spanish side Espanyol last month.
A fan vote on the Golden Foot Award's official website will decide the final 10-candidate shortlist.
Coach laments decline of Guangzhou teams
Guangzhou City head coach Li Weifeng has lamented the decline of his team and Guangzhou FC, with the cross-city rivals now fighting for the top-flight survival.
"These two Guangzhou teams have been so successful in the past that they became the benchmark for the other Chinese Super League (CSL) teams," said former Chinese international Li.
"But who could have imagined that these two teams now end up fighting against each other in a relegation dogfight?" he said.
Guangzhou FC, formerly known as Guangzhou Evergrande, won the CSL title eight times and the Asian Champions League twice; Guangzhou City's best CSL finish was third place in 2014.
Both clubs have struggled badly on the pitch since their parent companies ran into financial difficulties.
Guangzhou City currently sits second last in the CSL standings, with nine points from 17 games, two points below Guangzhou FC.
Shenhua injuries 'due to mental fatigue'
Shanghai Shenhua head coach Wu Jingui has blamed mental fatigue for a spate of injuries in his squad.
According to Wu, Shenhua's players have worked extremely hard so far this season, and their efforts have taken a toll.
"They are more mentally tired than anything else. And the mental tiredness can easily cause physical problems," he said.
"Our coaching staff are looking into it by analyzing our training and match stats," he added.
Shanghai Shenhua sits fifth in the Chinese Super League, level on 30 points with Henan Songshan Longmen and Meizhou Hakka. Wuhan Three Towns leads the way on 44 points, four ahead of second-placed Shandong Taishan.
BASKETBALL
Zhou Qi set to play overseas, says agent
Team China star Zhou Qi will continue to play overseas in the upcoming season, his agent said on Monday.
In a statement released on social media, Zhou's representatives, New Level Sports Group, said that the former NBA center has been making significant progress since he first played overseas last year.
"We believe Zhou will keep improving his technique and better serve our country," read the statement. No details were disclosed on what franchise or country Zhou will be headed to.
The 26-year-old, who has just returned from two months of international duty, is currently spending time with his family.
He played with the South East Melbourne Phoenix in the Australian National Basketball League last season. Before heading Down Under, he had played five seasons for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers, who have already pre-registered him for the new Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league season.
Giannis' brother Kostas to sign with Chicago
The Chicago Bulls are signing free agent Kostas Antetokounmpo to a training camp deal, The Athletic reported Sunday.
A younger brother of Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, he will be competing for a two-way roster spot.
A 6-foot-10 (2.08-meter) forward, Kostas Antetokounmpo previously played with the Dallas Mavericks (2018-19) and Los Angeles Lakers (2019-21).
He played for Greece at the Euro-Basket championship over the summer.
Antetokounmpo, 24, has averaged 1.0 point and 1.0 rebound over 4.0 minutes per game in 22 career appearances.
Xinhua - Agencies
