Jesus: I did not expect Ronaldo to retire

Jorge Jesus, coach of the Portuguese national team, confirmed that he did not expect Cristiano Ronaldo to retire from international football, despite the public dispute that broke out between them recently.

“I thought he would return, and I certainly had the intention of calling him up,” Jesus said, while announcing the national team’s roster for the European Nations League, on Friday, one day after Ronaldo announced the end of his long and distinguished career with his country’s national team.

He added: “He felt that this was the right moment to leave, and his decision must be respected.” “We can never lose sight of what he has given to Portugal, his contributions to the country, or the fact that he is an icon for young players.”

Ronaldo's last appearance in a Portugal shirt was on September 24, during the match that ended with Portugal's victory over Wales, 1-0, in the European Nations League.

British police arrested Ammar Didic, a defender of the English football team Newcastle United, after he was spotted carrying a bow and arrows in one of the picturesque natural sites in Northumberland County, according to news reports, on Friday.

The 24-year-old Bosnian international player was accompanied by one of his friends in a car when the police stopped them, after a citizen reported the matter to the authorities, according to the official website of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

Reports indicate that six police vehicles, including armed units, were dispatched and Dedic and his companion were intercepted about 7 miles from the location where the two were first seen.

The police searched the car and confiscated the bow and arrows, but concluded that the two men did not pose any threat to the public.

Sources told BBC Sport that Dedic did not have any bad intentions, and that he expressed full cooperation with the police.

Reports also indicated that Newcastle goalkeeper Mark Gillespie, 34, and former defender Paul Dummett, 35, arrived at the scene while police were speaking with Didic.

It is likely that Gillespie and Dummett's presence in the area was pure coincidence, and that they stopped to offer assistance.

The incident occurred on Wednesday, two days after Didic, who joined Newcastle from Portuguese club Benfica in a deal worth about 30 million pounds last August, participated in the match that Newcastle lost 0-1 to its guest Everton.

There was no comment from Newcastle, which currently occupies thirteenth place in the English Premier League standings with 11 points from 9 matches.

For its part, Northumbria Police issued a statement confirming that investigations are still ongoing, without explicitly mentioning Didic's name.

Newcastle is scheduled to play its host Fulham, on Saturday, in the tenth stage of the prestigious competition, before the international break this month.

It is noteworthy that Dedic, who has participated in 10 matches in the English Premier League and League Cup since joining Newcastle, was selected in the Bosnia and Herzegovina team to face Sweden away from home on November 14, and Romania at home on the 17th of the same month, in the European Nations League competitions.

Marc Marquez, a Ducati team rider, could win his eighth title in the World Motorcycle Championship category one in Qatar early next week, equaling the record, but the defending champion prefers not to be there amid a state of anxiety prevailing behind the scenes of the race.

Championship organizers informed the teams in Malaysia last Sunday that they had not received any information that would require changing the date of the Qatar Grand Prix.

The race, which was originally scheduled for April at the Losail International Circuit, was postponed to the period from November 6 to 8 due to the conflict in the region.

Marquez, a seven-time champion, was among those demanding more guarantees to enter the race.

“It's not the ideal place to be, but in the end, we have a contract to fulfill and we are ready to race here in Qatar,” said Marquez, who could equal Giacomo Agostini's record of eight titles in the first category.

He added: “I tried to arrive as late as possible, and I will leave as soon as possible after the race. “You can see that some people are more affected, others a little less.” He continued: “But in the end, we must be professionals.”

Marquez's statements contradicted the position taken by the Aprilia team, which openly expressed its desire to run the race in Qatar, in an attempt to save a season that it seemed like it would win months ago.

The MotoGP World Championship confirmed that independent risk assessments showed that the race was safe, while Qatar provided official assurances and guarantees that teams and racers would not be stranded in the country if the conflict escalated.

For his part, Massimo Rivola, CEO of the Aprilia team, told the Spanish newspaper AS: “If the organizers say the situation is safe, then we have to go. There's not much to discuss. "Honestly, I don't understand all this fuss."

He added: “I want to go.” "If you don't want to do this job, stay home."

But these assurances did not prevent the Yamaha team from withdrawing, after the Japanese team indicated “travel restrictions applied throughout the entire company.”

The MotoGP World Championship said the team could face “sporting sanctions” for not adhering to the contract, a decision resting with the International Motorcycling Federation, which did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

"I don't want to go," said Jack Miller, a Pramac Racing team racer in Sepang. "Like everyone else."

He added: “They can attack us from any angle. Both financially and sportingly regarding our licenses as well as the team. Do I want to hurt the team? Not at all. But at the same time, I don't feel like forcing myself to race.”

Raul Fernandez, a racer for the Trackhouse team, said that “the racing atmosphere has been strange” since his arrival in Qatar.

He added: “The tension resulting from an ongoing war and being at the center of events. “For the people who work there, it’s not exactly the ideal atmosphere.”

Marquez leads the overall standings with 399 points, 44 points ahead of Aprilia rider Jorge Martin, who was leading earlier in the season, and 67 points ahead of Marco Betsicki, who was the most prominent candidate in the early stage of the championship after winning four of the first seven races.

Btsiki said: “I am happy to go to Qatar. "It's a track I really like."

Martin, who announced on Friday that he was ready to race after withdrawing from the Malaysian race due to a broken wrist, is eager to return after seeing his hopes of winning the title gradually fading.

Martin, the 2024 champion, said: “I returned to Spain to receive the treatment I need to recover from the injury and arrive in Qatar in the best possible physical condition. "Now we will see how my body responds."