Most prominent sports news: Preparations for the Asian Games, Haaland’s achievement, and Lavezzi’s suffering

Asian Games organizers said they were committed to addressing complaints made by athletes and officials about accommodation, as the cruise ship that will host about 4,000 of them during this multi-sport tournament arrived in Nagoya port on Tuesday.

After deciding not to build an athletes' village, local organizers looked for innovative accommodation options to host 17,000 athletes, referees and officials who will participate in the 20th Asian Games (ASEAD).

The Italian cruise ship “Costa Serena” arrived on Tuesday morning, and the other participants in the games will be accommodated in accommodation via the “AirBnB” platform, hotels and huts similar to shipping containers in the dock area of ​​Nagoya Port, which is the largest port in Japan.

Hideaki Omura, Chairman of the Aite-Nagoya Asian Games Organizing Committee, said in a welcoming speech: “We are very pleased to welcome this (hotel ship) here to Kengo Pier. This is the first time in Japan that such a facility has been used for accommodation during a major international sports tournament. We are pleased to be able to host a large-scale international sporting event using this innovative type of accommodation.”

The games officially begin next Saturday with the opening ceremony, but basketball and football competitions have already begun.

Media reports indicated complaints from South Korean basketball players about the size of the beds in the shipping container-style huts built at the site, which will host about 2,000 guests.

“We are fully aware of the dissatisfaction and concerns expressed by the athletes’ delegations,” Yuta Matsuo, director of the accommodation, told Reuters. However, we not only acknowledge these problems, but are already taking concrete steps to improve the environment around the athletes, including their living conditions during their stay.”

The core concept of the residency program is sustainability, Matsuo said, and that while the Japanese Olympic Committee has approved everything, he understands that other delegations may have specific needs.

Matsuo added that an accommodation center will be provided that operates 24 hours a day to deal with any complaints or problems for athletes or officials.

He explained: “In this way, we are doing our best to ensure that athletes do not have to remain in a state of anxiety or stress for long periods.”

Matsuo pointed out that some of the cabins on board the Costa Serena may be very small, but he urged athletes to make the most of the spacious common spaces available on board.

“We hope that delegates will take into account the ship’s facilities and relaxation options – taking a holistic view rather than focusing solely on the size of the cabins,” he said.

The local organizing committee confirms that the accommodation problem arose because they expected only 15,000 athletes and officials to participate in the games, but the numbers increased with the addition of new sports.

In a joint statement with the Olympic Council of Asia last week, the Aite-Nagoya Asian Games Zonal Committee announced that the number would reach about 17,000 people, with accommodation guaranteed for all of them.

Weather conditions were not favourable, as several hundred athletes and officials were briefly evacuated from their accommodation after heavy rains hit the city of Nagoya last week. With expectations of more heavy rains and flash floods on Wednesday.

The games, which are the third edition to be held in Japan, will continue from next Saturday until the fourth of next October.

Norwegian Erling Haaland, the Manchester City star, confirmed that his arrival to become the all-time top scorer in Manchester derby matches in the English Premier League era is a moment of which he feels particularly proud.

Haaland's decisive goal in the 60th minute, during the 199th Manchester derby the day before yesterday, Sunday, not only ensured a valuable 1-0 victory for Italian coach Enzo Maresca's team, which played with only 10 players, but also made the 26-year-old player the all-time leading scorer for the Manchester derby in the era of the English Premier League.

Haaland's last goal at Old Trafford raised his score in the Manchester derby in the "League" to 9 goals, in 8 matches, surpassing the Argentine Sergio Aguero and the Englishman Wayne Rooney, who each scored 8 goals during their wonderful careers.

For the City star, it was a very special moment after he secured a unique place for himself in the history of one of the most famous confrontations in world football.

Haaland said, in statements reported by Manchester City’s official website: “I knew this record before, I read about it, so it remained in my mind.”

The Norwegian international star added: “I am very proud of that, and this is something that makes me very happy. Because we all know how special this match is.”

He explained: “Since I came to Manchester, they have been joking with me a little, and I have been joking with them a little, but in the end, it is about having some fun and enjoying the love of football and fighting for your team.”

He continued: “I think this match has always been special for me, since I scored my first appearance in the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium against Manchester United.”

The goal that put him at the top of the derby's top scorers was another classic example of Haaland's natural scoring instinct and exceptional awareness in front of goal.

In a split second, from a position that was not easy at first, Haaland fired a wonderful shot with his scoring instinct, which secured another famous victory in the derby, even if this came after a lengthy review by the video assistant referee (VAR) technology that lasted three minutes.

Haaland continued: “It's just pure instinct, and what I feel is the right thing to do, and in the end, there is no specific answer to this or that, how to end the opportunity, and how to do this or that.”

He continued: “It's just a matter of trying to put the ball in the net, and shooting it well enough so that the goalkeeper can't block it. "And that's just what I'm trying to think about."

With this victory, Manchester City continued its perfect start in the “English Premier League” this season, as it raised its score to 12 points, achieving the full score so far, after winning its first four matches, to sit at the top, on goal difference, in front of its closest rivals, Arsenal (the defending champion), who are equal with it on the score.

The great news for City is that despite all the records that Haaland has achieved during his four years at Etihad Stadium so far, he believes that he is still capable of developing further.

When Haaland was asked about his personal goals for the season, he said: “Of course I have goals, but for me, it is still about improvement.”

Haaland stressed: “I am still 26 years old, and I can still develop aspects of my level. “I have to be the decisive player, so it's about giving what I can to Manchester City, and that's my main goal, and I deal with each match individually.”

The Manchester City star concluded his statements by saying: “It is a long season, so I am just trying to enjoy it.”

Ezequiel Lavezzi, the former Argentina national football team striker, spoke frankly about the role his close friend Lionel Messi played in helping him overcome the depression and “emptiness” that followed his retirement from football.

Lavezzi enjoyed a successful career with the Italian club Napoli and the French club Paris Saint-Germain. He also contributed to the Argentine national team reaching the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil, where the team lost 0-1 to Germany after an extra time period.

Lavezzi (41 years old) ended his football career in November 2019, after a period he spent with the Chinese club Hebei China Fortune.

In an interview with Amazon Prime Italy, Lavezzi revealed his struggle to adapt to life after retiring from playing, but he also highlighted the strong ties that united him with his former teammates, which helped him overcome difficult times and move forward towards recovery.

Lavezzi said: “When I stopped playing, I felt a huge void, and there was nothing to fill this void.”

He added, in his statements reported by the British news agency, PA Media: “I suffered from depression and was admitted to the hospital to receive treatment. “I am taking medications and undergoing treatment, and I am slowly recovering.”

He explained: “The arrival of my son has changed my life. He gives me a lot of happiness and makes me feel alive, and he has also given me the strength to continue.”

Lavezzi stressed: “I tell those who suffer that they are able to overcome their ordeal with humility and will. The world of football stood firmly by my side, and many were close to me, such as Messi, Sergio Aguero and Paolo Cannavaro.”

Lavezzi concluded his statements by saying: “I have a special friendship with Messi. We talk about many things, and he is a wonderful person.”