Soccer
Mexican soccer club Santos Laguna will visit Cuba in November aim to recruit talents and play a friendly match with the Cuban national team.
“Both teams will play on November 14th at Havana's Pedro Marrero Stadium,” Cuban Football Association vice president Antonio Garcés told the Cuban television.
Garcés highlighted the exchange is part of a strategy by Santos Laguna President Alejandro Irarragorri and the Cuban Football Association to see the game of Cuban players on the field and negotiate the possible contract with some of them to join the Santos Laguna (green and white) team for the 2016 Opening Tournament in Mexico.
“The Santos Laguna's visit seeks to “help the development of the Cuban soccer and also open doors for future contracts by Mexican clubs as Cruz Azul,” Garcés added.
Santos Laguna executives would be interested in Cuban players as forward Maykel Reyes, defender Arturo Diz Pe, midfield players Daniel Luis Sáenz and Arichel Hernández.
Chess
Cuban Chess player Leinier Domínguez drew against French Christian Bauer during the 5th round of the European Club Cup in Skopie, Macedonia, whose final round can be viewed free and live on the Internet on Saturday afternoon.
Leinier, playing the whites, could not claim the victory over a lesser ranked player and achieved a second consecutive draw. However, the Cuban player contributed to the victory of his Russian team Mednyi Vsadnik over Swiss Schachge sellschaft Zurich 4.5-1.5.
The Cuban player drew against Armenian Levon Aronian in the previous round in 62 moves of a queen's pawn opening, and now he totals three units.
In a challenging outcome between leaders, Russian Siberia beat Azeri SOCAR by score of 3.5 – 2.5 as local club Alkaloid was defeated by Italian Obiettivo Padova 2.5-3.5.
After five rounds Siberia is leading with 10 points follow by eight clubs with eight points each and English club Cheddleton comes third with seven.
Baseball
Industriales will try to complete a slide over Camagüey after becoming the second team to qualify for the second phase of the Cuban Baseball Series as Matanzas will also try to win the three-game mini series playing current champion Ciego de Avila.
Industriales is facing up to the task of improving its record with ambition and tranquility on Friday when seconds to last games are ending the official calendar of the preliminary phase.
Industriales' Leones confirmed their qualification with a second consecutive shutout against Camaguey 2-0 at Havana's Latinoamericano stadium.
Opener José Pablo Cuesta, pitching seven innings and Héctor Ponce, relieving the rest three innings, dominated the game from the pitching box as Stayler Hernández score the first run with a homer and Lourdes Gourriel Jr. hit a sacrifice fly to drive in the second run of the game in the seventh inning. With this win, Industriales improved to 27 wins and 14 defeats much closer to the top of the standings.
Fencing
Two Cuban epee fencers will compete on Friday in World Fencing Cups in Italy and Switzerland.
The Italian city of Legnano will host the women competition with Cuban representative Yamilka Rodríguez and Reynier Henríquez will participate in the events taking place in Berna, Switzerland.
Both athletes' main purpose is to win points to qualify for the 2016 Río de Janeiro Olympic Games.
According to Cuban fencing commissioner Alhjadis Bandera, Yamilka y Reinier are the best ranked Cuban athletes with more chances to qualify for the Olympics. Cuban sports authorities are trying to work out their presence in the Doha Grand Prix as well, commissioner Bandera added.
FIFA
French Jerome Champagne has officially entered the FIFA presidential election race.
Champagne’s detailed document includes plans to modernize how the embattled governing body is run, fight inequality - including cuts to European places at FIFA and the World Cup - and to trial the use of video review to help referees.
Champagne campaigned for the previous election, won in May by his former boss and ally Sepp Blatter, but did not get the required backing of five members to be a candidate.
He now joins Michel Platini, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein and David Nakhid, a former Trinidad and Tobago player, in meeting Monday’s deadline to apply for the Feb. 26 emergency election. More contenders are set to stand.
