Sports News Roundup: Soccer-Poland's Marciniak to referee World Cup final; Cricket-England eyeing historic clean sweep in Pakistan: Stokes and more

The change in policy followed consultation with heath and industry experts, the tournament said in a statement. Soccer-Portugal coach Santos leaves job after World Cup exit Fernando Santos has left his job as Portugal coach after his team lost to Morocco in the World Cup quarter-finals, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) said on Thursday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Soccer-Poland's Marciniak to referee World Cup final

Poland's Szymon Marciniak will referee Sunday's World Cup final between Argentina and France, the Polish FA said on Thursday. The 41-year-old, who will be the first Pole to referee the final, officiated his first World Cup match in 2018 in Russia. He will be joined by assistants Pawel Sokolnicki and Tomasz Listkiewicz.

Cricket-England eyeing historic clean sweep in Pakistan: Stokes

England have already sealed their three-match series with a game to spare but captain Ben Stokes says they will press to become the first test team to complete a 3-0 whitewash in Pakistan. England won the first test by 74 runs before grabbing a 26-run victory in the second to register their first series win in Pakistan since 2000-01.

Soccer-Real Madrid agree deal to sign Brazilian 16-year-old prodigy Endrick

Real Madrid have reached an agreement to sign Brazilian teenager Endrick from Palmeiras, the teams announced on Thursday, beating a host of leading European clubs linked to the prodigy. The 16-year-old striker will join the European and LaLiga champions in July 2024, due to world soccer governing body FIFA's rules prohibiting underage players from playing abroad.

Stephen Curry to miss few weeks with shoulder injury

Golden State superstar guard Stephen Curry will miss a few weeks with a left shoulder injury sustained during Wednesday night's game, ESPN reported Thursday. Curry suffered the injury in the third quarter of the Warriors' loss to the Indiana Pacers while going for a steal. He exited and did not return.

Tennis-Indian Wells will not require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for fans

Tennis fans attending the Indian Wells tournament in Southern California this coming March will not be required to prove they are vaccinated against COVID-19 before entering the grounds, organizers said. The change in policy followed consultation with heath and industry experts, the tournament said in a statement.

Soccer-Portugal coach Santos leaves job after World Cup exit

Fernando Santos has left his job as Portugal coach after his team lost to Morocco in the World Cup quarter-finals, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) said on Thursday. The Portuguese suffered a shock 1-0 defeat by Morocco in Qatar on Saturday, after Santos started the match by leaving the country's all-time record goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo on the substitutes' bench.

Olympics-IOC and Ukraine's Zelenskiy agree to disagree over Russian athletes

The International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said the Games have a unifying mission when he spoke to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who called for a ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes, the IOC said on Thursday. Zelenskiy had said on Wednesday after the call with Bach that he had opposed the idea of Russian athletes taking part under any kind of neutral banner at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, as "all their flags are stained in blood."

Tennis-Nadal, Swiatek named ITF world champions after stellar 2022 season

Rafa Nadal was crowned the ITF world champion for the fifth time in his career while top-ranked Iga Swiatek won the women's award after a superb 2022 season, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) said on Thursday. World number two Nadal fought back from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev in January's Australian Open final to capture his 21st Grand Slam trophy, before sealing a record-extending 14th French Open title in June for his 22nd major.

Soccer-No British fans arrested at World Cup - report

British soccer fans at the World Cup in Qatar behaved impeccably and none were arrested at the global tournament, the UK's football policing lead said. "The behaviour of England and Wales out in Qatar was absolutely exemplary," Chief Constable Mark Roberts of Cheshire Police was quoted as saying by USA Today on Thursday.

Tennis-Ukraine's Svitolina rallies for forgotten compatriots

Ukraine's former world number three Elina Svitolina said she fears people are forgetting about her compatriots, almost 10 months into Russia's ongoing invasion that has reduced cities to rubble. One of Ukraine's most celebrated athletes, she has added star power to a fundraising effort to supply electricity generators for Ukrainian hospitals as the invasion continues into the bitter winter months.