SOCCER

Valverde fired, Setien hired at Barcelona

Barcelona replaced Ernesto Valverde with former Real Betis manager Quique Setien on Monday in a rare mid-season coaching change for the Catalan giant.

The move came four days after Barca's loss to Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semifinals. Barca leads La Liga on goal difference ahead of Real Madrid and is through to the Champions League last 16, where it will face Napoli next month. Former Barca players Xavi and Ronald Koeman were also linked with the job.

Spaniard Setien, 61, is known for playing an attacking brand of soccer. He led Betis to wins over Barca, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid last season before being fired at the end of the campaign.

"Throughout his career he has been a proponent of possession-based, attacking football that has been attractive to the fans," Barcelona said in statement.

Valverde is the first manager to be fired by Barcelona mid-season since Louis van Gaal was dismissed in January 2003.

Veron insists he has no beef with Maradona

Former Manchester United midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron has played down reports of his supposed feud with Diego Maradona and wished the Argentina legend well in his role as head coach of Gimnasia.

"Relationships always change. I will always respect Maradona the player for what he gave me in my adolescence," Veron told reporters on Monday.

"Everything he says and does has no impact on me. I wish him well with Gimnasia and hope he saves them from relegation because it's very important for the city (La Plata)."

Veron and Maradona were both teammates at Boca Juniors in the 1990s. They were reunited with Argentina's national team from 2008 to 2010 when Maradona was head coach and Veron was at the end of his playing career.

However, the pair fell out in 2016 over a disagreement related to the running of the Argentine Football Association. Later that year they had a heated verbal exchange on the pitch during a charity match in Rome.

BASKETBALL

Clark's return boosts Xinjiang's title chase

Former New Orleans Pelicans guard Ian Clark is replacing Kay Felder as the Xinjiang Flying Tigers' international player, the CBA club announced on Monday night.

Clark is renowned for his 3-point shooting ability. He averaged 6.7 points in 16.2 minutes last season for the Pelicans before moving to Xinjiang.

The 29-year-old has been sidelined for four months after injuring a finger in training.

Clark, who was due to make his CBA debut against the Fujian Sturgeons on Tuesday, is a welcome addition for second-place Xinjiang as it chases the defending champion Guangdong Southeast Tigers at the top of the standings.

ICE HOCKEY

Women's 3-on-3 added to NHL All-Star game

Women's national team players representing the United States and Canada will compete in a 3-on-3 event at the NHL All-Star game in St. Louis in two weeks' time, a source said on Monday.

The source spoke to Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the NHL isn't scheduled to make an announcement until later this week. ESPN.com first reported the development on Sunday night.

It's unclear when the scrimmage will be held during the weekend of festivities. The All-Star game, featuring a series of 3-on-3 games, is Jan 25, a day after the skills competition.

The addition of a women's 3-on-3 game is seen as the latest step in the league's bid to promote women's hockey.

BASEBALL

Astros fire managers over cheating scandal

Houston Astros manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow have both been fired following their suspension for a cheating scandal, team owner Jim Crane said on Monday.

Crane confirmed the dismissals of the duo shortly after Major League Baseball announced 45-year-old Hinch and 53-year-old Luhnow had been suspended for the entire 2020 season for sign-stealing during the Astros' 2017 World Series-winning campaign.

"I have higher standards for the city and the franchise, and I am going above and beyond the MLB's penalty," Crane told a media conference on Monday.

"Today I have made the decision to dismiss AJ Hinch and Jeff Luhnow. We need to move forward with a clean slate. We will not have this happen again on my watch."

Crane, who was cleared of any knowledge of the cheating scandal in an MLB report released on Monday, said he was "very upset" by the revelations.

Xinhua - Agencies