Around the Betting Planet: More COVID concerns for Pats

US sports betting news

Patriots suspend practice after more COVID positives

Sources report that the New England Patriots canceled a Friday practice after another team member tested positive for COVID-19. According to the source, the team is awaiting confirmation from a second test.

Offensive lineman James Ferentz is the positive result, with the team shifting him to the reserve for now. The Patriots will be playing the Denver Broncos this Sunday. The game was originally scheduled for Week 5, but had to be moved after a positive test result.

Nevertheless, the NFL has announced no changes to this week’s game schedule. The team has had many struggles with positive coronavirus tests. One day before Ferentz tested positive, Cam Newton, Stephon Gilmore, and Bill Murray came off the COVID-19 reserve list.

UK sports betting news

Benrahma joins West Ham on loan

Said Benrahma, a 25-year-old Algerian winger with Brentford FC, has just been signed by West Ham. The deal covers an initial loan, worth £5m, with an option to buy for another £20m. Further add-ons worth £5m could see the deal rise to £30m.

Benrahma has already been vetted, including a complete medical checkup. It’s a big move for the Algerian, who’s joining the English Premier League for the first time. He commented on the deal, mentioning his excitement over signing with a team as “massive” and “historic” as West Ham.

For West Ham, Benrahma is a valuable addition to the lineup. His striking power helped Brentford reach the Championship playoff final last season. Before Brentford, Benrahma was playing for Nice.

Africa sports betting news

South Africa out of 2020 Rugby Championship

South Africa have officially pulled out of the 2020 Rugby Championship, citing health and safety concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. The upcoming Rugby Championship is looking less and less likely with each passing day, much to the chagrin of sports betting fans.

The South Africa rugby team are the reigning world champions. Their departure leaves only three teams left in the tournament: Australia, Argentina, and New Zealand. The competition is still scheduled to start in Sydney on October 31.

Rugby in South Africa restarted on October 10, though only the domestic league. The national team hasn’t played a match since the 2019 Rugby World Cup final.

South Africa were set to arrive in Australia between October 17 and 18. The team would’ve had to quarantine for two weeks before a November 7 match with Argentina. Bookmaker betting odds showed SA to be the favorites for this year’s Rugby Championship.

Europe sports betting news

Mbappe scores twice as PSG belt Nimes

French forward Kylian Mbappe scored two goals to help Paris St-Germain prevail over Nimes in a comfortable 4-0 victory. A 12’ red card on Loïck Landre for a challenge on Rafinha took Nimes down to 10 men. Nimes never quite recovered.

Mbappe opened the scoreboard at 32’, with Alessandro Florenzi tacking on the second with a close-range header at 77’. Mbappe scored his second at 83’, while Pablo Sarabia added insult to injury at 88’.

It was a stellar performance for PSG, who dominated much of the game— particularly after Landre was sent off. They created a lot of opportunities, even without Neymar on the field. The star forward was on duty with Brazil, where he scored a hat trick against Peru.

South America

Necaxa beat Tijuana as fans return to Mexican football stadiums

Necaxa have beaten Tijuana by 2-0 in Mexico’s first domestic league football match with audiences back in stadiums. Like much of the world, Mexican sports were played behind closed doors the past months. Rules published this week allow fans to gradually return to stadiums.

Nearly 7,000 fans gathered in Aguascalientes’ Victoria stadium to watch the game. Ian González opened the scoreboard with a short-range header, assisted by David Cabrera. Necaxa almost scored a second goal at 18’, but Cabrera’s shot hit the post.

Tijuana had a chance to tie the game at 59’, but Luis Malagón managed to stop Bryan Angulo’s penalty kick. Fernando Arce’s 81’ header gave Necaxa their second goal, sealing their victory.

Australia sports betting news

Roos coach Shaw takes extended leave from AFL

North Melbourne Kangaroos coach Rhyce Shaw will be taking an extended leave of absence from his post, citing personal reasons. The move has triggered much speculation about his future with the club. Some are saying Shaw has already coached his last game.

Shaw has been leading the Kangaroos since late 2019. However, a disastrous 2020 AFL season with only three victories saw the team finish just above dead-last. Shaw’s leave took effect right after North Melbourne’s last game of the season.

Team officials have come forward to shoot down the rumors, explaining that Shaw and his family have requested privacy. Still, Shaw’s absence will likely overlap with the trades and drafts, a key moment for implementing team management strategies.

NZ sports betting news

All Blacks legend wanted Rennie for NZ coach

Former All Blacks coach Sir Graham Henry has come out in praise of Wallabies coach Dave Rennie. According to Henry, New Zealand Rugby shouldn’t have appointed Rennie as All Blacks coach instead of the incumbent, Ian Foster.

It’s worth noting that Sir Henry was part of the selection panel that chose Foster to replace Steve Hansen. Australia moved to acquire Rennie earlier that year, forcing the Kiwis to choose between Scott Robertson and Foster.

In Sir Henry’s view, New Zealand’s failure to contact Rennie for a number of years was the key error. He didn’t condemn Foster as coach, though. He went on to mention that it’s too early to tell if he’s fit for the job.