Page 31 - bon-dia-aruba-20220319

A31
sports Diasabra 19 Maart 2022

Balotelli left off Italy's squad for World Cup playoffs

(AP) — Mario Balotelli ing an isolation period. That
was left off Italy's squad likely means he won't be
for the World Cup play- available until a possible sec-
offs, and the European ond match of the playoffs.
champion was also with- Also missing is forward Fed-
out midfielder Manuel erico Chiesa, who has been
Locatelli, who tested posi- out since January following
tive for COVID-19. surgery on the anterior cruci-
ate ligament in his left knee.
Italy faces North Macedonia Center backs Giorgio Chiel-
in Palermo, Sicily, on Thurs- lini and Leonardo Bonucci
day. If the Azzurri beat North have both just returned from
Macedonia, they will play injury.
at the winner of a game be-
tween Portugal and Turkey Italy:
for a spot at the tournament Goalkeepers: Alessio Cragno
in Qatar this year. (Cagliari), Gianluigi Don-
narumma (Paris Saint-Ger-
Italy already failed to qual- main), Pierluigi Gollini (Tot-
ify for the 2018 World Cup. tenham), Salvatore Sirigu
Missing two straight World (Genoa).
Cups would be an unprec- Defenders: Francesco Acerbi
edented low point for the (Lazio), Alessandro Bastoni
four-time champion. (Inter Milan), Cristiano Bi-
Balotelli was at Italy's three- raghi (Fiorentina), Leonardo
day training camp in January, Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Sampdoria), Sandro Tonali signe (Napoli), Joao Pedro
three years after his last ap- Chiellini (Juventus), Giovan- (Inter Milan), Bryan Cris- (AC Milan), Marco Verratti (Cagliari), Matteo Politano
pearance for the Azzurri. ni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Em- tante (Roma), Jorginho (Paris Saint-Germain). (Napoli), Giacomo Raspa-
erson Palmieri (Lyon), Ales- (Chelsea), Manuel Locatelli Forwards: Andrea Belotti dori (Sassuolo), Gianluca
The Italian soccer federation sandro Florenzi (AC Milan), (Juventus), Lorenzo Pel- (Torino), Domenico Be- Scamacca (Sassuolo) Mattia
said on Friday that Locatelli Luiz Felipe (Lazio), Gianluca legrini (Roma), Matteo Pes- rardi (Sassuolo), Ciro Im- Zaccagni (Lazio), Nicolò Za-
will join the squad follow- Mancini (Roma). sina (Atalanta), Stefano Sensi mobile (Lazio), Lorenzo In- niolo (Roma).

US demands Russia allow access to detained Brittney Griner

(AP) – The United States pendent but rarely challenge plays professionally in Russia consular access to these de- prison before she was freed
stepped up its push Fri- Russian authorities on major during the WNBA offseason. tainees and have consistently after spending nine months
day for consular access issues. been denied access," it added. behind bars.
to Brittney Griner, the "We are closely engaged on
WNBA star who is de- Griner's lawyers have been this case and in frequent Griner was detained after ar- Griner's legal team has been
tained in Russia on allega- visiting her regularly and contact with Brittney Gri- riving at a Moscow airport, quietly seeking her release
tions of drug smuggling, have brought her care pack- ner's legal team. We insist the reportedly in mid-February, and has declined to speak out
as a member of a Russian ages that include food and Russian government provide after Russian authorities said about the case since her arrest
state-backed prison moni- personal items, but she hadn't consular access to all U.S. a search of her luggage re- was made public earlier this
toring group said Griner met with a U.S. consul yet, citizen detainees in Russia, vealed vape cartridges that al- month.
was faring well behind Kalugina said. including those in pre-trial legedly contained oil derived
bars. The State Department issued detention, as Brittney Griner from cannabis, which could Of the thousands of U.S.
a statement Friday demand- is," it said. carry a maximum penalty of citizens arrested and jailed in
Ekaterina Kalugina told The ing access to Griner, who "We have repeatedly asked for 10 years in prison. prisons abroad, a small subset
Associated Press on Friday are designated by the U.S.
that she visited Griner on Russian state news agency government as wrongfully
Monday at the pretrial de- Tass reported Thursday that detained — a category that af-
tention facility outside of a court had extended Griner's fords their cases an extra level
Moscow where she's being pretrial detention to May 19. of government attention and
held and spoke to her with places them under the aus-
the help of a cellmate who Kalugina said that when she pices of the Special Presiden-
speaks Russian and English met with Griner, Griner tial Envoy for Hostage Affairs
and served as an interpreter. made no complaints about at the State Department. The
her treatment at the facility U.S. government has not yet
"Her physical condition is and said she was getting an put Griner's case in that cat-
fine, she's holding up fine, hour a day to spend in an ex- egory.
and I'd even say that she is ercise yard.
fairly calm and isn't anxious," Kalugina said Griner is be- Griner is not the only Ameri-
Kalugina said of the Phoe- ing held at the facility where can detained in Russia. Ma-
nix Mercury star, whose le- an Israeli woman, Naama rine veteran Trevor Reed
gal ordeal comes amid ten- Issachar, spent time before was sentenced to nine years
sion between Russia and the Russian President Vladimir in prison in 2020 on charges
U.S. over Russia's invasion of Putin pardoned her in 2020. alleging that he assaulted po-
Ukraine. Russian authorities said they lice officers in Moscow. And
found hashish in Issachar's Michigan corporate secu-
Kalugina is a member of luggage while she was trans- rity executive Paul Whelan
the public monitoring com- ferring between flights in is serving a 16-year sentence
mission that visits lockups Moscow en route from India on espionage charges that his
in that part of Russia. Such to Israel, at the same airport family and the U.S. govern-
commissions, which oper- where Griner was detained. ment have said are false. U.S.
ate throughout the country, Issachar was convicted and officials have publicly called
position themselves as inde- sentenced to 7 1/2 years in for Moscow to release them.